Even the most cynical of boxing fans has to admit that Monday’s announced Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley clash on June 9th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas is a pretty good bout.
Bradley is a fresh, confident 28-year-old junior welterweight world titlist who has reigned over the stacked 140 lb. division since nabbing his first belt back in 2008 against the UK’s Junior Witter in Nottingham.
While he’ll be moving up in weight to challenge for Pacquiao’s WBO welterweight title, the native of Palm Springs, California has already flirted with the 147 lb. division, scoring a unanimous twelve-round decision over fringe contender, Luis Carlos Abregu in July of 2010.
Stylistically, Bradley lacks the grace of many technically superior fighters, but he makes up for a lack of style with an aggressive mindset and an instinct to engage. Definitely a throwback fighter, “Desert Storm” comes forward and looks to make a fight rather than use his athleticism to work angles and work off timed counters.
Barring a fight-ending headbutt, which is always a possibility in a Bradley fight, Pacquiao-Bradley should be filled with heated exchanges and all-out action.
The real question, however, is whether Bradley can carry his share of the promotional burden and help sell a fight that, on the surface, seems to be a bit of a tough sell. The reigning WBO junior welterweight titlist has only fought on one pay-per-view (the Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez undercard last November against a badly-faded Joel Casamayor) and has never been able to pull in high TV ratings or draw a substantial live gate.
There’s no doubt that Pacquiao, alone, generates plenty of fan interest and PPV buys, but working opposite such a low-profile star may produce some diminished returns, especially compared to a sure-fire blockbuster one month earlier, on May 5th, when Floyd Mayweather takes on Miguel Cotto in the same arena.
When matched against Joshua Clottey in 2010, the show only managed a relatively weak buy rate of about 700,000. After back-to-back poor performances in shows with well over a million buys? a dull win over Shane Mosley in May of last year and a disputed split decision over Juan Manuel Marquez in November? questions have to be raised about the sales potential for Pacquiao-Bradley. Will fans be willing to pay upwards of $60 on a fight against Bradley after not getting their money’s worth in Pacquiao’s last two shows?
The fact is that Pacquiao can carry an entire PPV on his own broad shoulders and still produce respectable numbers. But at this stage of his career, respectable is not enough. Anything less than stellar will be considered a public relations defeat at the hands of Floyd Mayweather and, perhaps, make for an even tougher time arguing for a full 50-50 split if/when talks for a mega-fight ever happen again.
