You?ve seen it hundreds of times: Immediately after a televised bout, one of the broadcasters sticks a microphone in the victor?s face and asks: ?What?s next?? The answer can range from a glassy-eyed shrug to the standard, ?You?ve got to ask my manager and promoter.? But the Old Head isn?t even going to wait until after Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley before he starts pondering what the boxing landscape will look like the morning after. As so much depends on who wins and how, let?s examine several scenarios in an attempt to determine the long-range ramifications of this highly significant showdown.
What Does It Mean If Pacquiao Wins?
Everyone Loves a KO: Pacquiao?s last knockout came way back in 2009 when he brutalized Miguel Cotto. If the Pacman can do to Bradley what he did to Cotto, it will surely restore the luster to Pacman?s career.
Pacquiao desperately needs an impressive win, especially in light of his less than convincing decision over Juan Manuel Marquez in his most recent fight. Another close call would further diminish Manny?s status, which has been steadily declining since his passive outing against Shane Mosley, and give additional fuel to critics who claim PacMan is past his prime. An emphatic knockout victory would be the best tonic, and Pacquiao has stated that he believes Bradley will trade punches with him. That may very well turn out to be the case, but although he lacks the marvelous technical skills of Marquez, Bradley is far from a one-dimensional brawler. Even so, he?s much more aggressive than Marquez or the current incarnation of Mosley. Bradley is also not a particularly heavy puncher, having scored only 12 knockouts in 28 wins.
The combination of Bradley?s eagerness to impress in the biggest fight of his career and his relative lack of punching power could be the keys to a knockout win by Pacquiao. If it happens, it would be Manny?s first kayo since he brutalized Miguel Cotto in 2009 and would restore much of his lost prestige. A clear-cut decision following an action-packed contest would also be a tremendous boost for the Filipino icon.
If Pacquiao prevails in either of the aforementioned manners, he will instantly be as popular as ever and will continue to generate massive amounts of money from both boxing and his vast outside-of-the-ring enterprises. Talk of his pending demise would be muted and discussions of his place among the all-time greats resume. However, an extremely narrow or controversial win, particularly if it is also a boring fight, will further erode his reputation and most likely hasten his retirement from the ring. Considering how vital Pacquiao has been to the health of boxing for more than a decade, this would badly weaken a sport already suffering from a dearth of superstars.
What Does It Mean If Bradley Wins?
Although he is relatively unknown outside of hardcore boxing circles, undefeated Bradley is an admirable young fighter brimming with confidence. Lazy media members and casual fans, most of who had never heard of him before he signed to fight Pacquiao, have downplayed Bradley?s abilities without scrutinizing his resume. His undefeated record includes some outstanding victories over such world-class opponents as Lamont Peterson, Luis Abregu, Junior Witter and Devon Alexander. The victory over the previously undefeated Peterson is especially cogent due to the fact that Lamont went on to beat Amir Khan, who, like Pacquiao, is trained by Freddie Roach. Moreover, Bradley is no stranger to fighting in front of a hostile audience, as he surely will on June 9, having won the WBC 140-pound trinket by beating Brit Junior Witter in Nottingham, England. Anybody who believes Bradley is a handpicked patsy is either in denial or speaking out of the wrong orifice.
If Bradley should become the first to defeat Pacquiao since Erik Morales in 2005, he would instantly become a household name, at least in households that pay even a modicum of attention to boxing. But as Mosley learned when he first beat Oscar De La Hoya, in 2003, beating a superstar doesn?t automatically make you a superstar. Bradley would, nevertheless, rocket up the pound-for-pound ratings and see his income soar to a much loftier tax bracket. He would also likely be a guest on a few late-night TV talk shows and maybe even garner a few commercial endorsements. But superstardom will come, if at all, following success in additional high profile fights.
No Pushover: Bradley, left, has fought and beaten the best in the Jr. Welterweight division, including a 2011 win over champion Devon Alexander. A decisive win over Pacquiao could instantly make the American a huge star.
Unless Pacquiao takes such a bad beating that he immediately retires, there?s sure to be a rematch that will surpass (maybe double) the pay-per-view numbers of the first encounter. There would also be a lot of talk about a Bradley-Mayweather fight, which may or may not happen depending on whether or not Floyd thinks it?s a risk worth taking. But if Bradley is as successful in a rematch with Manny as he was the first time around, it wouldn?t surprise anybody if ?Money? were to steer clear of the muscular little dynamo who calls himself ?Desert Storm.?
As Bob Arum promotes both Pacquiao and Bradley, a win for Bradley would not upset the balance of power within the boxing industry, at least not in the short term. Still, if Tim were to defeat Manny twice, it could have an unfavorable effect on the sport. Right now only Mayweather and Pacquiao can virtually guarantee at least a million PPV buys every time they fight. With Pacquiao theoretically out of the picture following a pair of losses to Bradley, that number would be reduced to one because, unlike Pacquiao and Mayweather, Bradley would not be able to attract huge audiences against shopworn adversaries such as Antonio Margarito and Mosley or no-hopers such as Victor Ortiz and David Diaz. In order to generate big numbers, Bradley would need a marquee name in the opposite corner.
There is an upside for Bradley: Time is on his side. At 29 years of age, he is considerably younger than Pacquiao and Mayweather, who are 33 and 35, respectively. In the off-chance Bradley looks sensational against Pacquiao, he would have a reasonable prospect of eventually becoming a superstar on his own merit. Tim is a likable man who also happens to be a damn good fighter, and providing he gets the right fights and a few breaks along the way, who knows how far he could go?
The Bottom Line
Speculation is a lot of fun, but as far as the boxing industry is concerned the most crucial thing is that it?s good fight. Good fights have always been the foundation of the sport?s appeal and Pacquiao-Bradley is no exception. A great fight would be even better, but considering that many recent pay-per-view events have given poor value for money, a lousy fight would be a severe blow to the immediate wellbeing of the sport. Regardless of who gets the microphone shoved in his face afterward and asked the ubiquitous question, let?s hope there?s no booing in the background.
