Manny Pacquiao: What Pac-Man Must Do to Remain Champ

Manny Pacquiao will fight Timothy Bradley for the WBO welterweight title on June 9th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Pacquiao must attack Bradley in specific ways if he wants to retain his WBO welterweight belt.

Pacquiao holds distinct advantages over Bradley in the experience and power departments, but Bradley is not a complete non-threat to Pac-Man's elite status.

Bradley is undefeated and solid enough defensively to hold off Pacquiao's fierce attack.

Pacquiao must fight his way and force Bradley to do the same.

This is what Pac-Man must do to remain on top of the 140-pound weight class:

Lead With the Left Hand

Pacquiao's best punch is his straight left hand. He must use it and use it often against Bradley.

Bradley will try to neutralize Pacquiao's left hand with solid foot position and spacing. Pacquiao must be aggressive and force Bradley to fight him toe to toe.

Bradley's 69" reach gives him a slight advantage over Pacquiao's 67" reach, but Pacquiao can negate that advantage by using his more efficiently.

Bradley only has 12 knockouts in 28 career contests. He will not use his reach to throw big punches in Pacquaio's direction. Instead, Bradley will try to keep Pacquiao at a distance.

Pacquiao must pepper Bradley's defense with his brutal left hand. This will open up the rest of his powerful arsenal and keep Bradley on his heels.

Stay Focused

Every boxing enthusiast in the world wants to see Pacquiao face Floyd Mayweather for the right to be called the world's premier pound-for-pound fighter.

Pacquiao must push this notion out of his head, at least for the time being. He has to stay focused and keep Bradley from scoring a massive upset in front of the MGM Grand crowd.

Pacquiao's personality and mindset have been challenged lately by the media. Promoter Bob Arum told BoxingScene.com that Pacquiao has become a totally different person since his last fight.

Pacquiao's change in focus may not have an impact on his upcoming fight, but it could. Pacquiao is known for his rigorous work ethic and intense focus on his craft.

Wavering from that focus could affect him, especially against a fighter with nothing to lose.

No one expects Bradley to pull the upset. Everyone expects Pacquiao to destroy another opponent before ideally facing Mayweather.

If Pacquiao does not come out of his corner focused from the get-go, it could backfire.

Avoid Tie-ups

Bradley does not have Pac-Man's power. He will try to hide this by chopping up the fight. Forcing Pacquiao to play on the inside could work to Bradley's advantage.

Bradley will try to clinch Pacquiao whenever possible. It gives Bradley a break and renders Pacquiao's power temporarily useless. It could also frustrate Pacquiao.

Pacquiao must avoid being tied up whenever possible. Bradley's only chance is pushing this fight to the scorecards, and tying Pacquiao up is one way to do that.

Bradley knows that he cannot go toe-to-toe with Pacquiao. Pacquiao must force Bradley to do just that.

If he can force Bradley to play with minimal clinching, he will win this fight handily.