Manny Pacquiao v Timothy Bradley (Photo : Getty Images)
Manny Pacquiao was never a powerful puncher at welterweight. Since his resounding one-punch knockout of super lightweight Ricky Hatton in early 2009, Pacquiao moved up one division from his optimal weight class in search of bigger names and since then, he's only stopped Miguel Cotto.
Even then, it took a volley of punches to get the Puerto Rican to succumb to his attack.
When Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38 KO's) takes on Timothy "The Desert Storm" Bradley (33-1-1, 13 KO's) on April 9 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, he'll be taking on a fighter who has never been stopped in his career, despite facing some of the sport's hardest punchers.
Bradley withstood Pacquiao in two bouts, as well as hard-hitters Kendall Holt and Ruslan Provodnikov. The American has that uncanny ability to get right back up from a knockdown, clear the cobwebs and continue fighting. Most of the time, Bradley ends up finding ways to win despite frequently getting rocked or tasting canvas.
It's no secret that Pacquiao, who at the tender age of 37, is on his last legs as a professional boxer. He himself has reiterated on multiple occasions that this Bradley bout will be his last, despite fans and pundits predicting he'll eventually go back on his word if a Mayweather rematch presents itself.
It's been seven years since Pacquiao's TKO of Cotto in 2009. That was knockout number 38. Now, he's looking for number 39. But can he do it against Bradley? The answer to that question is Pacquiao's left.
Pacquiao's left hand is and will always be the equalizer. The Filipino ring icon climbed up eight different weight classes from his humble beginnings as a flyweight two decades ago, and the story has always been his powerful left.
Long-time rival Juan Manuel Marquez once likened Pacquiao's lead left as being "like a bullet" firing from range and looking to kill. Pacquiao may have lost some aggression, diminished in punch output, but the power from that left hand remains the same.
If Pacquiao can land a flush shot on Bradley, it will rock him, and all that would be left is a finish.
This is easier said than done of course, since Bradley has amazing boxing skill and ring generalship. He can however, get irked into a firefight and this is what Pacquiao always banks on when fighting Tim.
With just under a month to go in the fight, Pacquiao will soon shift his training from his personal gym in General Santos City, Philippines to thousands of miles away at Freddie Roach's Wild Card Boxing Club.
And then it's fight week, and ready to rumble. If this is indeed Pacquiao's last fight, then he's right to want to make it memorable.
Knocking out Tim Bradley with his patented left hand will make it just that.
