Timothy Bradley discusses the Manny Pacquiao rejection

LAS VEGAS -- Timothy Bradley has never lost in a professional boxing ring, and he took his Wednesday defeat outside the ring like a man.

Three months after Bradley beat Manny Pacquiao by a controversial decision, the Filipino superstar passed over Bradley and selected Mexico’s Juan Manuel Marquez for his next opponent Dec. 8 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“I’m straight, I’m good, I’m not tripping,” Bradley told The Times on Thursday morning by telephone while driving around the Coachella Valley.

“It’s all business, I know that. I would’ve done the same thing if I felt I had won the fight and considered the money situation.”

Bradley’s fight against Pacquiao drew somewhere between 850,000 and 925,000 pay-per-view buys, while Pacquiao’s third fight against Marquez sold in excess of 1.25 million buys.

“Business-wise, that makes sense,” Bradley said.

The Palm Springs fighter wanted to clarify that he didn’t believe it was an accurate portrayal by the Pacquiao camp during negotiations that Bradley was driving his price up too steeply after earning $5 million in their first fight.

“I am the champion, I could’ve asked for more, but, obviously, it didn’t matter,” Bradley said. “They could’ve paid me $5 million again, but they didn’t want to do that. It’s a business, and everyone knows that.”

Bradley (29-0), after recovering from torn left foot ligaments suffered in the Pacquiao split-decision triumph, has resumed light training in Indio, but said he won’t be ready to fight again until December.

“November 10 is definitely off the books,” he said.

The list of opponents who make sense have obstacles. World light-welterweight champion Lamont Peterson, whom Bradley has beaten previously, seems close to agreeing to fight Zab Judah. Former 140-pound champion Amir Khan wants to fight in December in England, an unappetizing road trip to Bradley, who owns the World Boxing Organization welterweight belt.

“I’m the champion,” he noted.

And former welterweight champion Andre Berto hasn’t expressed interest in Bradley.

“I just want the next-best thing,” to Pacquiao, Bradley said. “A fight that makes business sense and turns heads. I’ll fight the best in the world. You know that, because I just did it. It doesn’t matter who, as long as it’s a competitive fight.”

Bradley said he wants to fight someone in the winter, and then look at a possible 2013 date against either Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Pacquiao knowing their history of not being able to strike a deal.

“Hopefully, Pacquiao doesn’t retire, because I’d definitely like to get in there with him again healthy and show him what I got,” Bradley said. “Look, there were three judges there, and two thought I won the fight.

“If I had my feet, that would’ve been a completely different fight. I didn’t have my left foot from the second round on, and I wasn’t hurt [by Pacquiao’s punches]. He didn’t hurt my soul. I wasn’t jacked up like those other guys who get the Pacquiao treatment. He couldn’t finish me, and he won’t be able to again.”

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Lance.pugmire@latimes.com

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