When you ask fighters and trainers what the pre-fight prediction coming from their camp is, it would come out like something along the lines of 'If the knockout presents itself, we'll take it,' or 'We're going in there to hurt this guy and end the night early.'
Camps rarely tell pundits that the primary objective is to win a decision, yet this is what legendary coach Teddy Atlas told reporters when asked what the gameplan will be when American Timothy "The Desert Storm" Bradley (33-1-1, 13 KO's) meets Filipino ring icon Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38 KO's) in the ring this Saturday, April 9 (Sunday, April 10 Manila time) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
"I just want to win a decision, three minutes at a time," said Atlas, who is famous for having trained Michael Moorer and at lengths, "Iron" Mike Tyson.
"We need complete focus, complete concentration, three minutes at time. There's no margin for error when you're in there with a talented guy and an explosive guy like Manny [Pacquiao]."
Atlas joined Bradley as head trainer to prepare him for a bout against Brandon Rios last year. The pairing produced a 9th round technical knockout in favor of Bradley, winning him the WBO version of the world welterweight title. Bradley had to eventually vacate the title, refusing to fight his mandatory in order to chase the third bout against Pacquiao.
A decision, Atlas says, is exactly what the gameplan is. Atlas believes Bradley should fight every minute of every round with the aim of winning enough rounds to win the fight.
Due to his recent physical decline, Pacquiao has a tendency to get outworked often and if Bradley can sustain a pace conducive to him winning a decision, then there's no ruling out an upset victory by Bradley. He's done it before.
In 2012, Bradley stole a split decision from Pacquiao, winning two out of three judges' nods. It was one of the most shocking and controversial decisions in recent memory, because most observers had Pacquiao winning handily. Still, what will go down in history books is the fact that Bradley one-upped Pacquiao, whether it was a legitimate victory or not.
Pacquiao went on to defeat Bradley by unanimous decision in the rematch two years later, doing exactly the same thing he did in the previous encounter to erase all doubt about the first fight's outcome.
In this upcoming rubber match, many fans feel Bradley hasn't changed enough of his game to offer Pacquiao a different look -- a point which of course, Atlas will dispute.
"A lot of things -- great pride, great courage, great discipline, great mental toughness, great determination," said Atlas, referring to what he sees in Bradley that makes him special.
"He's also athletic. He's a very good athlete with good speed and agility, and I just want to make sure he uses it. That he doesn't just depend on all those other things, like the determination and the heart and the resolve -- that he also uses that great athleticism that he has and that he's definitive with it, that he knows exactly how to use it."
Perhaps Atlas is right. Maybe the only way Bradley beats Pacquiao in the third bout is by decision. But if Bradley is truly aiming to bank on winning rounds and outpointing Pacquiao, then there is no better man to do so.
At his best, Bradley is a great tactician, one that knows how to win at any cost -- one that when the going gets tough, will dig deep enough to find a solution to even the most enigmatic of dilemmas, like finding a way to beat Manny Pacquiao in a 12-round dog fight.