Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley: 10 Bold Predictions

After a few weeks of hoping that the long awaited Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather fight might finally be made for the second quarter of 2012, boxing fans experienced a let down when both boxers signed to fight other opponents. Mayweather will square off against Miguel Cotto (who he was accused of ducking a few years ago) on May 6, while Pacquiao will meet Tim "Desert Storm" Bradley on June 9. Sigh.

It's hard to get pumped up about these matchups. Sure, both opponents are at least within the pound-for-pound top 20, but there was so much anticipation for a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight that anything else feels like a letdown. Cotto looks like he's lost a step since he was a top-flight fighter, and Bradley, while undefeated, has won in ugly fashion in his last two bouts. 

Enough of the melancholy, though. What's that saying about lemons? Let's look at ten unexpected reasons that Bradley-Pacquiao is going to be intriguing for fight fans.

Bradley Will Be Stronger Than Pacquiao

Pacquiao has consistently been stronger than his opponents over the past four years. We usually hear that he's going to be out-muscled fighting a bigger boxer, but it's never happened. Oscar De la Hoya, Miguel Cotto, Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito were all supposed to have edges in strength against the fighting Filipino, but none of them was able to push him around. Timothy Bradley will.

Its true that Bradley is moving up in weight from 140 pounds to welterweight, but look at him. The guy is a monster. Furthermore, his style maximizes his Samson-like strength. Some have accused him of being a super lightweight John Ruiz, but his style has been effective. If he wants to win, that style can't change, and he's going to have to grab and maul Pacquiao in order to limit the effectiveness of Pacquiao's speed. 

But Bradley's Strength Will Not Be the Deciding Factor

Compare this picture of Pacquiao at a weigh in with Bradley's photo at his weigh in for his win over Joel Casamayor on the previous slide. The differences are obvious.

While Pacquiao doesn't possess a boxer's traditional tall and lean build, his build it still more ideal for boxing than Bradley's. He may not be long, but Pacquiao is lithe and lean while still possessing immense strength. Those gifts mean mobility, which will be key in this fight. Bradley isn't going to be able to jab and grab very much, and his bodybuilder physique will not prove to be a huge benefit. 

"Pacquiao-Bradley: 24/7" on HBO Will Be Intriguing

I think we're all aware of the problem with HBO's "24/7" series: they've gotten boring. Since its inception and through several incarnations, we have become very familiar with Pacquiao and his corner, Roach's struggle against Parkinson's disease, and of course Mayweather and his family's food shopping proclivities.

It's going to be refreshing to have a new personality on the show, and for those who argue that Bradley is bland, look at his recent record. An acrimonious split with his promoter. A flat out refusal to fight Amir Khan under very favorable terms. He's gotten a little meaner and a little more controversial, and this series is going to fun, or at least interesting.

Pacquiao Will Leave the Philippines for Los Angeles Early

Pacquiao is a busy man. He may be the busiest fighter in boxing. Although his other occupations are well documented, here's a quick refresher: he stars in movies, produces music and, oh yeah, he's a sitting Filipino Congressman, all in addition to being either the best or second best boxer in the world. That's a lot for anyone's plate. It's like putting the whole buffet line on one platter. 

Still, after three consecutive uninspiring performances, Pacquiao will step up his game. It's commonly accepted that men as successful as him have huge egos, and at some point the criticism that he's receiving is going to sting. That additional motivation will convince him to get to the Wild Card Gym earlier than usual.

Pacquiao's Southpaw Stance Will Not Bother Bradley

Bradley's biggest win so far is over Devon Alexander, a southpaw. He also has two fairly high profile wins over Joel Casamayor and DeMarcus Corley. Additionally, he has beaten Kendall Holt and Junior Witter, both orthodox fighters who can switch hit. He never really struggled against any of them. In fact, it's the awkwardness of his style that his opponents have to adjust to. Expect Pacquiao to continue that trend. 

Pacquiao-Bradley Will Not Exceed 1 Million Pay-Per-View Buys

Manny Pacquiao is, as we all know, an economic powerhouse. Even in these days of $65 dollar pay-per-views, he has only failed to exceed 1 million buys once since 2008. That bout was against Joshua Clottey, a good fighter whose profile was not high, to say the least. Pacquiao's next scheduled bout is, of course, against Bradley, a very good fighter whose profile is not high, to say the least. 

Bradley's selling power just doesn't match up to his ability. That's why so many writers criticized him for turning down a 50-50 offer to fight Khan. He frankly didn't deserve 50% after not attracting eyeballs or asses against Devon Alexander. While the Bradley bout will sell more than the 700,000 buys that the Clottey fight did, but it's not going to hit a mil. 

Bradley's Headbutts Will Cut Pacquiao

Bradley is a bruising, mauling, orthodox fighter who often leads with his head. Pacquiao is an offensive minded southpaw who bounces in and out and side to side.

Additionally, Pacquiao has had problems with cuts throughout much of his career. This is a recipe for trouble. Pacquiao will sustain at least one cut, and the bleeding will provide a story line throughout the fight.

The Fight Will End Early...

...But not on a technical draw or decision, a legitimate fear for virtually everyone involved, including us fans. In fact, fear of an unsatisfying ending like either of these, combined with what will assuredly be an absurd price tag, is what will keep knowledgeable fans from buying the contest.

Headbutts and cuts will, as stated previously, play a role in this bout, but cuts don't seem to bother Pacquiao as much as they used to. His cultivated focus, combined with his desire to undo the damage done to his reputation by his last few performances, will keep him from letting the cuts play a large role.  

Freddie Roach Will Predict a Knockout in the Sixth Round

This one is kind of tongue in cheek, an effort to one up the old prognosticator by predicting his future prediction. Roach has established a trend of announcing which round his fighter will win, without great results. He has predicted knockout wins against Marquez, Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito, and others, but the last time Pac-Man knocked an opponent out was in 2010. That's not going to deter Roach, however, and he will pick a mid-rounds knockout for his star. 

And Roach Will Be Right

About the knockout, wrong about the round. It's going to be more like an 8th-10th round TKO. Pacquiao will take the lead early, suffer a cut or two, get angry and then force his man's corner to stop the fight.

Frankly, with Pacquiao losing his grip on the public's imagination he has to make a statement. He's a smart guy, so he knows that and he's got to deliver come hell or high water. The only things that will keep Bradley in as long as eight or ten rounds are his tremendous strength, a solid chin and heart.