Manny Pacquiao's Career Stands at Crossroads with Timothy Bradley Bout

Manny Pacquiao will prove if his recent lackluster victories were a sign of a declining boxer or a distracted one when he takes to the ring against Timothy Bradley June 9. 

Pacquiao is riding a 15-bout winning streak, but this powerful and feared fighter has seen his last four matches go to decision. 

Is Pacquiao losing his edge, not taking these fights seriously enough, or not training properly? We are about to find out which is the answer. 

The undefeated Bradley is a worthy opponent. However, he has never fought someone of Manny's caliber. He prefers to attack his opponents by going straight at them, and he is not known for his counter-punching ability. 

In other words, he is a fighter that Pacquiao should be able to dominate. That is, if Pacquiao is as good as ever. 

The fact of Manny's slipping performances is not lost on his trainer Freddie Roach. According to the Associated Press (via ESPN.co.uk), the 52-year-old said: "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."

For his part, Manny certainly doesn't sound like a fighter who is declining. He is convinced a renewed mental approach will get him back to his dominant form. Pac-Man told Rick Reeno of BoxingScene.com: 

"

It just happened, I think we underestimated Marquez, but we trained hard for that fight. The training was still the same. We trained hard for that fight. We underestimated Marquez.

I’ve been fighting at 150, 147 and then this guy [who is] 140-pounds, 135, is moving up. I’ve been fighting with bigger guys and then I fight a guy who is the same size, so I kind of understimated [him].

"

The pressure is on Pacquiao to prove himself right. He can come and score a knockout over Bradley, which would lay to rest the talk of his decline, or he can continue to look less than dominant and get severely challenged by a fighter he should easily handle. 

Prediction

Pacquiao records a KO in the eigth round.

I think Pacquiao's determination to look great will show in this bout, and Bradley's style will help facilitate that. 

Desert Storm does not have the tools to exploit Manny's weaknesses, and Manny is going to be chomping at the bit to prove he is still great.