Timothy Bradley will have a hard time beating Manny Pacquiao again unless the three judges who gave the fight to Bradley during their first encounter are summoned to do the scoring for the second time. In their first encounter at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in June 2012, Pacquiao lost to Bradley in a shocking and highly controversial split decision that drew massive protest from boxing fans across the globe. Bradley and Pacquiao are coming off impressive wins over their respective opponents prior to their upcoming showdown at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 12. Pacquiao, who took a long layoff following his stunning knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012, is fresh from his unanimous decision win over American Brandon Rios in Macau, China last Nov. 24.
After salvaging what appears to be a lost fight against Ruslan Provodnikov last March 16, Bradley scored a split decision win over Marquez at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada to retain his WBO welterweight title. On April 12, Pacquiao will not only try to regain his WBO welterweight belt which he lost to Bradley in 2012 but he will also try to set a record for being the first boxer to make a dent on Bradley’s untarnished professional record. From all indications, Pacquiao has all the tools to reverse the judges’ verdict favoring Bradley in their first bout. After going through two straight losses and coming off a 15-fight winning streak since losing to Erik Morales in 2005, Pacquiao has become a cautious, disciplined and a better fighter than he was since turning professional almost 20 years ago. Pacquiao’s last two outings prior to his clash with Brandon Rios in Macau, China last Nov. 24, must have been a painful learning experience for the WBO international welterweight champ. The sad experience of being “robbed” of a rightful victory over the unbeaten WBO welterweight champion and the pain of being knocked out by Marquez with one second left in the sixth round of their fourth fight last year, must have taught Pacquiao the value of discipline in training and being more cautious in the ring. Worth noting was Pacquiao’s use of angles to find the right position for a clear shot. He was encircling Rios, moving right and left to execute off-guarded shots to gain points. He wasn’t evidently looking for a KO and was happy piling up points.
With permission by Reuters / Tyrone Siu Boxer Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines Like this image Bradley argued that he can beat Pacquiao for the second time, saying he already know Pacquiao’s style in the ring and such knowledge will work to his advantage. Bradley believes that Pacquiao doesn’t have his killer instinct anymore, recalling how he failed to score a knockdown against Brandon Rios last Nov. 24. “He doesn’t have that killer instinct. Yeah he doesn’t have that killer instinct in that Rios fight. I think it was because Rios has that power. So he was a little scared of that power. There were times where he probably couldn’t finish Rios, or attempt to, and he played it safe, you know what I’m saying,” Bradley told Ben Thompson of Fytehype. Bradley’s observations are shared by some boxing analysts and observers but while his impression may have some basis, he wouldn’t know that Pacquiao could suddenly change his fighting style to deal with what he expects Bradley will do in his new fight strategy. Pacquiao could likewise play a role of being the aggressor and attack Bradley without let-up as he did with Oscar de la Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Antonio Margarito a few years ago. Pacquiao knows that Bradley is not a knockout puncher and with that in mind, he could get inside Bradley’s own defenses without hesitation to score a point or even a knockout.
