LOVERS of Filipino puncher Manny Pacquiao will be looking for their miracle man to rediscover his best form this weekend following a below par performance against old foe Juan Manuel Marquez last time out.
Many believed the destructive southpaw was extremely lucky to escape that clash with victory and the ?Pac Man? will be desperate to prove standards aren?t slipping when meeting undefeated Timothy Bradley at the MGM Grand on Sunday.
Bookmakers have had their fingers burned when opposing Pacquiao in the past, so it is little surprise to see the 33-year-old priced as a 1/4 dead-cert with Boylesports. That quote may attract the big-hitters, who will recognise the value, considering Paddy Power are as cramped as 1/6. For the working man however, a look at the specials is required to eek out anything worth staying awake for.
The 5ft 6inch dynamo has halted 38 of the 59 men placed in front of him, so the 9/5 (Bodog) about a KO/TKO win makes plenty of appeal, but when you consider that each of his last four wins have come on the judges’ scorecards, and Cotto being only minutes away from making it five in a row, the 11/10 (Totesport) about a points outcome seems a more likely scenario.
28-year-old Timothy Bradley ducks between the ropes with an untarnished 29 fight record, and already holds the scalps of Junior Witter, Lamont Peterson and Devon Alexander. An eighth round stoppage of Joel Casamayor in November bloated his KO ratio to 40 per cent, but he is taking a mammoth leap up in class here and many expect him to become nothing more than a statistic on the record of a legendary opponent. If ?Pac Man? is on the slide though, and his hectic lifestyle is finally catching up with him, ?Desert Storm? certainly has the tools to spoil the party.
Supporters of the underdog can fill their boots on the 4/1 generally available, while a 13th inside-the-distance win for the American is as big as 12/1 with Stan James. Bradley will require a fast start if he is to get any sort of foothold in the contest, so the ?Harold Letterman Special? about him being ahead on points after three rounds seems worth a crack at 15/8 (bet365).
