Timothy Bradley: 10 Things He Must Do to Upset Manny Pacquiao

Timothy Bradley sets foot in the ring on June 9 to face his greatest foe yet, Manny Pacquiao.

To face Pacquiao is not just to face him alone, but to face his legend and his myth. The questions will swirl as Bradley enters the ring.

"Does he have better speed?"

"Is he really that good?"

"Can he really punch that hard?"

Bradley hopes the answer is no to all of the above. Maybe he's right. But if he's not, here are ten things he can do to get the upset victory anyway:

Cut Him

Manny Pacquiao doesn't perform as well when his face is cut up and his blood is gushing every few moments. That happened to Pacquiao when he was up against Erik Morales, and he lost in a big way.

Sure, Pacquiao has since avenged the 2005 defeat by knockout twice, but that still doesn't completely erase the image of a helpless and bleeding Pacquiao.

This image was only reinforced when he was up against Juan Manuel Marquez last year, during their third fight. Marquez cut Pacquiao, and proceeded to make Pacquiao look the worst he's looked in years.

More Boxing, Less Brawling

Timothy Bradley is known for his unique mix of brawling and boxing, but he's going to have to get more into boxing than brawling this time. Manny Pacquiao loves a good scrap. Bradley should avoid giving him one.

Pacquiao looks confused when his opponents don't sign the invisible contract to stand and trade and survive off pure heart so he can punch it out and stomp on it.

Sneaky Power

Timothy Bradley has made many of his opponents clinch for their lives in the ring, unwilling to engage. Are they afraid of something? Could it be that Bradley has decent power but just isn't a good finisher?

There could possibly be power in both of his hands, but that power needs an opponent who will never back down. Manny Pacquiao is that opponent.

Become Hopkins Jr.

Against Manny Pacquiao, Timothy Bradley first and foremost needs to win. He doesn't need to look good. He doesn't need to get a knockout. He just needs to win.

Bernard Hopkins should be Bradley's role model on how to dig in and beat Pacquiao. Hopkins uses whatever roughhousing tactics he can to make the fight awkward for his opponents.

Holding, mauling, elbows, headbutts, rabbit-punching and foot-stomping are all a part of the school of Hopkins, and Bradley would do well to learn from him.

Catch Him off Balance

Manny Pacquiao has demonstrated that he can be thrown off balance during his combinations, but not many opponents are fast enough to take advantage of this weakness.

Pacquiao beats most opponents into oblivion before they can even make one move. Last year, however, Juan Manuel Marquez proved that a fighter with a little speed and great timing can throw Pacquiao completely off his game.

Timothy Bradley can do the same, for not only is Bradley faster than Marquez, his timing is even more awkward.

The way in which Bradley engages his opponents can often be befuddling. It's a rare clever mixture of boxing and brawling that leads to battered foes and knockdowns, if not knockouts.

Focus on an Eye

Timothy Bradley must take advantage of whatever damage he begins to see mounting on Manny Pacquiao.

Paulie Malignaggi, a man not known for knocking out his opponents, stopped an undefeated former world champion by focusing on just his eye during the match. Malignaggi just kept at it until the fight had to be stopped in Round 9.

Bradley could do the same. Pacquiao has already shown he can be cut, as Juan Manuel Marquez was able to do so during a big head clash in their third fight last year.

Bradley's tendency to accidentally clash heads with opponents can work in his favor by opening up a cut Bradley's fist can target all night.

Impress Bob Arum

Bob Arum loves Manny Pacquiao. Seeing as Arum is Pacquiao's promoter, and Pacquiao sells millions of pay-per-views almost every single time he fights, it's not hard to see why.

Arum has been in the business since back when Muhammad Ali was undefeated. Arum could use his long series of connections in the Pacquiao-Bradley fight make sure Timothy Bradley gets a fair shake.

As it stands, Pacquiao could get the nod if the fight goes the distance, regardless of what Bradley actually does to him.

But if Bradley can show he's giving the crowd all he has in an effort that will only gain fans, Arum may swing things his way.

Bradley is the much younger star, and retirement is much more distant a prospect for him than it is for Pacquiao.

Fight for the Future of His Family

Timothy Bradley was broke when he went to England to fight Junior Witter for his first world title.

Now he's going to make a career-high $5 million. If he defeats Manny Pacquiao, he can make even more for the next fight. He may even become a pay-per-view star. But it all starts with Pacquiao.

If he thinks about his family and their future, it may give him the extra push he needs when things get tough.

Conditioning

Timothy Bradley is a conditioning phenom. He never quits. Nor does Manny Pacquiao. The only problem is that Pacquiao is now 33. Bradley is still 28. Pacquiao is arguably passing his peak.

Bradley's still at the beginning of his peak, and should gladly use this to his advantage to potentially outlast Pacquiao.

The further this fight gets down the stretch, the better Bradley's chances of winning exchanges. If Bradley can just box for the first couple rounds and let Pacquiao miss a lot, he can come strong in the finale.

Counter-Punching

Counter-punching is the biggest key to upsetting Manny Pacquiao, and Timothy Bradley must stick to it like his life depends on it.

It's counter-punching that gave Erik Morales his big win over Pacquiao in 2005. It's counter-punching that made Juan Manuel Marquez a close competitor in all three of his fights with Manny Pacquiao.

And it's counter-punching that will give Bradly the win.

Just when Pacquiao thinks he has a chance to land his signature combinations, Bradley sees it coming and avoids while countering. Best way to win.