Pacquiao vs Bradley: Chip on Pac-Man's Shoulder Will Lead to Dominant Win

Manny Pacquiao has heard all the doubters, and that will motivate him to win his fight against Timothy Bradley convincingly.

Knocks on Pac-Man leading up to the bout on June 9 have included concerns about his age and distractions in his personal life.

Pacquiao said (via the Washington Post): “I want to prove that I’m still young, and I can still fight.” 

The Filipino needs a solid performance against Bradley in order to prove that he’s still in contention for consideration as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. After all, following a sub-par performance against Juan Manuel Marquez, most fans would give that distinction to Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Pacquiao admitted in a press conference that family problems were the cause of his underwhelming showing against Marquez. According to Santos A. Perez of the Miami Herald, he said:

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The fight was not that hard for me but I was having some family problems. I was in 100 percent physical condition for that fight against Marquez but I did have some family issue that I had to deal with. I also underestimated him.

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Lack of motivation will not be a problem for the Filipino fighter when he goes up against Bradley. He is very self-aware and knows what this fight means at this stage in his career. 

At 33 years old, he doesn’t have that many fights left in him, and he almost certainly wants to reserve one of those bouts for Mayweather.

Pac-Man’s trainer Freddie Roach knows the dangers that aging boxers face when their skills decline. He lost five of the last six fights of his career and now suffers from Parkinson’s disease, as noted in the same Washington Post report.

He does not want to see the same thing happen to his long-time trainee, and Pacquiao has the sense to know when to call it quits.

A win against Mayweather is the only way for Pacquiao to go into boxing history as the best pound-for-pound fighter of his era.

That is the ultimate goal, and beating Bradley is the first step towards completing it.

Pac-Man has had a fine career despite his recent setback. In order to get himself back on track, he needs to start winning convincingly.

Until he regains his status as a near-equal to Mayweather, he will be fighting with a chip on his shoulder, and that does not bode well for Bradley or any other opponents he may face.