The upcoming bout between Timothy ?Desert Storm? Bradley 28-0 (12) and Manny ?Pac Man? Pacquiao 54-3-2 (38) for the WBO Welterweight strap, scheduled for June 9th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, hasn?t received the type of media buzz leading up to this fight that was clearly the case for Pacquiao?s nemesis Floyd ?Money? Mayweather 43-0 (26) when he fought Miguel ?Junito? Cotto 37-3 (30) over a month ago at the very same venue. This doesn?t mean that the matchup is any less significant, as the outcome itself could provide the boxing world a glimpse into how probable a far-fetched but possible match-up between Mayweather and Pacquiao could be in the immediate future. That is dependent, however, on who is victorious, Pacquiao or Bradley. Yet what is more important is the opponent that each man has before him, as Bradley steps up in class to prove his rightful position in the boxing hierarchy and Pacquaio attempts to continue to solidify his position and maintain his current status in the rankings.
Bradley has an impressive resume, last year defeating ring veteran Joel ?El Cepillo? Casamayor 38-6-1 (22) at 2:59 by TKO in the 8th round, in a fight for the WBO Light Welterweight crown title where Casamayor went down in the 5th and 6th round as well. In 2011 he defeated Devon? Alexander The Great? Alexander 23-1 (13) for both the WBC and WBO Light Welterweight titles, as Alexander had remained undefeated prior to meeting Bradley. He put Alfonso ?Poncho? Sanchez 20-6-1 (18) down twice during their bout back in 2006, making it a short night when he closed the show in the 1st round of an 8 rounder with a time of 2:44 by KO. ?Desert Storm? was a two-time National Champion as an amateur and ranked 3rd in the nation prior to making the decision to fight professionally. He has been fighting since he was 10 years old, racking up 140 bouts under his belt in the amateurs.
Timothy Bradley believes he can and will defeat Manny Pacquiao and he?s not alone. Even Pacquiao is aware of the pressure that Bradley brings into the ring having stated of Bradley that, ?Timothy Bradley brings a lot of weapons to a fight. He has youth, an aggressive style, and a state of mind that only a world Champion possesses. He knows how to impose his will on his opponents. He turns fights into wars.? Just ask Lamont ?Havoc? Peterson 30-1 (15), another fighter much like Alexander, who was undefeated until he faced Bradley and lost his ?0?. Another concern of ?Pac Man?s? has been Bradley?s fighting style of leading with his head, an issue that has posed difficulty for opponents of ?Desert Storm? in the past.
Bradley is ready for war against Pacquiao and has decided that ?I?ve got to hurt Pacquiao,? something he made abundantly clear when the two fighters met on HBO?s Face Off with Max Kellerman. The tension in the air was palpable, particularly between Bradley and ?Pac Man? trainer Freddie ?La Cucaracha? Roach 40-13 (15), as Manny and Timothy remained civil to one another. Pacquiao hasn?t performed as well in the past when cut, something that may surface when he fights Bradley who is a pressure fighter and sees his war with Pacquiao as the tip of the iceberg in terms of where he fits into boxing as a complete fighter and Champion. Everyone saw Pacquiao?s psyche shift when he faced Erik ?El Terrible? Morales 52-8 (36), the legendary Mexican boxer who was the last boxer to defeat Pacquiao, as Morales easily outboxed the Pinoy fighter to a UD in 12 rounds at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Timothy Bradley is clearly ready for Manny Pacquiao. A fighter who never tires and is the epitome of boxing strength and conditioning, Bradley is going to pose a serious problem for Pacquiao the evening of their prizefight, being able to quite possibly match and even outmatch ?Pac Man? in stamina. His confidence is another factor that cannot be overlooked, as Bradley plans to capitalize on the flaws revealed in Pacquiao?s lackluster performance in his third bout against popular Mexican great Juan Manuel ?Dinamita? Marquez 54-6-1 (39) last year. Whereas Manny Pacquiao has sheer athleticism, Timothy Bradley possesses that same attribute and much, much more. Youth will be served on June 9th, and I am going to go out on a limb and go against the gross majority and back Bradley to win. If he doesn?t then so be it. He can always line up a fight with Freddie Roach, who seems more than willing to answer the bell still, although the famed trainer?s words may be far more effective than his punches these days.
Either way, win, lose, or draw, there is no question that Timothy ?Desert Storm? Bradley will show up to fight. The question is will Pacquiao?
