Pacquiao vs. Bradley: A Tale of the Tape for the Upcoming Fight

Manny Pacquiao has vowed to cast aside the disappointing performances against Juan Manuel Marquez and Shane Mosley by turning on the style in Saturday’s showdown with Timothy Bradley.

Defeat or a disappointing performance could spell the end of the Filipino’s illustrious career, a move that will pull the curtains on a potential superfight with Floyd Mayweather Jr .

Pacquiao has admitted that he is feeling the pressure to put together an impressive performance against the American fans dub the "desert storm."

In the final news conference between the two adversaries Pacquiao stated: “I’m so happy and excited and very determined to work hard in training every day,’’ Pacquiao said. “There are no more distractions."

Bradley, however, remains optimistic of his chances of pulling off an upset, "I know that I've got to stay tight, I've got to stay behind a good jab, I've got to keep moving, I've got to have great defense, and I've got to counterpunch the hell out of this guy with combinations," said Bradley. 

The tale of the tape certainly implies that Pacman will face a massive challenge at the MGM Grand Arena on June 9.

Manny Pacquiao	Name	Timothy Bradley
Pacman	Alias	Desert Storm
17/12/1978	DOB	29/08/1983
Kibawe, Bukidnon, Philippines	Birthplace	Cathedral City, California, USA
Southpaw	Stance	Orthodox
5’6”(169 cm)	Height	5’6” (168 cm)
67 inches (170 cm)	Reach	69 inches (175 cm)
52 wins, 2 losses, 38 KO	Record	27 wins, 0 losses, 11 KO
Light Middleweight Welterweight Light Welterweight Lightweight Super Featherweight Featherweight Super Bantamweight Flyweight	Titles	Light welterweight

Timothy Bradley has not learned how to lose, he always approaches fights in top shape, not only physically but also mentally.

Despite being fractionally smaller than Pacquiao, Bradley has a superior reach by two inches. With this in mind, Pacquiao is agile and savvy around the ring, traits that should eradicate any size advantage Bradley was hoping to use in the fight.

Although it is too easy to make assumptions based on a poor showing against Marquez, the fight suggested that Pacquiao was stepping back a bit more often and was a little less speedy. It is easy to get carried away with such speculation but it is also important to remember that Marquez has always been a fighter that has had the Filipino’s number in the ring.

Bob Arum has however warned that if Pacman performs in a similar fashion, the Desert Storm will pull off an upset.

"It's an even fight," said Arum. "If Manny performs the same way that he did in the Marquez fight, Bradley will beat him."

As a southpaw, Pacquiao lays heavily on his left foot, almost putting all of his weight on it. When you make a move on him, he puts further weight on it. If Bradley can get close to Pacquiao, this is the moment that he needs to deliver a knockout punch.

The problem is, Bradley has only knocked out eleven of his previous opponents, which suggests he lacks a decisive punch to conclusively beat his opponents.

Manny has built his reputation on speed and explosiveness—throwing a lot of punches in the process. It would therefore be foolish for Bradley to attempt to outpunch Pacquiao, but the 28-year-old does have a tendency to allow his fights to break into a brawl. If he is to stand a chance of victory, a more cerebral approach is necessary.

In the early rounds, Bradley should allow Pacquiao to come at him and hope that the Filipino misses a lot of his punches. As the fight goes on, logic dictates that Pacman will tire, which could benefit Bradley. The Desert Storm is revered for his excellent physical conditioning and, if he is fitter than Pacquiao, he will be able to take advantage of fatigue in the latter stages of the fight.

Counter punching will also be key when it comes to knocking out Pacquiao.

The Filipino does leave himself open to big hits, especially when delivering his signature combinations. Erik Morales and Marquez have both shown that counter punching at these points will cause problems for the eight-division world champion.

If there’s one thing that the Marquez fight revealed last year, it is that Bradley needs to knock out Pacquiao. Although the judges are supposed to remain neutral, the entire boxing community wants to see a superfight between Pacman and Mayweather; a defeat to Bradley will compromise the commercial appeal of such a bout.

Expect a brave and resilient performance from Bradley, but Pacquiao is the favourite.