Manny Pacquiao's Updated Odds, Predictions for Timothy Bradley Rematch

Manny Pacquiao certainly didn't avoid a risk in what could be the final fight of his illustrious career by taking a rematch against Timothy Bradley Jr. 

The odds have Pac-Man as the slight favorite, but with the series between the two tied up at one apiece, this is far from a pre-destined curtain call. 

Here's a look at the latest odds from Odds Shark and predictions for both fighters. 

Fighter	Odds
Pacquiao	1-2
Bradley	8-5

While the Filipino may be the oddsmakers' pick, there's a case to be made for both fighters. From former and current professionals to experts across the boxing community, the jury is fairly split on who will come out on top. Here's a look at the case for both fighters. 

Timothy Bradley

John Locher/Associated Press

Bradley is a live dog here for a reason. His quickness and footwork make him a threat to hand Pacquiao back-to-back losses for the first time since he lost to Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012. 

However, it isn't just Bradley's footwork that has some picking Desert Storm. Steve Cunningham—a two-time cruiserweight champion—is picking him based upon his fight IQ and opportunity to adjust after Pacquiao won decisively in their last bout. 

“Bradley is smart,” Cunningham said, per Josh Katzowitz of Forbes. “You don’t want to fight guys like Bradley three or four times. Pacquiao is still a beast. But he knows what he did wrong in that second fight [where Pacquiao got the wide unanimous decision victory]. I think we’ll see a more effective Bradley.”

Cunningham's theory would appear to be a little off. After all, Bradley certainly didn't make the appropriate adjustments to keep his edge in the second fight between the two. 

There's still reason to believe Cunningham will ultimately be correct about a more effective Bradley, though. 

Pacquiao is now 37. He was 35 when he last defeated Bradley, but two years is a long time for someone with as many fights on his resume as Pac-Man. Desert Storm might not be a spring chicken, but one would think the skills disparity between the 32-year-old Bradley and his opponent has closed rather than widened.

Bradley also figures to have a new advantage in his corner this time around. He's now working with trainer Teddy Atlas in a move that seemed to be a good one when he knocked out Brandon Rios in the ninth round under Atlas' tutelage last time out. 

Atlas intends to get Bradley to fight smarter this time around, per HBO Boxing:

Bradley might be an underdog, but he has a definitive path to victory in this bout. If he can fight defensively and force Pacquiao to make mistakes with his movement, he can counterpunch his way to victory with his slick boxing. 

That's going to take a lot of discipline, though, as Bradley has shown a proclivity for exchanging in the pocket in the past. 

Manny Pacquiao

Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

The key question for Pacquiao in this spot is how much he has left to give in the ring. 

Even though Bradley technically won the first fight, the decision was controversial at best. The second bout was more clear on the scorecards. A prime Pacquiao dispatches of Bradley rather easily. 

But this isn't prime Pacquiao. This is a Pacquiao coming off a disappointing loss against Floyd Mayweather that saw him throw an uncharacteristically low amount of volume, per ESPN Stats & Info:

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Pacquiao was noticeably less active in his last fight due to a bad shoulder. He landed 81 total punches against Floyd Mayweather, his fewest in a 12-round fight in the past seven years. Pacquiao averaged 7.2 combinations thrown per round against Mayweather, compared to 11.8 in his previous five fights.

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On one hand, there was a shoulder injury involved. On the other, he's 37. There's bound to be injuries to an athlete of Pacquiao's age. It's hard to say with certainty he'll walk into the ring without some nagging injury that could hurt his productivity in a similar fashion. 

Even Freddie Roach—Pacquiao's trainer—acknowledged that it took his fighter a little longer to get into peak form coming off an 11-month layoff, per HBO Boxing:

Still, it isn't hard to imagine a scenario in which Pacquiao shows just enough of the speed and power that made him one of the biggest stars of his generation of boxing. 

Briggs Seekins of Bleacher Report sees Pacquiao's famous speed being the difference in a close fight:

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But ultimately, Pacquiao's speed will still be the difference here. He will be able to get the better angles and score with better punches. I expect both men will land at better percentages than they did in the first two fights, with Pacquiao inflicting more damage on Bradley. But he won't inflict enough damage to end the fight, and this one will go to the cards. 

"

Pacquiao may have put in a poor performance, but using that to completely discount him against Bradley is a mistake. Bradley hardly passes for a generic version of Mayweather, let alone an actual facsimile. 

If Pac-Man is anywhere near the conditioning and power he displayed against Bradley in their second bout, this will be win No. 2 for him against the American. 

Prediction

There are strong indications this could be Pacquiao's last fight before retiring to the life of a senator in his native Philippines. 

That could tell us a lot about who will come out on top in this matchup. 

It isn't often that a boxer of Pacquiao's caliber knows when to hang it up. The rush of competing and earning big paychecks isn't easy to walk away from. So the fact he is treating this as though its his last fight might tell us something about where he's at physically. 

Conversely, Bradley is trying to redefine his career. With Atlas in his corner, he has a different approach, and a win in this situation opens up plenty of intriguing opportunities for him. 

Fans will still see some flashes of old school Pacquiao, but they're likely to be few and far between. With the effects of age comes a declining ability to push the pace. After two fights against his opponent, Bradley should have answers for the combinations and approaches he'll see in the ring. 

In a close fight, Bradley can prove he has the endurance to keep up with Pacquiao down the stretch this time and extend his time in the limelight while likely bringing his opponent's to an end. 

Bradley by decision.