Pacquiao vs. Bradley: 3 Reasons Desert Storm Is No Pushover

American Timothy Bradley (28-0-0) will fight pound-for-pound champion Manny Pacquiao (54-3-2) tonight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The WBO Welterweight title will be on the line. 

While Pacquiao is the overwhelming favorite in the eyes of many, there are plenty of reasons to think "Desert Storm" will give "Pac-Man" all he can handle. 

Below, we run down a few of the reasons why Bradley won't be a pushover for Pacquiao:

Young and Aggressive

Bradley is a full four years younger than Pacquiao, who at age 33 has likely regressed slightly. Not many in the boxing community will openly admit that Pacquiao could be losing some of his edge, but a defeat at the hands of Bradley could all but prove that point.

Bradley's aggressive boxing style could perpetuate that point further. Whereas Pacquiao fights more on rhythm, Bradley possesses an up-tempo style and should set the tone early on.

"[Bradley] has youth, an aggressive style and a state of mind that only a world champion possesses," Pacquaio told HBO during a May Q&A session. 

There's also Bradley's propensity to lead with his head when he's on the attack, and matching these two fighters should only lead to more head-on collisions. 

Pacquiao said this to HBO on the subject:

"

I do have concerns about Bradley's fighting style. Anytime a southpaw fights an orthodox-style boxer headbutts are bound to happen, but with Bradley it's more of a concern because he tends to lead with his head. Hopefully we will have a good referee who will not let him do that. Regardless, it's my job to be prepared for anything he may bring.

"

Pacquiao has beaten younger boxers with Bradley's aggressive style in the past, but this match represents a unique challenge. Bradley is the youngest boxer Pac-man has faced in some time.

The young and brash Bradley won't be lacking any confidence, either.

"[Pacqiuao] couldn’t stop Marquez; he’s definitely not going to stop a young, more aggressive [fighter] like myself, Timothy Bradley," Bradley said, according to PacquiaovsBradley.net. 

Continues to Improve

Pacquiao knows that Bradley has continued to improve, especially over his last several wins, over Lamont Peterson and Devon Alexander. 

From the HBO interview:

"

Bradley seems to be improving with every fight. His victories over Lamont Peterson and Devon Alexander, who were undefeated when he fought them, were very impressive. He knows how to impose his will on his opponents. He turns fights into wars.

"

Bradley also knocked out Joel Casamayor during his last fight, back in November of 2011.

One could argue that Pacquiao's career path is facing the other direction. A controversial decision last November to conclude his trilogy of matches against Juan Manuel Marquez was a disappointing showing from Pacquiao, who hasn't lost in 15 decisions. 

If the two fighters have continued on their apparent career paths, Bradley could be primed for a huge upset. 

Counter-Punching Skills

Pacquaio told HBO that Marquez was the "only fighter who has figured me out," in part because Marquez is so proficient in his counter-punching. There were times last November that Marquez controlled their fight with his patient style.

Pacquiao was very complimentary of Marquez to HBO:

"

Juan really understands how to fight southpaws. He's a very smart man and an excellent fighter. His deliberate and patient style of fighting is a product that comes from experience, and experience against great opposition. He's a brilliant counterpuncher.

"

If you believe Bradley, however, his counter-punching skills are better than what Marquez brought to the table. 

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They may think that Marquez just has Manny’s number, but whatever Marquez can do, I can do 10 times better. He’s great at counter-punching, and I’m devastating at counter-punching. My counter-punching ability is unbelievable. I beat most of my guys on counter-punching. It’s effective aggressiveness with counter-punching.

"

Few would likely agree that Bradley's effectiveness on the counter is as polished as that of the veteran Marquez, but he's no slouch when he needs to turn defense into offense.

Bradley will certainly want to be on the attack against a champion like Pacquiao, especially early.

But if he's going to win this fight, he'll need to do it when Pac-Man goes on the offensive.