Pacquiao vs. Bradley 3: Undercard Fights, Rematch Odds and Predictions

At the ripe age of 37, Manny Pacquiao is in the twilight of his boxing career, and could be ready to hang up the gloves. Despite having nothing left to prove in this particular profession, he's not shying away from elite competition. Pacquiao is set to take on a rejuvenated Timothy Bradley Jr. on Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

It's the third meeting between the two elite fighters. Bradley won the first bout on a controversial split decision in June 2012, with Pacquiao coming back to hand Bradley the first loss of his career with a unanimous-decision triumph in April 2014.

Ring Magazine ranks Pacquiao as the seventh-best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, with Bradley close behind at No. 9.

The undercard for this bout is promising, with Arthur Abraham (44-4, 29 KOs) putting his WBO world super middleweight title on the line against undefeated up-and-comer Gilberto Ramirez (33-0, 24 KOs).

Here's the full undercard, odds and predictions for the Pacquiao-Bradley rubber match.

Matchup	Odds		Prediction
Arthur Abraham vs. Gilberto Ramirez	Ramirez 10-23, Abraham 9-5	WBO world super middleweight title	Abraham, UD
Oscar Valdez vs. Evgeny Gradovich	Valdez 1-9, Gradovich 11-2	WBO/NABO featherweight title	Valdez, TKO
Jose Ramirez vs. Manuel Perez	Ramirez 1-10, Perez 6-1	WBC Continental Americas junior welterweight	Ramirez, KO
Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley	Pacquiao 4-9, Bradley 7-4	Vacant WBO International Welterweight title	Pacquiao, UD

Note: Odds are courtesy of Odds Shark and updated as of Wednesday, April 6, at 7 a.m. ET.

Pacquiao-Bradley Preview and Prediction

When Pacquiao steps into the ring on Saturday to take on Bradley, it will be his first fight in 11 months. It's almost the longest gap of his career, roughly the same amount of time as his stretch of inactivity between fighting Juan Manuel Marquez in December 2012 and Brandon Rios in November 2013.

Shoulder surgery to repair a torn right rotator cuff has kept him out of the ring, and it remains to be seen whether or not Pacquiao will pack the same power that has made him one of the best to ever put on a pair of gloves.

His ability to duck in and out of range while teeing up haymakers helped him stagger Bradley on several occasions in their first fight, and Pac-Man's knack for closing out rounds ensured him a win the second time around. As long as Pacquiao's speed and timing is there, he should be able to score points on his blazing assaults, even if he doesn't quite dizzy his foe.

Bradley, 32,  has a few years on Pacquiao and can trade punches inside or box from the outside. If he gets the sense that Pacquiao's power isn't what it used to be, Bradley could try to force the issue by going with volume punches to the body to soften Pacquiao up for later rounds.

Bradley is coming off a TKO win over Rios in November. Much of the credit for Desert Storm's excellent performance has gone to trainer Teddy Atlas. Bradley fired longtime trainer Joel Diaz and hooked up with Atlas before the Rios fight. The Los Angeles Times' Lance Pugmire noted that Atlas' deep boxing knowledge helped Bradley put in a dominant display: 

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Atlas, retained by Bradley before his most recent fight in November against Brandon Rios, showed in his fight plan the depth of his knowledge, which he typically reserves for his role as an ESPN fight analyst. Bradley won by ninth-round technical knockout, picking apart the former lightweight world champion in a sharp display of boxing and defense.

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"The game plan was to take pieces from him, break him down little by little like a piranha," Atlas told ESPN.com's Dan Rafael after Bradley's win over Rios.

It's going to be much more difficult to break down Pacquiao, who hasn't taken a pounding since the knockout loss to Marquez. His loss to Mayweather was the result of his inability to penetrate Money's defenses, in part due to a bum shoulder.

Bradley's clean, easy win over Rios saw him land more than a few heavy blows, but Pacquiao should be able to tag him back. 

While Bradley is looking to build off this fight and score more high-profile bouts, Pacquiao isn't without his own motivations. If he is set on retiring, Pacquiao would be loath to go out on a loss, especially in a rubber match. Righting the wrong of the first bout's controversial decision would prove to be an appealing form of justice for the Filipino legend. 

If we indeed see a less potent version of Pacquiao on Saturday, due to age and the long injury layoff, this fight will go to the cards. Pacquiao should still have enough in him to beat Bradley on points, but the margins will be slim.