Pacquiao vs. Bradley 3: Odds, Projected Winner and Prize Money Purse

Tim Bradley is a far different fighter than he was the first time he met Manny Pacquiao in 2012.

In that fight, Bradley was content to get on his bicycle, fight in a defensive style and hope that he came away with the decision. Pacquiao seemed to dominate the fight as he got in a majority of the punches as well as the power shots, but Bradley came away with a controversial split decision.

That victory brought about a torrent of protest and ridicule for Bradley. Few who saw the fight believed that Pacquiao deserved to lose the fight, and Bradley heard the criticism that was thrown his way.

He went into a funk and called it the worst time of his professional life, according to Bob Velin of USA Today. When he got back in the ring against Ruslan Provodnikov, Bradley was a different fighter. Instead of the stick-and-run style he had employed previously, Bradley went toe-to-toe with the hard-punching Provodnikov.

Bradley absorbed a ton of punishment, and he looked like he was out on his feet at one point during the boxing match. But Bradley fought with reckless abandon and was undaunted by Provodnikov's punches. He was throwing his own bombs throughout the match, and he emerged with the decision.

That fight helped turn Bradley's career and his image around. He fought another hard puncher in his next fight, and he got the best of Juan Manuel Marquez in a split decision. That win was significant because Marquez had knocked out Pacquiao with a brutal right-hand punch and his power with both hands made him dangerous.

Bradley fought with courage, stood in against Marquez and picked up more respect as well as the win. 

That fight brought about a rematch with Pacquiao, and while Bradley lost that decision, he went after Pacquiao hard and looked like an aggressive and dangerous fighter through much of the bout.

Since that fight, Bradley has gone 2-0-1, and his last fight was a knockout victory over Brandon Rios. Instead of the pitty-pat puncher Pacquiao saw in the first fight, he will see an aggressive and hard puncher who has discovered a degree of power.

Despite that growth, the oddsmakers still see the 37-year-old Pacquiao as the favorite. The Filipino boxer is a 4-9 favorite according to Odds Shark, while Bradley is a 7-4 underdog.

Pacquiao is getting close to the end of his career, and he may or may not retire after this fight. In the days after the contract for this fight was signed, Pacquiao said it would be his last fight, but he has backed off that statement in recent days.

Pacquiao should have the edge in speed and quickness, and he has regularly unleashed a two-handed attack that has befuddled most of his opponents.

That was not the case in his last fight, a disappointing loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. last May. While Pacquiao did not appear to be in danger at any point in the fight, he was never able to hurt or even threaten Mayweather with serious punishment.

Bradley does not have the defensive skill to do that to Pacquiao, so look for Pacquiao to dictate the pace of this fight.

The skilled Pacquiao is the top draw in the fight, and he will earn $20 million according to Bob Arum (h/t Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal). Bradley will earn $4 million for the fight and get an additional cut of the pay-per-view revenue, according to Yahoo's Kevin Iole.

Prediction

Pacquiao may be getting near the end of his career, but he is an elite fighter who has been in the ring since he was 12 years old. He only knows how to fight one way, and that's all out and with a desire to hurt his opponent with hard punches that he can throw with amazing speed.

Look for Pacquiao to jump to the lead and dictate the early pace. He will connect with a much higher percentage of jabs and power punches than Bradley, and he will gain the early lead.

Bradley will not be discouraged by falling behind. He will concentrate on throwing body shots and combinations and he will win several of the middle rounds. But just before he can gain an edge in the fight, Pacquiao will regain control with his quickness and aggressiveness. He will win a thoroughly entertaining and unanimous 12-round decision.