Manny Pacquiao: Why Pacquiao Needs Win over Timothy Bradley

Manny Pacquiao is arguably the best boxer of this generation. The only thing standing between him and that title being official is Floyd Mayweather Jr. However, in order to keep people thinking this, Pacquiao will need to not just win, but overpower Timothy Bradley in their fight on June 9th.

Pacquiao will be competing against an undefeated boxer with a great skill set in Timothy Bradley. Most boxing analysts think Bradley will be the next big thing in boxing as he has an undefeated record and an aggressive orthodox style that boxing purists love.

There are also questions around the boxing community about how Pacquiao may be too involved in politics to where he doesn't completely focus on his fights anymore. One of Pacquiao's more noticeable quotes by ESPN is:

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I still have a great many goals that remain unmet as a Congressman. The province of Sarangani, which I represent, is still without a hospital. That is not right, and I cannot rest until my province gets the funds to build one. Human trafficking is an abomination, and I will not rest until it ceases

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For a man who is about to embark on one of the biggest fights in his career, Congressman Pacquiao sure seems to be one of the things that could be holding back the Pac-man as a boxer. A victory against Bradley will go along way towards quelling these doubts.

Pacquiao isn't one to start a trash talking war; however, Pacquiao has been taunted by Bradley in the lead-up to the fight, and so far he has kept quiet. According to Examiner.com's Rick Rockwell,

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Bradley is filled with confidence and is not afraid to show it to the world. According to a Friday June 1st report by BoxingScene.com, Bradley made the following comments about Pacquiao:

"I am the first guy who knows I will win. Other guys said they would win but they just said it and didn't believe it. They were just there for a check. I can't wait to get in there and kill this dude."

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Bradley is showing that he is one of the more confident boxers out there, but he will not be able to shake Pacquiao with just words. The boxing community could be thinking that Pacquiao has been shaken by the confidence Bradley shows, something Pacquiao needs to rectify on June 9th.

Bradley is one of the best fighters in the world as the current WBO Light Welterweight champion. However, the failure to take on WBA Light Welterweight champion Amir Khan in a unification bout of the WBO, WBC and WBA titles before his fight with Pacquiao led him to be stripped of his WBC title.

Most analysts have been looking at Pacquiao and see him as a declining figure in the boxing ranks. James Slater of EastsideBoxing.com has noted that:

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A number of boxing experts - former Pac-Man foes Ricky Hatton and Sugar Shane Mosley amongst them - see a long, hard night for both men. And writers such as Dan Rafael says [sic] they will not be all that shocked if the man known as “Desert Storm” pulls off the upset next weekend. But Roach, well known for his spot-on accurate pre-fight predictions, says his warrior will definitely win, and win by KO.

“When people get knocked out, there shouldn’t be a rematch,” Roach said, clearly firing back at Bradley’s recent publicity stunt where he had return fight posters made up, with November 10th the date of “the rematch..”

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Pacquiao needs to win this fight and decisively to prove to his critics, his fans and Floyd Mayweather Jr. that the only way anyone beats him is if Mayweather himself takes him on. Tim Bradley is a great fighter and one of the up-and-comers in the industry, but Pacquiao will not be a speed bump for him and needs to prove that on June 9th.