Manny Pacquiao: Lessons Learned vs. Marquez Will Lead Manny to Win over Bradley

Ever since Floyd Mayweather fought Miguel Cotto and, though he won, failed to look as dominant as many expected he would, the boxing world has had its eyes fixated on the next marquee matchup, when Manny Pacquiao will take on Timothy Bradley.

Would Pacquiao be able to assert his dominance over a boxer who is both younger and undefeated? Will PacMan's experience really outweigh Bradley's physical advantages? Or is Pacquiao headed for a battle, like Mayweather, except with a worse outcome? 

Judging by the biggest lesson Pacquiao learned in November's win over Juan Manuel Marquez, he won't get caught in the trap of disrespecting his opponent.

According to ABS-CBNnews.com, the most important lesson he learned against Marquez was that you set yourself back a million steps by underestimating your opponent, which is a mistake he refuses to make against Bradley. He has frequently referenced Bradley's strengths—his undefeated record, his youth, his athleticism—but not to the point where he discounts his own strengths.

For one, he's fought some of the best boxers on the planet and still has managed to win 59 matches and world titles in eight divisions. He may not be undefeated like Bradley, but he's aware of the psychological advantages that can come from losing—learning from your mistakes, discovering the motivation that will prevent another failure.

Bradley has never felt those things, and he doesn't have the same experience against top-tier boxers that Pacquiao boasts. But still, Pacquiao refuses to pencil in the win before all is said and done. The worst thing he could do is assume.

Assume, after all, is exactly what he did against Marquez.

An HBO reality series entitled 24/7: Road to Pacquiao-Bradley chronicles the fight against Marquez, which PacMan assumed would easily swing in his favor. At 32, he was younger than his 38-year-old opponent, and Marquez had moved up to welterweight to fight him. Pacquiao was comfortable, whereas Marquez was anything but, and this seemed to bode well for Pacquiao.

Though he won, the result was contested by experts and booed by the crowd, and Pacquiao admitted to having underestimated Marquez—a mistake he pledges to avoid this time around. He told ABS-CBNnews.com, "It's not going to happen again. … The Marquez fight, that's a very good lesson for me."

There have been questions leading up to this fight about Pacquiao's mental state—about whether he's focused, whether he's passionate, whether he's ready. From the look of this, though, it sounds like his head is in a better place than ever, and the only person who might suffer from underestimating his opponent is Bradley.