Pacquiao vs. Bradley 3 Undercard: Predictions and Updated Odds for Fight Card
Manny Pacquiao will take on Timothy Bradley in what appears to be the final fight of Pacquiao's career, but it won't be the only entertaining bout of the night.
Before the welterweight title goes on the line, there are a handful of other matchups set to take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, including three on the pay-per-view lineup. Lucky for fans waiting to watch the main event, there are some quality boxers set to show what they can do.
Here is a breakdown of those highly anticipated battles, featuring odds to win in parenthesis courtesy of Odds Shark.
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Jose Ramirez (-1300) vs. Manuel Perez (+700)
Although undercards are often overlooked, this could be a big night for Top Rank, as a trio of stars have a chance to truly show what they can do on the big stage.
Steve Kim of Undisputed Champion Network broke down the effort taken to promote this group:
"While Pacquiao-Bradley III has played to a mixed reception with the public, it hasn’t stopped Top Rank CEO Bob Arum from tirelessly pushing the undercard. This time around, he didn’t just slot Butterbean or Mia St. John in the co-features; he’s put on fights...with some real meaning. Top Rank took the unusual measure of recognizing the undercard’s unique composition and hosting separate media days for the law firm of Valdez, Ramirez and Ramirez.
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Jose Carlos Ramirez is one of those hyped boxers, coming in inexperienced but showing a lot of promise in his young career. The 23-year-old fighter has a 16-0 record with 12 knockouts, showing impressive finishing ability against inferior competition.
Manuel Perez will certainly be a step up as an experienced fighter with 37 bouts in his career, but he also hasn't shown much in recent years. It seems every time he faces an opponent that matters (Victor Ortiz, Anton Novikov, Paul McCloskey), he comes up short.
Ramirez would represent one of those steps up in competition for Perez, and it doesn't seem like he has the skill to keep up with the younger fighter. Look for Ramirez to add to his resume with a knockout to kick off this PPV.
Prediction: Ramirez wins by TKO
Oscar Valdez (-1250) vs. Evgeny Gradovich (+800)
It's usually not a smart move to look ahead in any sport, especially one where you can get knocked out and lose from one big punch. However, that hasn't stopped Oscar Valdez and his camp from planning the next move after this match.
Valdez's manager, Frank Espinoza, recently explained his plan to get his boxer a title fight, per Rick Reeno of Boxing Scene:
"I think this is the last fight before we go for a world title. I think he's ready to fight for a world title and Gradovich is the final step before we go in that direction. I would be very confident in matching him against Lee Selby, Gary Russell Jr. or Leo Santa Cruz. Once this fight is over, we'll see where everything stands with the WBO title and then make a team decision on what we plan to do next.
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Obviously, Valdez will have to get past Evgeny Gradovich first. This might not be as easy of a task as expected, as the Russian has been one of the top boxers in the weight class for years. The former IBF featherweight champion had four successful title defenses before finally losing to Selby, so it's clear he has the talent to get back on top.
The problem is Gradovich hasn't been quite as dominant since his loss, narrowly defeating Aldimar Santos by a split decision and then Jesus Galicia by a majority decision. He has never been big on knockouts, but he simply hasn't been as dominant as he should be.
On the other hand, Valdez has been destroying everyone in his path with 16 knockouts in 18 matches. This will clearly be the biggest battle of his career, but he has the talent necessary to outwork his opponent in the ring.
Gradovich might have too tough of a chin to earn a knockout, but it should be another win for Top Rank.
Prediction: Valdez wins by unanimous decision
Arthur Abraham (+175) vs. Gilberto Ramirez (-210)
This will likely be the best undercard bout of the night, and could potentially be even more exciting than Pacquiao and Bradley.
Arthur Abraham is nearing the end of an excellent career, which saw him earn the WBO super middleweight title and hold it for the past couple of years. Since the start of 2012, the only loss Abraham suffered was to Robert Stieglitz, a man he ended up defeating three out of four times.
Succeeding on the big stage is nothing new for the German star. On the other hand, competing in the United States will be something relatively new, as he hasn't had a fight on American soil since losing to Andre Ward in 2011. His last match before that was another loss to Andre Dirrell in 2010.
Meanwhile, it's not just travel that could cause problems for the champion. Gilberto Ramirez is 12 years younger, about five inches taller and has the speed and agility that could cause some problems. The southpaw also has a plan to be aggressive in this bout, per Dan Rafael of ESPN.com:
"This is my time. I have a lot of respect for Arthur Abraham. He's a great champion. I know he's working hard in training camp as am I. It's going to be a great fight. I have to be smart in this fight. We are working on keeping the pressure on Abraham by throwing high volumes of punches and staying on top of him. I'm going to be a second skin on him.
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This could cause some problems for the veteran fighter, who doesn't have the speed he once did. While his defense will be key, simply keeping up on the scorecard could also end up being a major issue.
Ramirez might be the challenger, but he will appear to be the better fighter in this one and come away with the belt.
Prediction: Ramirez wins by unanimous decision
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