Manny Pacquiao: Ingredients to Hand Timothy Bradley First Career Loss

Manny Pacquiao will defend his WBO Welterweight title against Timothy Bradley on June 9 in front of an MGM Grand crowd in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao is older, more experienced and more skilled than the rising Bradley, but he should not take Bradley lightly.

Bradley has never lost a fight in 28 contests. He has 12 knockouts and could catch Pacquiao by surprise if he does not come to this fight focused.

Let's examine the key ingredients to a successful title defense for Pacquiao.

Focus

Pacquiao's name has been plastered all over the media lately, for all the wrong reasons.

Promoter Bob Arum has questioned Pacquiao's demeanor, reporters have misquoted him and he could lose focus because of this.

PacMan must shed these troublesome media distractions and just fight his fight. He is an incredibly gifted fighter who is virtually unbeatable when on his game.

Bradley will try and get off to a fast start, hoping he can catch Pacquiao off guard.

Pacquiao must be aware of this and counteract it with unflinching ferocity.

Attack

Bradley's power should not worry Pacquiao; he only has 12 career knockouts.

Pacquiao must use Bradley's lack of power to his advantage by relentlessly attacking him. Pacquiao's unique blend of speed and power will overwhelm Bradley.

Bradley has never fought a fight on this grand stage. Pacquiao can overwhelm him by using his defensive style against him.

Expect Bradley to maintain position on the outside, trying to make Pacquiao overextend himself.

Pacquiao must fight smart and force Bradley to come toward him. Once he comes within striking distance, Pacquiao can pepper him with his patented straight left hand.

Pacquiao's serious power advantage should be a major advantage in this fight.

Don't Chase Bradley

Bradley's only chance of beating Pacquiao is to keep a safe distance.

Bradley does not have the power to go toe-to-toe with PacMan. His foot position and quick feet will have to make up the difference.

Pacquiao must be careful not to overextend himself. He nearly did in his third bout with Juan Manuel Marquez.

Bradley is not Marquez quality, but he is dangerous nonetheless.

If PacMan chases Bradley, he could get tagged with an unlikely power punch.