Manny Pacquiao v Timothy Bradley (Photo : Getty Images)
For more than half a decade, eight-division boxing world champion Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38 KO's) has stepped inside the ring looking for a knockout. Yet each time it has slipped through his fingers, either because his opponent simply refused to go down, or, because Pacquiao himself let his opponent off easy.
When Pacquiao faces American welterweight Timothy "The Desert Storm" Bradley (31-1-1, 13 KO's), it will mark his 11th bout in search of the knockout that which has eluded him, having not stopped an opponent since his 2009 domination of Miguel Cotto.
After the general boxing audience scoffed at Pacquiao's choice of Bradley over English boxing star Amir "King" Khan and junior welterweight champ Terence "Bud" Crawford, things began to slowly sink in that this could may well be Pacquiao's last appearance as a professional prizefighter.
At 37 years old, Pacquiao is still a handful for nearly everyone in his division and below. Had he selected Khan or even Crawford, he would have no doubt entered those bouts as the definitive favorite.
A stoppage of Khan would have been likely, due to Khan's laughable punch resistance. Crawford's style would have made him susceptible to a knockout, add to that the fact that he'd be moving up in weight.
Bradley however has never been stopped in 35 professional fights despite being often rocked and even tasting canvas. He is the kind of fighter that always manages to dig deep and find a way to survive, either by skill or by pure grit and determination.
Bradley has recently employed legendary trainer Teddy Atlas, which has resulted in a reinvigorated fighter. Bradley has only lost once officially, and that was to Pacquiao in 2014 so the taste of defeat hasn't stayed with him long.
Having also fought Pacquiao twice before, Bradley has 24 rounds of knowledge on how to deal with the Filipino.
To say Pacquiao will be able to stop Bradley at this point in their careers is highly unlikely.
That's not to say Pacquiao is not capable of knocking out Bradley, which he most certainly is. Despite not having stopped an opponent in nearly seven years, Pacquiao remains a credible threat to win by knockout in each and every fight due to his trademark style.
Bradley's boxing skills and incredible chin make the possibility of a Pacquiao victory by knockout remote, but a possibility nonetheless.
If Pacquiao were able to knock out Bradley, it would certainly come out of left field.
A knockout of Bradley is undoubtedly a fitting way to send Pacquiao off into retirement, and would be ideal for the Filipino star.
But can Pacquiao really do it?
