By Ronnie Nathanielsz

China’s super lightweight Ik Yang has been picked as one of the sparring partners of eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao’s sparring partners for his third fight against WBO welterweight champion Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 9.

ABS-CBN Sports Consultant Peter Musngi told The Standard/krikya360.com that Yang - who lost in his bid to win the vacant IBF title against Argentina’s Cesar Rene Cuenca on July 18, 2015 - will also be seeing action on the undercard of WBO super bantamweight Nonito “The Filipino Flash” who makes his first defense of the newly won title at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on April 23.

The 30 year old Yang has a record of 19-1 with 14 knockouts.

Pacquiao is taking no chances in his third fight against Bradley after losing the first in a bitterly criticized split decision and coming back to win a lopsided twelve round unanimous decision in a rematch and has begun training in his hometown of General Santos City.

He will be joined by trainer Freddie Roach on February 3.

The Pacquiao-Bradley showdown will mark the first time former “Trainers of the Year” Roach and Teddy Atlas who steered Bradley to an impressive 9thn round knockout of Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios will face each other.

Pacquiao who has a record of 57-6-2 with 38 knockouts is a two-term congressman from the lone district of  Sarangani Province and is vying for a seat in the May elections and is expected to win, finishing in the top ten in all pre-election surveys.

Pacquiao who was named “Fighter of the Year” three times by the Boxing Writers Association of America and was also honored as “Fighter of the Decade” is aiming for a spectacular performance in what he has announced will be his farewell fight while Roach has predicted his prized possession will win by a 9th round knockout.