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Pacquiao-Bradley: Is an upset brewing?


By Graham Houston



After two disappointing performances in a row by Manny Pacquiao, questions are swirling in the boxing industry. Could it be that Pacquiao has peaked? Has the “typhoon blowing across the Pacific”, as HBO’s Larry Merchant once described the Filipino superstar, blown itself out? Perhaps these questions will be answered when Pacquiao defends his WBO welterweight title against Timothy Bradley at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas tonight (HBO PPV).

This is a tough fight for Pacquiao against a young, strong, undefeated opponent. It is a fight he could lose unless he can fan the flames that were burning low in his fights with Shane Mosley and Juan Manuel Marquez. In short, Pacquiao needs to rediscover the relentless quality that made him such a formidable fighter.

Pacquiao almost seemed to be carrying Mosley after dropping Sugar Shane with a big left hand from his southpaw stance in the third round. The third installment in Pacquiao’s series with Marquez last November was much too close for comfort. There are many who believe that Marquez won that fight — indeed, a case can be made for the masterful Mexican ring mechanic having won all three bouts with Pacquiao.

There has been a lot on Pacquiao’s mind in the past year or two to divert him from boxing, principally his political career in the Philippines. His marriage to Jinkee hasn’t always been free from strife. Lately he is professing a new devotion to the spiritual side of life, with long sessions studying the Bible.

Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, predicted KO wins for Pacquiao over Mosley and Marquez but looked relieved that Pacquiao simply got out of town with the disputed win in the Marquez fight.

Yet Roach sounds optimistic that we will see a better version of Pacquiao in the Bradley fight, even going so far as to say in an interview with HBO’s Max Kellerman on Friday that Bradley is “made to order” for Pacquiao and won’t win a round.

Bradley, though, sounds supremely confident. “I truly believe it’s going to be an easy fight,” Bradley has told interviewers.

While Pacquiao is, understandably, the clear betting favourite, Bradley has the attributes that could cause an upset. The 28-year-old “Desert Storm” from Palm Springs in California is five years the younger man at 28, he is quick, sturdy, smart and tenacious, and he doesn’t know how to lose, as they say.

Bradley is moving up from the 140lbs division but he has boxed as a welterweight — two years ago he outclassed Luis Abregu, a tall, hard-punching Argentinean 147-pounder who had won 29 bouts in a row.

Although Bradley is built like a little tank he can box and move as well as bore in and bang away.

Bradley has faced no one with Pacquaio’s blend of speed and power, though. If Pacquiao can rediscover his old fire and the fury, he could simply be too much for Bradley.

Still, the nagging thought persists that Pacquiao might be past his best. This is what makes the fight intriguing. Bradley could be in the right place at the right time.

“If the guy who fought Marquez comes, I expect my guy to look just sensational,” Bradley’s manager, Cameron Dunkin, told me in a phone conversation.

The first couple of rounds could tell us a lot. If Bradley makes a positive beginning, starts landing his right hand, makes Pacquiao miss and counters him, then the possibility of an upset will loom large, because if Bradley is allowed to get right into the fight from the outset he will, like a burr in the hair, be very hard to dislodge.

I think that Pacquiao needs to stamp his authority on this fight as quickly as possible. He must come out assertively and let Bradley know that the underdog is in a place more perilous than any he has been in before.

Pacquiao is the puncher in the fight and he has the big-fight experience. Marquez was cagey, calculating and clever, but Bradley figures to be coming to Pacquiao, and this could bring out the best in Pacquiao because, as trainer Roach says, Bradley will “make him fight”.

I don’t see a quick win for Pacquiao and I am thinking more on the lines of a long fight that goes into the late rounds and maybe the full distance, but four of Bradley’s fights have ended prematurely due to his opponent being cut in a collision so one hopes the big event will not be marred by a clash of heads.

Bradley must be respected, but I’m going with Pacquiao. He is a proud fighter who hasn’t lost in seven years. We now know that serious marital discord might have affected Pacquiao’s performance against Marquez. Pacquiao’s spiritual awakening seems a bit sudden, but domestic harmony appears to have been restored and that is all to the good. Pacquiao certainly looked relaxed and composed at the weigh-in; Bradley seemed a bit tightly wound.

This should be an excellent fight, and I have a feeling that Pacquiao will produce the speed of hand and foot, the combinations and the commitment that were lacking in his last two fights. This is a fight that Pacquiao could lose — but I don’t think he will allow himself to lose.

This preview is essentially as it appeared in Boxing Monthly, with some updating. A more wagering-orientated preview is available for subscribers, plus Jones vs Bailey, Rigondeaux vs Kennedy previews.
Visit fightwriter.com

[cocksuckinknowitall]

No.

[deck]

I think the article makes valid points. Bradley isn't a match for a prime Pacquaio but he brings enough to the table to cause trouble for Manny if he's not firing on all cylinders. He's not as fast as Manny but he is fast. He has also shown himself to have a good jab and very good fundamentals when asked for. He also sets a relentless pace like Pac.

Manny wins the power battle hands down but bar a couple of flash knockdowns Bradley hasn't shown a suspect chin. He won't go over with one shot.

This fight is interesting to say the least. Let's hope it's competitive and a proper fight.

[Dexter_Morgan]

Pacquiao-Bradley: Is an upset brewing?


By Graham Houston



After two disappointing performances in a row by Manny Pacquiao, questions are swirling in the boxing industry. Could it be that Pacquiao has peaked? Has the “typhoon blowing across the Pacific”, as HBO’s Larry Merchant once described the Filipino superstar, blown itself out? Perhaps these questions will be answered when Pacquiao defends his WBO welterweight title against Timothy Bradley at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas tonight (HBO PPV).

This is a tough fight for Pacquiao against a young, strong, undefeated opponent. It is a fight he could lose unless he can fan the flames that were burning low in his fights with Shane Mosley and Juan Manuel Marquez. In short, Pacquiao needs to rediscover the relentless quality that made him such a formidable fighter.

Pacquiao almost seemed to be carrying Mosley after dropping Sugar Shane with a big left hand from his southpaw stance in the third round. The third installment in Pacquiao’s series with Marquez last November was much too close for comfort. There are many who believe that Marquez won that fight — indeed, a case can be made for the masterful Mexican ring mechanic having won all three bouts with Pacquiao.

There has been a lot on Pacquiao’s mind in the past year or two to divert him from boxing, principally his political career in the Philippines. His marriage to Jinkee hasn’t always been free from strife. Lately he is professing a new devotion to the spiritual side of life, with long sessions studying the Bible.

Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, predicted KO wins for Pacquiao over Mosley and Marquez but looked relieved that Pacquiao simply got out of town with the disputed win in the Marquez fight.

Yet Roach sounds optimistic that we will see a better version of Pacquiao in the Bradley fight, even going so far as to say in an interview with HBO’s Max Kellerman on Friday that Bradley is “made to order” for Pacquiao and won’t win a round.

Bradley, though, sounds supremely confident. “I truly believe it’s going to be an easy fight,” Bradley has told interviewers.

While Pacquiao is, understandably, the clear betting favourite, Bradley has the attributes that could cause an upset. The 28-year-old “Desert Storm” from Palm Springs in California is five years the younger man at 28, he is quick, sturdy, smart and tenacious, and he doesn’t know how to lose, as they say.

Bradley is moving up from the 140lbs division but he has boxed as a welterweight — two years ago he outclassed Luis Abregu, a tall, hard-punching Argentinean 147-pounder who had won 29 bouts in a row.

Although Bradley is built like a little tank he can box and move as well as bore in and bang away.

Bradley has faced no one with Pacquaio’s blend of speed and power, though. If Pacquiao can rediscover his old fire and the fury, he could simply be too much for Bradley.

Still, the nagging thought persists that Pacquiao might be past his best. This is what makes the fight intriguing. Bradley could be in the right place at the right time.

“If the guy who fought Marquez comes, I expect my guy to look just sensational,” Bradley’s manager, Cameron Dunkin, told me in a phone conversation.

The first couple of rounds could tell us a lot. If Bradley makes a positive beginning, starts landing his right hand, makes Pacquiao miss and counters him, then the possibility of an upset will loom large, because if Bradley is allowed to get right into the fight from the outset he will, like a burr in the hair, be very hard to dislodge.

I think that Pacquiao needs to stamp his authority on this fight as quickly as possible. He must come out assertively and let Bradley know that the underdog is in a place more perilous than any he has been in before.

Pacquiao is the puncher in the fight and he has the big-fight experience. Marquez was cagey, calculating and clever, but Bradley figures to be coming to Pacquiao, and this could bring out the best in Pacquiao because, as trainer Roach says, Bradley will “make him fight”.

I don’t see a quick win for Pacquiao and I am thinking more on the lines of a long fight that goes into the late rounds and maybe the full distance, but four of Bradley’s fights have ended prematurely due to his opponent being cut in a collision so one hopes the big event will not be marred by a clash of heads.

Bradley must be respected, but I’m going with Pacquiao. He is a proud fighter who hasn’t lost in seven years. We now know that serious marital discord might have affected Pacquiao’s performance against Marquez. Pacquiao’s spiritual awakening seems a bit sudden, but domestic harmony appears to have been restored and that is all to the good. Pacquiao certainly looked relaxed and composed at the weigh-in; Bradley seemed a bit tightly wound.

This should be an excellent fight, and I have a feeling that Pacquiao will produce the speed of hand and foot, the combinations and the commitment that were lacking in his last two fights. This is a fight that Pacquiao could lose — but I don’t think he will allow himself to lose.

This preview is essentially as it appeared in Boxing Monthly, with some updating. A more wagering-orientated preview is available for subscribers, plus Jones vs Bailey, Rigondeaux vs Kennedy previews.
Visit fightwriter.com

Good read that. Still Pacman inside 8 rounds for me.

[Che Guevara]

a bradley upset is total based on pacquaios last outting against a guy he has always struggled with... he was made look poor by an outstanding fighter in jmm who simply has the mans number.. it happens in every sport. bradley is no jmm and hes never dealt with anyone remotely on pacquiaos level.

ive taught long and hard about this and was getting dragged into thinking there may be an upset but i just cant see it.. pacquiao will get him out of there any time after the 9th imo. bradley wont cope with the speed and workrate.

[cocksuckinknowitall]

I think the article makes valid points. Bradley isn't a match for a prime Pacquaio but he brings enough to the table to cause trouble for Manny if he's not firing on all cylinders. He's not as fast as Manny but he is fast. He has also shown himself to have a good jab and very good fundamentals when asked for. He also sets a relentless pace like Pac.

Manny wins the power battle hands down but bar a couple of flash knockdowns Bradley hasn't shown a suspect chin. He won't go over with one shot.

This fight is interesting to say the least. Let's hope it's competitive and a proper fight.

The guy doesn't need to have a suspect chin.  Better fighters than Bradley with better chins than Bradley have been knocked down or out by Pacquiao.  Unlike a Margarito or Clottey, Bradley is not a much bigger man.  The last 2 smaller guys to fight Pacquiao got knocked the hell out.  Hatton didn't have a suspect chin.  Cotto didn't have a suspect chin.  Mosley definitely didn't have a suspect chin.

Even if Bradley stands up to the single shots, can you see him standing up to an accumulation of punishment?  Has he been in the kind of war that was Pacquiao's bread and butter as he blew his way through the super featherweights?

[Gadje]

Is Tim Bradley an all time great? No he isn't.

Unless Manny has reached his career end he will win. But he is not far away from that end. In my view if he can't make the Mayweather fight happen soon he should put away his gloves before he gets beaten up by a Bradley, a good but not great fighter. The book's written and it's not a pleasant read. So many great fighters get beat down at the end of a too long career. I don't like Mayweather much but the same goes for him. He too shows signs of decline.

[Haynesey]

I think Bradley has the potential to win this, though he’ll have to perform beyond what he’s shown so far. He is a proven professional, not as technically precise or intelligent as Marquez, but of a similar mould, proficient at counter punching, mixing blows between head and body, and making adaptations in the moment – Bradley began to weave after throwing his right hand upon taking a couple of counter lefts from Casamayor. He also has an activity level and mind-set that should create a stronger impression on the judges than Juan Manuel’s conservative boxing.

Bradley’s technique can be sloppy however, and Pacquaio will surely chew him up with straight blows if he loops and cuffs as he has in the past. Likewise, he’ll be smashed with counter right hooks on the inside if he wings in blows to the body with his chin in the air as he did against Casamayor, or thoughtlessly falls in behind his right hand. A lack of awareness saw him on the floor late against Holt when he was caught by that counter right uppercut outside the jab that he’d been avoiding all night. Bradley will need to exercise a level of discipline he hasn’t before then if he’s to beat Pacquiao. Drawing leads and countering his way to the inside position is well within his capabilities and something he’s done often, as is keeping defensively alert and weaving and rolling after punching; it’s a case of bringing it all together and giving a complete, world-class performance tonight in my eyes.

[presa]

im bored of bradley already lol 

'you know' 'baby'...........

i think the occasion is getting to him in all honesty, ive just been watching the weigh in on primetime and TB is not relaxed at all hes pumped up granted but relaxation is important when facing someone as experienced as manny.

[Brick Top]

im bored of bradley already lol 

'you know' 'baby'...........

i think the occasion is getting to him in all honesty, ive just been watching the weigh in on primetime and TB is not relaxed at all hes pumped up granted but relaxation is important when facing someone as experienced as manny.

The baby talk was getting on my tits too

[cocksuckinknowitall]

Baby, I'm ready baby.  I'm gonna shock the world, baby.  Yeah baby.

[Aaron]

A brook vs Jones fight would be dreadful, get this joke off my tv!!!!

[Dexter_Morgan]

I can't believe its going to be a 5 am fight time

[Skav]

I can't believe its going to be a 5 am fight time

I can't believe that we will probably get Pacquiao vs Bradley II.

[The_Answer]

I can't believe that we will probably get Pacquiao vs Bradley II.

I can't believe you had Manny to beat Bradley inside 6 rounds.