Manny Pacquiao: Why Pac-Man Must Score Knockout vs. Timothy Bradley

Manny Pacquiao faces plenty of questions after an uncharacteristic performance against Juan Manuel Marquez in his last bout. The only way to make them go away would be knocking out Timothy Bradley to establish his dominance once again.

Pacquiao didn't showcase his usual combination of power and quickness against Marquez, and was allowing himself instead to get bogged down by the veteran's defensive approach. He was able to walk away with another win, but it was far from his best showing.

He needs to bounce back right away against Bradley. The undefeated American finally gets his chance to steal the spotlight and will likely feature a similar game plan to Marquez. He will use defense and counterattacks with hopes of finding a weakness.

Even though Bradley has never faced somebody on the same level as Pacquiao, he has been steadily working his way up the ladder in recent years and should provide Pac-Man with a good test to see exactly where he stands.

The key for Pacquiao will be getting back to his usual, aggressive self. He is most effective when he controls the pace of the fight and keeps his opponent off balance with a flurry of combinations early and often.

When he does that, he is basically unstoppable so the first few rounds against Bradley will be interesting to watch. Pacquiao can't afford another shaky start, or else Bradley has the ability to make the fight go the distance, and potentially pull off an upset.

Knowing that, look for Pac-Man to have his most impressive fight in a long time. He knows a knockout will erase any doubts that have been raised about his level of performance, and anything less will simply cause him more headaches from having to answer questions about it.

He also has to keep thinking about Floyd Mayweather. The two still haven't fought, but if he wants to send a message to his rival—who went the distance against Miguel Cotto in his last fight—a knockout would be the best way to do it.

So, no matter how you slice it, Pacquiao needs a knockout against Bradley. He is more than capable of making it happen. There is no doubt about that. But until he actually goes out and does it, there are going to be questions raised.

It is time for him to silence the critics with a memorable, quick victory.