Pacquiao vs. Marquez Undercard: Win for Tim Bradley Will Hurt Pac-Man

Boxing fans everywhere should be rooting for Joel Casamayor to upend Tim Bradley in the undercard to the main event between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez Saturday in Las Vegas; or rather, those fans who want to see Pacquiao fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. at some point in the near future.

A win for "Desert Storm" over "El Cepillo," and the retention of the WBO light welterweight championship that comes with it, would render Tim Bradley a somewhat worthy opponent for Pacquiao—at least worthy enough for longtime promoter and Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, whose company just so happens to represent Bradley and Pacquiao.

Arum has long appeared reluctant to negotiate with Golden Boy Promotions, Oscar De La Hoya's company, over a Pacquiao-Mayweather bout.

Regardless of who you think deserves more blame for keeping such a fight from coming together, it's clear that each is culpable in his own way and that Arum has done little to progress the fight from his end.

Further, you can bet that Arum will take the easy out (and the easy money) if and when he can; the easiest always being that which comes from a fight between two of his own clients.

Who better to negotiate with Bob Arum than Bob Arum?

It's a shame, to be sure, that egos have impeded Pac-Man and Money May from meeting in the ring to this point, but it's not at all surprising, given how ego-driven boxing is and has always been.

It's not that Bradley doesn't or wouldn't deserve a big payday against a superstar fighter like Pacquiao—by defeating the Cuban Joel Casamayor, Bradley would move his record to 28-0 with one "no contest" and six successful title defenses.

He would have earned his shot at Pacquiao at that point, to be sure. But for the sake of the sport, he should wait for that chance just long enough to allow Pacquiao and Mayweather to settle the score once and for all.

Let's hope Arum thinks so too; or that Casamayor wrests control of that situation away from Arum and beats Bradley.