Pacquiao vs Bradley: Why Fast Start Is Important for Both Fighters
Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley have a need for speed in their sure-to-be-epic encounter on June 9. Specifically, the speed that it takes to get off to a fast start.
Both fighters are in very precarious positions the closer we get to fight night.
Starting with Pacquiao, there are doubts about how much he has left and how much longer he is going to keep fighting. In his last fight against Juan Manuel Marquez, Pacquiao was manhandled in ways that we didn't think possible.
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The judges thought that Pacquiao did enough damage to Marquez over the course of the fight to give him a decision victory, but the questions were put out there. Every athlete responds to adversity differently—the best ones put a disappointing effort behind them and remind the world why they are great.
Pacquiao can't afford to give Bradley an inch in this fight or else those questions we had after the Marquez fight are going to start getting louder and louder in Pacquiao's head. Before you know it, he is getting upset by a fighter he is supposed to be superior to.
For Bradley, this stage is something that he has never experienced in his life. He is walking into the lion's den with a hungry animal waiting to attack after a poor showing in his previous matchup.
Given that Bradley has never gone up against a fighter like Pacquiao, on a stage with spotlights this bright, he has to make a statement right away. He doesn't have to punch himself out, though he does need to do something to stun Pacquiao.
The longer this fight goes, the more it favors Pacquiao. He is one of the best-conditioned boxers in the history of the sport and he loves to attack in the final rounds. Bradley can negate that stamina by making a statement in the early rounds and putting the champion back on his heels.
Fast starts often get overrated in boxing, especially in 12-round title fights, but for both Pacquiao and Bradley, it is crucial that they start quickly and don't relent until the referee stops it.
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