Pacquiao vs. Bradley Predictions: Bradley Will Be Seen as Cop out for Pac-Man

Manny Pacquiao can't prove anything against Timothy Bradley that fans don't already know, which makes the bout look like a cop out instead of facing Floyd Mayweather.

Even though Bradley is undefeated, he's never faced a boxer on the level of Pacquiao. It will be his first truly huge fight, whereas "Pac-Man" has been the center of attention for years, which gives him a distinct advantage.

It's not the match everybody wanted to see, either. After all the talk, Pacquiao and Mayweather still haven't been able to reach an agreement. So fans are stuck watching a bunch of second-tier fights instead of the one that would provide a huge boost to the sport.

In reality, that puts a lot of extra pressure on Pacquiao, because he can't afford to lose. Since the super fight hasn't happened, both he and Mayweather must keep winning their other fights to maintain their current status.

One loss would cause Pacquiao's stock to drop and give Mayweather's camp even more ammo for the ongoing public relations battle between the two sides.

And it goes beyond the short term. Without that fight, neither boxer's career résumé will ever be complete. It will be like they both avoided their biggest competition, and for two guys with as much pride as them, that's something it would seem like they would want to avoid.

Taking on opponents like Bradley doesn't help Pacquiao at all, aside from the payday. It just makes it appear as though he would rather collect the easy money than taking on a bigger challenge where the result would actually be in question.

It will be interesting to see how things play out once Pacquiao's fight with Bradley ends. Boxing fans are obviously hoping a deal will be reached with Mayweather. If they both accept cop-out fights again, it would be a major disappointment.

While the promoters attempt to build them into crucial bouts through endless hype, they really aren't. The only one that would really matter and have a mainstream impact is the super fight.

Anything less hurts the legacy of both guys.