Floyd Mayweather Jr. v Manny Pacquiao (Photo : Getty Images)
Perhaps the toughest pill to swallow about a Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao and Timothy "The Desert Storm" Bradley rubber match is the fact that this fight didn't need to happen in the first place. Pacquiao already beat Bradley twice, one officially and the other unofficially, but we find ourselves a mere month away from an unnecessary third bout between them.
Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38 KO's) is scheduled to take on Bradley (33-1-1, 13 KO's) in a 12-round welterweight contest at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas on April 9, which is 30 or so days away.
While a loss is certainly not out of the question, here are 3 reasons why Pacquiao will beat Bradley anyway.
#1 Pacquiao's speed beats anything Bradley brings to the table
No matter how much Bradley has improved his timing and footwork, if he had even improved at all, since enlisting the services of legendary boxing coach Teddy Atlas, there is still only one thing that equalizes every other paper matchup when it comes to Pacquiao -- and that's the Filipino's speed.
Pacquiao has built a career out of being the quicker man to the punch(es) and the truth is, he's been faster than anyone he was ever put in the ring with.
The one time his opponent was faster than him, Pacquiao lost by a lopsided unanimous decision in the richest fight in history.
#2 Despite Bradley's chin, he gets rocked
Doesn't matter how many times Bradley gets back from getting his clock cleaned, he still gets hit and gets hurt anyway. Power can change the complexion of any fight and Pacquiao has that power.
Despite not having stopped an opponent in the past seven years, Pacquiao still has the pop and as tough as he is, Bradley gets rocked when he gets hit cleanly.
Power changed the dynamics of both the first and second fights because when Bradley felt it, he became more cautious and failed to take risks.
#3 Bradley just doesn't have what it takes to beat Pacquiao
Of the fighters who had successfully trumped Pacquiao, only one of them lacked power, but made up for it with otherworldly boxing skills.
Floyd Mayweather used his ring genius to run circles around the limited Pacquiao and it resulted in a lopsided decision in favor of the former pound-for-pound king. The other significant names to beat Pacquiao -- Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez -- had the ability to hurt him.
Morales used timing, yes and so did Marquez. Bradley definitely has timing. But what Morales and Marquez have that Bradley doesn't is knockout potential.
Out of 33 victories, only 13 have come within the distance for Timothy and that's saying something.
At this level, Bradley just doesn't have the punching power for Pacquiao to respect whatever he dishes out and that will once again be Bradley's biggest problem on April 9.
