Pacquiao vs. Bradley: What You Should Know About Pac-Man's Next Opponent

Timothy Bradley isn’t a complete unknown, but he certainly isn’t a household name. That could change on June 9, when he takes on Manny Pacquiao at MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.

There are probably fans that haven’t been inclined to check out any of Bradley’s previous fights. For those who aren’t too familiar with Bradley, here are three things you should know about Pac-Man’s next opponent.

Dirty Fighter?

Tim Bradley has been accused of fighting dirtily. The trainer of Juan Manuel Marquez said this to Ernesto Castellanos of Boxing Scene:

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"Juan just won the interim-world championship. I know him, and now he won't rest until he captures the WBO's full championship - and that's the belt that Timothy Bradley has. Personally, I do not like that opponent - he's very dirty, uses his head, elbows, so we'll see."

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I have watched several Bradley bouts, and he does win by any means necessary, be it with elbows, his head or what have you.

He planted a solid headbutt on the chin of Luis Carlos Abregu in their bout in 2010. Though he would have defeated Abregu either way, the blow didn't hurt his chances.

You can see it in this video:

The issue of Bradley's headbutts came up again when his bout with Devon Alexander was stopped due to a cut over Alexander's right eye.

This could present a challenge for Pacquiao, as this element can distract and derail a game plan. If Bradley battles Manny on the inside and uses his “head”—literally—it will be interesting to see how Pac-Man would respond to that impediment.

A cut could cause Pacquiao to throw caution to the wind—even more than he usually does—that could open him up to Bradley’s precision punching.

Chin

Bradley is 28-0, but he doesn’t pack a huge punch, as evidenced by his 12 KOs. But, he could take a shot as well as any fighter in the 140 or 147-pound weight classes, as he demonstrated in July of 2010 against hard-punching Luis Carlos Abregu.

Abregu had recorded 23 KOs in his 30 fights before fighting Bradley. Abregu landed some decent shots early, but Bradley walked through them.

He dominated Abregu, especially once he lost respect for his power. Bradley is a rough customer and his chin only augments that.

Hungry

Bradley is hungry for notoriety and greatness. He seems to feel under-appreciated and mishandled by his previous promoter.

He will stand and fight Pacquiao and he is extremely skilled. His potency as a counter-puncher could be especially problematic for the aggressive Pacquiao.

But the most dangerous quality Bradley brings into this fight is his desire to be great.

This will be a tough fight for Manny, and the result could put a super-fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in serious doubt.

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