Timothy Bradley vs. Manny Pacquiao
This Saturday night from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas Timothy Bradley and Manny Pacquiao will engage in a rematch of their 2012 fight that left a bad taste in so many mouths. That fight saw Pacquiao bring the title belt into the ring and Bradley leave with it in controversial fashion. Both boxers have fought twice since meeting with Bradley going 2-0 and Pacquiao going 1-1 including being knocked out cold by Juan Manuel Marquez. Now Bradley, who is ranked as the #6 P4P fighter in the world by Big Time Boxing will look to win in convincing fashion against Pacquiao who is the #8 ranked P4P fighter in a 12 round bout for Bradley's WBO welterweight title.
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| Bradley hopes to be raised in victory again |
After their first encounter Bradley took the brunt of fans disapproval about the outcome and even received some death threats. Since that time Bradley engaged in the 2013 Fight of the Year against Ruslan Provodnikov which helped bring him more fans than he ever previously had and also won a close fight against Pacquiao nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez. Bradley's career record is a perfect one of 31-0 but he only has 12 knockouts and rumors of increased punching power may be more posturing than anything else. However even with a lack of punching power all Bradley does is win.
Bradley has a difficult style to describe, he certainly isn't a puncher but he really isn't a classic slick boxer either. Perhaps the best way to describe his fighting style is athletic. One thing Bradley does maybe better than any other fighter in the sport is make his opponent look bad. When Bradley fought Provodnikov he went to war but that was really to show fans what he had in him and don't expect to ever see him fight like that again. Bradley is an orthodox fighter with a good jab and hands that are fast enough but nowhere near blazing. Defensively Bradley is very good at making opponents miss but he doesn't make it look as pretty as Floyd Mayweather does which may be why he doesn't get enough credit for his above average defense. While Bradley fights well on the outside landing stiff jabs and making his opponents miss he is already good on the inside where he makes use of his giant head and digs hooks to the body. In their first fight Bradley went well to Pacquiao's body and he should look to do more of the same in their rematch. He also made Pacquiao miss a ton of punches in their first fight even though whenever Pacquiao threw a punch the crowd cheered like he had Bradley out on his feet. If Bradley can frustrate Pacquiao by making him miss continuously and dig his punches to the body he has a good chance of winning again, and this time it will be legitimate.
Pacquiao has not had the same kind of success that Bradley has after their first match. In his first fight post Bradley he was knocked out cold by Marquez in one of the most memorable boxing moments of all-time. Pacquiao followed that up by dominating Brandon Rios by he lacked the killer instinct and couldn't put the slower Rios away. Still Pacquiao is one of the best to ever do it and has a record of 55-5-2 with 38 knockouts. However the Pacquiao of 2014 isn't the same fighter he was just a few years ago and while in the past his power was notorious now it is nowhere to be found. Pacquiao hasn't scored a knockout since 2009 and chances are he won't be able to score one in this fight.
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| Pacquiao will try to take his belt back |
As far as fighting styles go Pacquiao's is as awkward as they come. He feints more than anyone in the sport and it seems like he is constantly in motion. Pacquiao is a southpaw whose best weapon is his straight left hand which in the past he has used to knock opponents out with ease. Pacquiao has solid defense but it has never been great and as Marquez showed the world he can be exposed with a good counter punch. Although Pacquiao's power hasn't been seen lately his hand speed hasn't gone anywhere. Pacquiao has some of the fastest hands in the sport and he will look to throw a ton of combinations against Bradley, much like he did in their first meeting. Pacquiao will need to be very careful not to open up too much against Bradley just in case Bradley has actually increased his punching power.
While HBO would have you believe the first fight was a Pacquiao blowout that wasn't really the case. While Pacquiao was the better offensive fighter is was Bradley who was better on the defensive end and he did a good job of making Pacquiao miss or deflecting punches with his shoulders and gloves. Watching live Big Time Boxing scored the fight 116-112 for Pacquiao but would have not had a problem if the fight was ruled a draw. It is clear that Bradley didn't win the first fight but it was closer than many people think and since that time Bradley has only gotten better while it can be argued Pacquiao has diminished. This fight will not only have a big impact on the Top 10 P4P Rankings but also the careers of both fighters. A win would solidify Bradley's place as a top talent while a loss for Pacquiao could spell the end of his career.
PREDICTION: Much like the first fight this one should be very close. Manny Pacquiao will not have an easy time in the ring like he did against Brandon Rios and at this point in his career Timothy Bradley should be slightly too much for him. This time around Bradley will get the win by the way of majority decision and hopefully there isn't any controversy.
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