Pacquiao vs. Bradley Odds: Why Any Bet on Bradley Is a Bad One

Timothy Bradley may pay off big as the underdog, but betting on him is a bad idea because he’s not going to win.

Manny Pacquiao is a minus-450 favorite while Bradley is at plus-325, according to Bovada. Even though the odds are tempting, those thinking of betting on Bradley should save their money for the pay-per-view fee.

Bradley simply does not have what it takes to pull out a victory over Pac-Man. The challenger is extremely fast and technically sound, but lacks power.

Desert Storm is 28-0 in his career, but only has 12 knockouts. He gets his victories through slippery defense and quick punches that lead to wins by decisions.

He has never faced anyone on Pacquiao’s level before. There will be points in the match that Bradley is overwhelmed by Pac-Man’s power and experience. This will make it a close fight if the bout lasts all 12 rounds.

If the fight is close, Pacquiao will get the decision. He holds the belt, and for Bradley to take it away from him, he will have to make an incredibly convincing case for himself. 

There is an unwritten rule in boxing that for a challenger to a beat a champion, it must be done convincingly.

This was evident in Pacquiao’s last fight against Juan Manuel Marquez. It was a closely contested bout all the way through, but when the votes were tallied up, Pacquiao was declared the victor. Marquez was furious and stormed out of the ring, clearly under the impression that the decision was unjust.

Marquez certainly had a case that the fight was a draw, or even that he won, but it was a close bout. Therefore, Pacquiao kept his belt.

The Mexican fighter also felt that the Las Vegas judges had a lot to do with the controversial decision.

He said, via David King of Yahoo Sports: “For a new fight with Pacquiao, I'm going to ask for us not to do it in Las Vegas. I have [been] robbed there three times, and I do not want it happening again.”

If there is any merit to Marquez’s thinly veiled accusation of dishonesty on the part of Nevada judges, this does not bode well for Bradley. His fight with Pacquiao is at the MGM Grand, just like Pacquiao vs. Marquez III.

These criticisms from Marquez are likely due to frustration more than anything. Marquez suffered from the same unwritten rule that will doom Bradley if Desert Storm is able to last all 12 rounds.

Bradley simply does not have the power to knock out Pacquiao and while he is a good fighter, he is not skilled enough to dominate and win by a decision. There is just no way that Pacquiao loses this fight, and anyone who bets on Bradley will lose their money.