Pacquiao vs. Bradley: 3 Reasons Pac-Man's Latest Fight Is Must-See Pay-Per-View

It has been nearly seven months since his last fight, but WBO Welterweight Champion Manny "Pac-Man" Pacquiao is set to step back into the ring on June 9 as he will defend his title against the current WBO Light Welterweight Champion in the undefeated Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley.

Many boxing fans had hoped to see Pacquiao face Floyd Mayweather on May 5, but Pac-Man's promoter Bob Arum balked at Mayweather's offer and opted instead to have Pacquiao take on Bradley. It may not be the super fight that so many have longed for, but there is a lot to like about this contest as so much is dependent upon its outcome.

Here are three reasons why you won't want to miss Pacquiao's latest pay-per-view battle against Bradley on June 9.

Tim Bradley's Undefeated Mark

Say what you will about Tim Bradley being fed inferior opponents, but there is no doubt that the 28-year-old star's 28-0 record carries a lot of weight. He has had his fair share of walkovers, but wins over Lamont Peterson, Devon Alexander and Joel Casamayor all look good on his resume.

His tilt with Pacquiao will unquestionably be the biggest and most difficult test of his career, but he figures to be up to the task.

Even though Pacquiao has accomplished much more than Bradley to this point in their respective careers, Bradley's status as an undefeated fighter makes him somewhat mystical. Pac-Man has been in tons of big fights, but he has lost on three occasions and fought to a draw on two others.

Unless this fight ends in a draw, we're either going to see a big upset with Bradley beating Pacquiao, or Bradley's undefeated record being ruined. Both possibilities are quite compelling and make this fight one you won't want to miss.

Floyd Mayweather's Recent Win

In one of the most hard-fought matches of his career, Floyd "Money" Mayweather beat Miguel Cotto by unanimous decision to preserve his undefeated mark and keep the hope of a bout with Pacquiao alive. Although it isn't a certainty, the popular school of thought is that a losing effort from either Mayweather or Pacquiao would kill any hopes of a fight between them for all intents and purposes.

Mayweather held up his end of the bargain, so the onus is now on Pacquiao.

As much as Mayweather and Pacquiao act indifferently toward a match against one another, I have to believe that they both want it to happen. Such a fight would shatter pay-per-view records and produce insane paydays for both of them.

Pacquiao nearly blew his chance in his last fight against Juan Manuel Marquez, but he was able to pull through. He'll have another tough obstacle to navigate past in Bradley; seeing if he can do so makes this fight worth watching.

Pacquiao Looking for Redemption

Pacquiao defeated Marquez in his last fight by majority decision, but many respected names in the boxing business believe that Marquez was the true winner.

There is no question that Pac-Man had issues with Dinamita's defensive style, as he simply never could get into a rhythm. Marquez frustrated Pac-Man all night long and strongly believed that he had won the fight, but Pacquiao's status as the aggressor gave him just enough to triumph in the eyes of the judges.

Pac-Man didn't lose the fight in actuality, but there are plenty who believe that it exposed weaknesses and may have signaled the start of his decline. At 33 years of age, Pacquiao isn't exactly a young man in boxing terms, so it will be interesting to see if he can rebound with a more convincing performance.

Just winning won't be enough to convince people that he can beat Mayweather, though. Pacquiao needs to be decisive in this bout and prove the he is still capable of being the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

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