Manny Pacquiao: Freddie Roach's Underestimation of Bradley Will Hurt Pac-Man

Manny Pacquiao is being done a disservice by his legendary trainer Freddie Roach. While the trainer has thrown out the customary complimentary comments about Manny's upcoming opponent Timothy Bradley, scratch past the surface of those comments and you find something that could end up being fatal for Pacquiao's chances in this fight. 

Ronnie Nathainelsz, of Boxingscene.com, provided coverage of Roach's comments following a sparring session by Manny.

Roach told everyone that Pac-Man looked "really good." He also spent some time talking about Bradley. There are two comments that caught my eye. The first is "we know that Manny's speed and power will be too much for him [Bradley]." 

I'm not sure I agree about the speed comment, but Manny definitely has the strength to overpower Bradley. It is not that comment itself that alarms me though.

Combine that with this next quote and there could be a problem. Nathainelsz quoted Roach as saying, [Bradley] comes forward and I think he's made to order for Manny."

I'll agree with Roach that Bradley does like to come forward, but he is far from a one-dimensional fighter. Bradley has very good footwork and speed, and he didn't get to be an undefeated champion by being stupid. Bradley is not going to be eager to get into a brawl with the more powerful Pacquiao. 

He is going to stay on the move. He will look to avoid Manny's punches and utilize his hand speed. Roach appears to be making the emphasis of Manny's training on preparing for a straight-forward fight, and that is not what Pac-Man is going to face. 

This will leave Manny mentally ill-prepared to handle this style of fight. Pacquiao will be geared up to overpower a fighter looking to out-brawl him, but that is not going to be the way this fight plays out.