Pacquiao vs. Bradley: Key Weapons for Desert Storm's Upset Attempt

Timothy Bradley has a chance to upset Manny Pacquiao, but he must use a few of his skills to slow Pac-Man's pursuit. Bradley is a very good counter-puncher, and that skill could be huge in this fight.

Manny will come forward firing shots. It's the only way he knows how to fight, and that approach has obviously been successful for him; he's 54-3 with 38 KO. Early on, he may not respect Bradley's punching power, as he has only 12 KO in his 28 wins.

This total is deceiving. Bradley is not a one-punch knockout fighter, but against a fighter like Pacquiao, who may be inclined to brawl with him, he can land some effective punches.

The biggest punching opportunities for Bradley will come after Pacquiao throws either the jab or the straight left. When these punches are thrown, Bradley must slip and close the distance to counter. 

If he can't get Pacquiao into a brawl in close quarters, he's in trouble. He doesn't have the speed to contend with Manny fighting from the outside.

Fighting in close will create opportunities to throw the left hook.

Pacquiao likes to throw hard straight left hands as leads; slipping this punch will give Bradley an opening to throw the left hook. In the Marquez fights, this has been a punch Pacquiao has been susceptible to.

Bradley is a bit wild with his punches, but that wildness could serve him well if he can pull Pacquiao into a brawl. In a sloppy fight, I see Bradley having an advantage. I believe that he is physically stronger than Pacquiao, and he's difficult to get a bead on.

Because of this, Bradley could have success in close. The strength advantage can drive Pacquiao's body backwards, while his defense makes for a difficult target. Any time Bradley is fighting, you can't forget about the head butts.

Whether intentional or not, they can become a weapon for Bradley.

I think these factors could result in Pacquiao being a little less accurate in this fight, and with more missed punches comes more countering opportunities. Bradley has to capitalize on these openings.

The longer the fight goes, the better chance Bradley will have to use his strength to bully inside and land big counters. We all know Manny will never stop punching, and because of that, Bradley can never stop slipping and countering.

If he does this effectively, the boxing world will see a competitive fight, and possibly a huge upset.

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