Pacquiao vs. Bradley: Pac-Man Grasping at Straws Before Underwhelming Fight

In what appears to be a one-sided fight, Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley are trying their hardest to convince everyone that we must watch them on June 9 in Las Vegas.

But for a fight that holds little drama, Pacquiao isn't going after Bradley like he did with Juan Manuel Marquez in November.

He's basically pleading for us to watch their fight.

Pacquiao said at the press conference on Tuesday, via FightNews.com:

“Please watch the upcoming fight June 9. It will be a good fight. Bradley is a good fighter and there will be a lot of action in the ring. Don’t miss it."

Please?

The word "please" can be seen as being polite and humble. I see it as desperation.

After negotiations with Floyd Mayweather Jr. broke down once again in January, and after his last two fights, Pacquiao is grasping at straws. He's one of the greats of this generation, but his career is sliding. He insists he'll fight Mayweather for a 50-50 split, but that fight wouldn't likely be until at least 2013, if at all.

Pacquiao is 33 years old now. He's been far from dominant against his last two opponents, Shane Mosley and Marquez, and many believe Marquez should have actually won in November.

With Bradley, Pacquiao has a fighter he knows he can beat. Despite Bradley's undefeated record, he's simply not in the same class as Pacquiao. What's worse is that I could actually see Pacquiao struggling given his last two performances.

So what we're left with is neither a knockout nor an overwhelming performance from either of the two boxers. Pacquiao moves on fighting inferior opponents, and Bradley realizes he's not in Pacquiao's class.

Whoop-dee-doo.

Let's face it: The only reason this fight has any kind of buzz is because Pacquiao is in it.

I don't blame Pacquiao for begging people to watch this fight.