Bradley’s Five Star Opportunity For a Chance at Floyd, Pacquiao’s Last Hurrah
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Las Vegas, NV (April 9th, 2016)– After 21 years in the ring, southpaw welterweight Manny Pacquiao may have reached last hurrah status. Juan Manuel Marquez has been out of the ring for two years, with Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. seemingly next to follow and voluntarily fade into oblivion.
Pacquiao, 57-6-2 with 28 knockouts, is set to go off into the sunset at age 37. Pacquiao is no longer a hungry fighter. What Pacquiao’s trilogy tonight, April 9, 2016, at MGM Grand’s Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, with Timothy ‘Desert Storm’ Bradley Jr. in the 12 round main event for the vacant WBO International Welterweight title establishes is a distant chance for the winner to fight the supposedly retired forever Floyd. Coming out of retirement to fighters like Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Bernard Hopkins, rests on the money offered on the table, and the height of the world championship challenge. Make the proposal right, and the best will show up in the ring ready to do battle. It’s that simple.
At 49-0, Floyd needs not to come out of retirement, nor to fight Pacquiao again. Mayweather waited too long to fight Pacquiao, and a rematch is not of the substance whereby anyone believes Pacquiao would win. However, Floyd versus Bradley would work.
Pacquiao versus Bradley, on paper anyway, appears close to a statistical draw on the cards this time, or perhaps a majority decision or split decision. Several knockdowns here or there could dramatically affect the cards in a close technical matchup such as this.
Bradley, 33-1 with 13 knockouts, somehow won on two of the scorecards in the first Pacquiao bout. Many people clearly felt Pacquiao clearly the first bout, and the scorecards were dead wrong for Bradley. The human aspect of judging makes the scorecards a mystery in the third bout between these two game warriors. The first bout featured three scorecards with two point spreads on a split decision The second bout featured two cards with a four point spread and one with an eight point spread, all for Pacquiao. Who figured.
Bradley figures to win at least eight of the 12 rounds in the third bout. The problem is sentimental favorite Pacquiao might steal the close rounds he does not deserve because of his fame. TO win, Bradley must set the tempo, take the fight to Pacquiao, and dominate the early rounds outright, to prevent Pacquiao from getting back into the bout. The later championship rounds are also important rounds, because Bradley will need to win them to prevent Pacquiao from getting back into the bout in the later stages of the contest.
Bradley versus Pacquiao figures to be a rough scrap. The fighter with the superior game plan who take the fight to the other fighter first wins. Freddie Roach has done good work with Pacquiao, but Bradley is the hungrier of the two, and the more interesting choice to fight Floyd at the super fight level. Bradley is in a position to beat Floyd at this point, because Bradley’ technical skills are better than Floyd’s at this point in the game. Floyd can no longer win a fight on points against a super fighter on this level, though mega money would be on the table for any future bout Floyd fights if he opts to return to the ring. Bradley is one fighter Floyd should never want to fight, because Bradley is a significant challenge to prepare for. At 39, Floyd has slowed down too much for comfort.
Pacquiao versus Floyd is an old broken record of sorts in boxing discussion. 50-0 is a tempting number for Floyd. 49-1 sounds worse, though. Bradley at age 32 is too young, killed and hungry for Floyd to beat him. ‘Show me the money’ is the tune super fighters hum to. Floyd can fight either the winner or the loser here, and if Bradley versus Pacquiao ends in a draw, so much the better in Floyd’s eyes. Strangely, nobody seems to be talking or considering the possibility of a Floyd versus Bradley super fight. Perhaps the winner of Bradley versus Pacquiao will be the fighter who wants it more, or wants Floyd more.
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