Pacquiao vs. Bradley: Manny Must Make a Statement to Quiet Mayweather Hype

The only boxer who rivals Manny Pacquiao these days is Floyd Mayweather Jr., but that's part of the problem.

With no super fight in sight, Pacquiao faces Timothy Bradley next. Pac-Man is coming off a fight against Juan Manuel Marquez, where he wasn't his dominant self. In fact, many people think Pacquiao should have lost that bout—myself included.

After Mayweather's spectacular display against a premier challenger in Miguel Cotto, there's a legitimate argument to be made that he's the best boxer in the world right now. That's why Pacquiao must not only beat Bradley, he must dominate him.

It certainly won't be easy. Bradley figures to train for this fight like he's never trained before, and he still has his undefeated record to worry about. While Pacquiao is certainly leagues ahead of Joel Casamayor, that doesn't change the fact that Bradley is on a roll and has a strong chin.

Leading up to the bout, Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, has said that Bradley will fight until the end, forcing Pacquiao to knock him out in an all-action fight, via The Philippine Star.

And that is what you can expect Pacquiao to go for.

Pacquiao knows he'll go down as one of boxing's legends, but he also knows that he needs to dominate to quiet the buzz around Mayweather right now.

This is a statement fight for Pacquiao, as unfair as it may seem. He's given us so much throughout the years, he shouldn't have to make a statement. But Mayweather's latest victory against Cotto has shifted the momentum to his side, and Pacquiao isn't going to allow it to remain there for too long.

You can expect Pacquiao vs. Bradley not to go the full 12 rounds. Pacquiao is going to give it his all to remind people why he's so special.

He doesn't want people thinking about his close fight against Marquez. He wants people thinking about how he dominated Bradley on June 9 at the MGM Grand, and he wants to thrust himself back into the conversation as the best boxer in the world.

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