Despite being the heavy favorite in his upcoming super bout with Timothy Bradley this Saturday night, Manny Pacquiao is not taking his opponent lightly.
“Bradley is a different type of fighter and we don’t take this fight lightly,” Pacquiao said in a recent interview from the Miami Herald. “We have trained hard for Bradley because he is the type of fighter we cannot underestimate.”
And Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KO) shouldn’t underestimate the undefeated Bradley (28-0, 12 KO) when he defends his WBO welterweight title this Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Bradley, the current light welterweight champ, is coming off a huge victory over Joel Casamayor when he won by TKO in his pay-per-view debut last November on the Pacquiao-Marquez III undercard.
At 28, Bradley possesses a sizeable advantage in age, while also having a two-inch edge in reach over the 33-year-old Pacquiao.
With analysts speculating whether Pacquiao is beginning his demise and controversy surrounding the boxer and his public family troubles, this could square up to be the toughest fight of the Pacman’s career.
Pacquiao Struggled Against Marquez
A lot of the basis for the doubt that exists against Pacquiao revolves around his poor performance against Juan Manuel Marquez last November, where he won narrowly by majority decision in the fighter’s third meeting against each other.
There was a lot of controversy regarding the judge’s decision as many people felt Marquez had won the bout.
Pacquiao insists that he was 100% healthy and in top shape for the fight, but his personal problems caused his less than stellar performance.
Pacquiao has apparently endured a “spiritual enlightenment” and says those personal issues are behind him.
Bradley Fighting With Confidence
Even with Pacquiao’s dominant career and monumental standing in the sport of boxing, Bradley appears to be entering the fight with the utmost confidence.
“I’m putting it all on the line so you are going to see a great fight,” Bradley said in a conference call. “If you miss this fight, you are going to miss some greatness.”
Bradley, also known as “Desert Storm,” is an offensive fighter, with a come-forward style. He will likely approach Pacquiao with a lot of force.
However, there is cause for concern in Bradley’s corner as he is a righty, going up against a Southpaw. But, Bradley dismisses that as a disadvantage to him, as his last two fights have been against southpaws — Devon Alexander and Joel Casamayor — which he won handily.
“Training camp was hell, and I’ve never, ever trained this hard in my whole life. I’m ready. I’m ready to shock the world. I’m ready to do whatever it takes to win this fight. It’s going to be a great fight. Let’s get it on, baby. It’s going to be a war. I’m ready,” Bradley said in an interview with The Ring.
Tale Of The Tape- Manny Pacquiao
Hometown: Philippines
Record: 54-3-2, 38 KO’s
Age: 33
Weight: 145
Height: 5’6 1/2″
Reach: 67″
Tale Of The Tape- Timothy Bradley
Hometown: Cathedral City, California,
Record: 28-0, 12 KO’s
Age: 28
Weight: 145 lbs.
Height: 5’6″
Reach: 69″
Final Prediction
Despite Bradley’s edge in age and reach, Pacquiao will just throw too much and too often for the rising fighter to handle.
Pacquiao’s combination of speed and power will prove to be too dominant for Bradley and he will likely face even more problems with Pacquiao’s left hand swings. Even with Bradley’s improved defense, he hasn’t seen the speed that Pacquiao will throw his way.
This will be an entertaining fight and will likely last the 12-round distance with Bradley having a puncher’s chance, but Pacquiao will retain his 147-pound welterweight belt Saturday night, and end doubt that his career is on the decline.
