Trainer Freddie Roach said Manny Pacquiao will have "a big surprise" in store for his April 12 rematch with Tim Bradley, who dethroned him by split-decision for the WBO's welterweight belt in June 2012.
"We had a great camp in the Philippines and Manny, as usual, is way ahead of schedule in his conditioning, and very motivated," said Roach, soon after he and Pacquiao arrived at at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday. "The real business begins for us on Monday at Wild Card."
Roach was referring to his own Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, Calif, where Pacquiao (54-5-2, 38 knockouts) will resume preparing for the return bout with Bradley (31-0, 12 KOs).
"We have great sparring waiting for Manny. He wants that title back," said Roach of Pacquiao, who turned 35 in December. "If Bradley thinks he's going to see the same compassionate Manny he saw the first time they fought he is in for a very big surprise."
Pacquiao is coming off November's unanimous decision over former lightweight titleholder Brandon Rios, who made his welterweight debut.
In victory, Pacquiao rebounded from his loss to Bradley as well as a sixth-round knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez in December of that year.
The 30-year-old Bradley won his last two fights by rising from a 12th-round knockdown to unanimously decision Ruslan Provodnikov last March before earning a split decision over Marquez last October.