Pacquiao vs Bradley: Major Issues That Will Put Pac-Man in Position to Lose

Everything is lined up perfectly for Manny Pacquiao to lose to Timothy Bradley on June 9 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Some may look at Bradley's fight record and point out the lack of major names on his victims list, but there is more to the story in this matchup.

In boxing so many other factors are at work, and collectively these issues create an adverse situation for Pacquiao.

Consider these factors:

Distractions

They come from every place imaginable to derail Pacquiao. He fights a battle with his own morals over fighting, yet he fights on.

His family has pressured him to give up the sport, and Pacquiao has shown an interest in politics. His popularity and stature in his homeland is such that he has already been invited to attend a priests meeting.

Then of course there is the super-fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Will it ever happen?

Manny seems to want to prove his in-ring greatness, and no doubt, cash in on possibly the biggest pay day in the sport's history—but all of this goes against some aspect of his conscience and the will of his family.

Roll this dynamic together and you have one big ball of distractions, and what's worse is that none of it has to do with his very formidable opponent.

Eroding Skills

Pacquiao is not the same fighter he was four years ago; anyone that tells you otherwise hasn't been paying close attention. In his last two fights against men with an average age of 38.5 years old, Pacquiao has not exactly set the world on fire.

It's possible that Juan Manuel Marquez just has his number and will always give him a great fight, but there is no reason Pacquiao shouldn't have stopped Shane Mosley.

Four years ago, a 39-year-old Mosley would have been steamrolled by Pacquiao.

What's going to happen against a hungry, undefeated 28-year-old?

Quality Opponent

Bradley is 28-0. Yes, he only has 12 KO, but don't think that this is going to be a simple fight. It will be nothing of the sort.

Bradley has a solid chin; he does not back up or get intimidated. He's like a bull in the ring as his body is very strong.

He can control Pacquiao in the clinch, so Manny will need to keep his distance to perform well. Bradley is also hungry. He has never had a fight of this magnitude, but he has been a champion for four years. 

What does that mean?

It means he's been a seasoned pro for a while, but he has never received the respect that elite fighters receive. He knows beating Pacquiao will give him that respect, not to mention a fat check and the prospects for more fat checks.

It seems that beating Pacquiao could be the most important thing in Bradley's life right now. I'm not sure Bradley ranks that high on Pacquiao's priority list.

These are the factors that create upsets.

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