Manny Pacquiao: Bout with Timothy Bradley Is No Superfight

If we're being honest, the proposed superfight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. never was going to get done. The two sides tried hard to get a deal done, or at least made it look like they were trying hard, but the negotiations fell short.

Last week, we found out that Mayweather is going to fight Miguel Cotto instead. It's not Pacquiao versus Mayweather, but Mayweather versus Cotto is a damn good matchup. Both of them are outstanding fighters.

This week, it was revealed to ESPN.com that Pac-Man has agreed to fight Timothy Bradley, Jr. on June 9th at the MGM Grand. There are still a few things to finalize, but it's practically a done deal.

At first glance, Pacquiao versus Bradley is not a horrible matchup. It's a chance to see Pac-Man fight again, for one, and he'll be going up against an opponent in Bradley who has yet to lose a fight. But compared to the Pacquiao versus Mayweather superfight that has been oh-so-close to getting done on several different occasions, Pacquiao versus Bradley just doesn't stack up.

With all respect to Bradley, he's not Pac-Man's equal. He may be undefeated, but fighting Pac-Man is a huge step up for him once you consider the opponents Bradley has dispatched to achieve his unblemished record. 

In truth, Bradley will go from fighting scrubs and has-beens (i.e. Joel Casamayor) to fighting the best pound-for-pound boxer on the planet. This is a mismatch.

Oh, by the way, Bradley is going to have to move up in weight to challenge Pac-Man. He'll go from light welterweight to welterweight. Pac-Man has several welterweight bouts under his belt, and he's done more than enough to prove that he can handle the extra weight.

Make no mistake, if Bradley actually manages to win this bout, it's going to be a monumental upset.

Nobody should be surprised that Pac-Man is settling for an opponent like Bradley. Bob Arum, Top Rank CEO and Pac-Man's promoter, has made it pretty clear in the last couple of years that he's not overly interested in putting his prize fighter in a position to lose. What we have here is a continuation of that trend.

Because it's Pac-Man, this fight will be worth watching. Even if he's not being challenged, Pac-Man will make sure to give people their money's worth. His last four fights have all gone the distance.

This will not, however, be an instant classic. It will be just another fight. And ultimately, another feather in Pac-Man's cap.