Pacquiao vs. Bradley: 5 Reasons Why Bradley Will Give Pac-Man Issues

When Manny Pacquiao meets Tim Bradley this Saturday night in Las Vegas, most of the smart money will be on the Filipino Congressman. To win a hundred bucks betting on Pacman, you'd have to risk $450. 

I've got Pacquiao by about eight rounds to four myself.

But more casual boxing fans who assume that this will be an easy night for Pacquiao just because they have never heard of "Desert Storm" will be in for a surprise. Bradley has the tools to give Pacquiao big problems. 

Bradley Has a Lot of Experience Against Southpaws

Manny Pacquiao will be Tim Bradley's third straight left-handed opponent. That's a lot of time preparing for the unique puzzle that a southpaw fighter represents.

Pacquiao, Joel Casamayor and Devon Alexander are three very different fighters; but the fundamental problem of everything being backwards from what is normal is now a familiar one for Bradley. 

The overhand left from a southpaw is the easiest punch in boxing for an orthodox fighter to get caught with. Bradley is going to have enough to deal with handling Pacquiao's speed and power; it is at least some advantage that he has become experienced against lefty fighters. 

Bradley Is Extremely Tough Both Mentally and Physically

Toughness is a prerequisite for a career in professional boxing, but even in the unforgiving arena of the prize fighting ring, Bradley has the kind of grit that stands out. 

Bradley was raised to be tough by his father, who got him started with brutal training methods early on. As chronicled on 24/7, his motivational methods would best be described as "old school" machismo. 

As Bradley told Ringtv.com:

"

Once I made up my mind to be a boxer, my father made sure that I was ready for what would come in the ring. He was hard on me. There was no limit to our training and he came up with difficult ways of motivating me...he knew guys I fought were out to hurt me and he wanted me to be ready for them.

"

Another great story from 24/7 was the one about Bradley running 23 miles in the desert, a week before a scheduled eight-rounder early in his career. Bradley's reasoning was: "I knew if I had good enough conditioning for the run, I'd have good enough conditioning for the fight."

Timothy Bradley takes fighting very seriously.

Along with that devotion to physical preparation comes exactly the kind of mental resolve and self-confidence that his father intended to instill in him.

Bradley has appeared to be unfazed by stepping into the bright lights of a pay-per-view main event. He has boldly proclaimed his belief that he will knock off the man who some consider the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

Bradley is ready for this fight. If he loses, it will be because he just doesn't match up to Pacquiao in the ring skills-wise.

It won't be because of a lack of toughness. 

Bradley's Awkward, Physical Style Will Clash with Pacquiao

Like most fighters who are characterized as hard-nosed and tough, Bradley skirts the line of being outright dirty. Like Evander Holyfield, Bradley truly does somehow manage to incorporate accidental headbutts into his arsenal. 

On 24/7 he even joked while taking care of his baby daughter: "She got a Bradley head, so I'm not worried about her too much."

Head butts aside, Bradley has the potential to tie Pacquiao up like an octopus when they get in close, tactically negating a lot of Pacquiao's speed advantage and limiting the room he has to throw the explosive, trademark Pacquiao punches. 

Bradley is a half inch shorter than Pacquiao and is coming up in weight, but that is deceptive. He has a two-inch reach advantage and was fighting at 140 pounds as a teenager—an age when Pacquiao was still fighting at 112.

He has the naturally bigger frame. In my opinion, he is stronger. He doesn't have the same kind of punching power as Pacquiao, but he has the ability to push Pac-man around if he can take away his room to get off with big punches. 

Bradley Is a Fresh Fighter with World Class Experience

Tim Bradley's undefeated record includes wins over world champions Junior Witter, Kendall Holt and Devon Alexander. He beat Lamont Peterson when both were undefeated prospects. 

This is a formidable resume. Bradley has easy wins over world class fighters who have impressive victories on their own CVs.

He hasn't been in the ring with anybody of Manny Pacquiao's caliber, but that's going to be true for pretty much anybody who fights Pac-man. 

The fact that Bradley has had less rounds against elite competition than Pacquiao is not entirely a disadvantage. Training for and taking on the greatest fighter in the world two to four times a year for years on end takes a physical toll on anybody. 

Even Bob Arum made this point on a May 22 media call, referring to Bradley as a "young fighter who hasn't taken much punishment." 

Manny Pacquiao Has a Lot of Outside Distractions

The big story throughout the 24/7 run has been Manny Pacquiao's "new commitment to God." On a May 22 media call, I heard Bob Arum refer to it repeatedly as a "religious awakening." 

Although I seem to recall Pacquiao always expressing serious devotion to his religion, since the start of 2012, he has begun to speak about almost nothing else. Gone is the entourage of Karaoke singing, card playing buddies, who were apparently leading Pac-man into damnation. 

On the May 22 media call, Pacquiao spoke about having a "family problem" before the Marquez fight that affected him. In the past week, reports have emerged that the "family problem" was in fact a wife who was so mad she at first refused to attend the fight (via ABS-CBN News).

Reading between the lines, it sounds like Pacquiao is trying to heal his marriage at the same time he is preparing for a world championship boxing match, while also serving as a Filipino Congressman. He's also under investigation for tax fraud, which could at least hypothetically lead to jail time.

And perhaps the biggest distraction of all for Pacquiao has been the split in his camp between trainer Freddy Roach and physical conditioning guru Alex Ariza. On 24/7, Roach has claimed he wants Ariza off the team. 

In the end I expect Pacquiao to be able to block out the distractions and focus. But he's entering this fight with personal problems as big or bigger than Floyd Mayweather had before he fought Miguel Cotto.

And Pacquiao, who stated "I hate the old Manny" on 24/7, doesn't seem nearly as comfortable living with them.