Pacquiao vs Bradley Odds: Pac-Man Must Play Up to Betting Line

Heading into his fight with Timothy Bradley on Saturday, Manny Pacquiao is a heavy favorite. 

And as age creeps up on the 33-year-old great, he must prove that he still packs a punch to keep his name in the discussion as the best boxer in the world right now.

We all saw the brilliance Floyd Mayweather Jr. exhibited against the tenacious Miguel Cotto. It was the kind of brilliance that thrust him past Pacquiao as the top boxer in the world. It didn't hurt that he was much more aggressive than usual, as well, pressing the action instead of relying on his defense and counter-punching ability.

Pacquiao, on the other hand, didn't look particularly dominant against Juan Manuel Marquez in November. In fact, a lot of people thought Pacquiao should have lost that fight.

The reality is, while 33 years old isn't dinosaur age in boxing, Pacquiao has simply been in a lot of wars throughout the years. It's only a matter of time before that takes its toll. When you are being called the best boxer of your generation and everyone's gunning for you, that tends to wear you down more.

Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, has come out and said that if the Filipino great looks poor against Bradley, he may caution him to pull the plug for good.

"If he looks bad, he retires. At least I'll tell him to. And he may be the first one who will listen to me," Roach said, via the Kansas City Star.

Pacquiao knows the significance of this fight, too.

Pacquiao added, "I want to prove that I'm still young, and I can still fight."

But this isn't just about staying relevant for Pacquiao. Make no mistake about it, he wants to go out as the top boxer in the world. That may prove difficult at this point if he never fights Mayweather, but if he thoroughly dominates Bradley like he should, his name should still be in the discussion.

Regardless of how Pacquiao's career ends, he will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest of his generation, if not one of the greatest of all time. But Mayweather's last fight has put pressure on Pacquiao to produce, and do so convincingly.

A boxer of Pacquiao's caliber never wants to play second fiddle to anyone.

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