Pacquiao vs. Bradley: Pac-Man Will Pass Torch to Underrated Boxer

Manny Pacquiao is ripe for an upset and Timothy Bradley is going to be the one to score that monumental blow. 

Pac-Man is an amazing 54-3-2 and hasn't lost since 2005, but he's 33 years old and has several distractions surrounding him that will spell trouble.

On the other side of the ring is Bradley, who sits at 28-0 and has the confidence, swagger, youth, and skills necessary to shock the world.

Desert Storm is ready to take over Pac-Man's role as "the man everyone wants to see fight Floyd Mayweather." Let's take a look why.

Footwork and speed

The young Bradley has solid footwork and good hand speed, but he's going to have to fully use it to his advantage on June 9.

Pac-Man has the clear advantage in power, but if Bradley uses that speed to move around, make the the ring smaller and work Pacquiao into a corner, he'll bother the pound-for-pound champ. 

What's more, Bradley can afford to come out and use that speed and quickness. He has gone 12 rounds in the last few fights and clearly has terrific endurance. He is younger than Pacquiao, and as a result, will be more effective as the later rounds come on and both men tire. 

Remember how much Pacquiao struggled with Juan Manuel Marquez? Well, Bradley is convinced that he is 10 times quicker than Pac-Man (via ESPN):

"

"He couldn't stop a 38-year-old [Juan Manuel] Marquez, so he's definitely not going to stop a 28-year-old like myself," Bradley said.

"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."

"

Bradley's quickness and ability to avoid Pac-Man's huge blows will win him this fight.

Pacquiao's distractions

If you can think of something, there's a good chance it has probably been a distraction for Pacquiao.

First and foremost, you have Floyd Mayweather. Everyone and their mom wants to see this fight happen, and the pressure will be on Pacquiao to beat Bradley so the tiny glimmer of hope of a megafight stays open.

Second, Pacquiao has his political career to worry about. He's becoming more and more involved in the Philippines and he has elections coming up in 2013. Politics are clearly Manny's future, and you have to think they'll have him distracted at least a little bit.

And lastly, there is the talk of retirement. A few months ago, Pacquiao told a reporter that God had told him to retire after this fight. If that doesn't suggest Pac-Man is at least a little distracted, I don't know what does. 

Even if he is only 95 percent ready, the lack of concentration will hurt Pacquiao.

Bradley's age/hunger

Desert Storm is only five years younger than Pacquiao, but he has a ridiculous 30 less fights under his belt. The age factor may not seem like a huge deal, but Bradley has a lot less wear and tear on his body.

As a result, he's going to absolutely control this fight in the later rounds. If Pacquiao is going to win, he'll have to knock Bradley down a time or two, and Bradley is too quick and too good on defense for that to happen. 

Bradley is hungry to take the torch from Pacquiao and Pacquiao seems less interested in this fight than usual. An upset is brewing. 

Follow @t_keen