Pacquiao vs. Bradley: Keys to a Bradley Upset Victory

Timothy Bradley will have to be careful and calculated if he hopes to pull off a surprising victory over Manny Pacquiao.

Pacquiao is the World Boxing Organization's welterweight champion and has a 54-3-2 career record.

Bradley has an impressive résumé as well and has won all 28 of his professional fights.

Still, PacMan is far and away the toughest opponent he's ever been scheduled to fight, and Bradley will need to be perfect on June 9 in order to remain undefeated.

Here are the three keys to victory for the challenger.

Keep Moving

Bradley's strengths as a fighter are his speed and agility, but Pacquiao has much more power behind his punches.

HBO's Larry Merchant commented on how slippery Bradley can be in fights and said, via the Examiner, "Look, not many guys have been able to nail Bradley on the way in. He doesn’t come in a straight lines, he protects himself, he’s awkward, and a difficult guy to deal with."

If Bradley never gives Pacquiao a chance to land a solid punch, then the champ's one big advantage is gone. 

Stay Focused

Bradley is far less experienced than Pacquiao and has never been a part of a fight this heavily publicized, but you wouldn't know that by the way the two men have acted recently.

Pacquiao has caused controversy in the media with comments about gay marriage, and has had to spend a significant amount of time clarifying his statements.

Bradley, meanwhile, has been tucked away in Palm Springs, Calif., training relentlessly. The pressure will continue to build as the fight nears, and Bradley must avoid getting cold feet.

If he can stay focused and welcome this new challenge, he has a chance against a distracted Pacquiao.

Last Through the 12th Round

Bradley simply does not have the power to knock out Pacquiao. In Bradley's 28 wins, just 12 of them came by knockout.

He is an excellent technical fighter who is hard to hit. He is accurate and lightning-fast, making him capable of landing more punches than PacMan.

He embraces the art of boxing and is never out of control. If he keeps to a game-plan and picks the right points to attack, he can keep the champ on his heels throughout the fight.

If Bradley wins, it will be by a decision, so he must make this fight go the distance.