Official Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley Fight Thread

[Lebron23]

TALE OF THE TAPE

MANNY PACQUIAO VS TIMOTHY BRADLEY

WBC WELTERWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT
MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada
MAY, 2012
Manny Pacquiao NAME Timothy Bradley
Pacman ALIAS Desert Storm
December 17, 1978 (32) BORN August 29, 1983 (28)
Kibawe, Bukidnon, Philippines BIRTHPLACE Cathedral City, California, USA
Southpaw STANCE Orthodox
5’6” / (1.69 m) HEIGHT 5’6″ (1.68 m)
67 in (170 cm) REACH 69 in (175 cm)
52 wins, 3 losses, 38 KO RECORD 27 wins, 0 loss, 11 KO
Light MiddleweightWelterweight
Light Welterweight
Lightweight
Super Featherweight
Featherweight
Super Bantamweight
Flyweight TITLES Light welterweight

Manny Pacquiao has, along with Floyd Mayweather Jr., lapped the field in terms of in-ring achievements. The world’s two best fighters are generally regarded as beatable only by each other.

But Timothy Bradley Jr. believes otherwise. The super lightweight champion signed a $5 million contract to face Pacquiao in a welterweight fight June 9 on pay-per-view at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. Pacquiao will be defending his World Boxing Organization title.

And Bradley believes he can win the bout. He won’t be, he said, “spooked by the crowd,” or by the aura of Pacquiao. Fighting at 147 pounds will also be an advantage for him, he said, because making 140 had become increasingly difficult.
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Manny Pacquiao will put his WBO welterweight belt on the line against Timothy Bradley.
(Getty Images)

Just days before he fought Joel Casamayor on Nov. 12 on the undercard of the Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez fight, Bradley weighed 145 pounds and had just 2 percent body fat. This time around, he said he’ll be able to eat better during camp and thinks he’ll be as strong as he’s ever been, while retaining his quickness.

He is insistent that he’ll have his hand raised.

“I have really good footwork, even though I haven’t had to use it the last couple of fights,” said Bradley, who said he expected to weigh 144 or 145 at the weigh-in. “I have fast hands and I can throw my punches and get out of the way. I also have great eyes, I believe. I see things and I’m a student of the game. I can look at film and read the videos and come up with a game plan and strategize.

“He hasn’t fought anyone as young and hungry like I am in a long time. I am rough in there and I’m not afraid to mix it up. I know he’s physical, too, but he hasn’t seen anyone like me in a long time.”

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Pacquiao and his advisor, Michael Koncz, are in the Philippines and unavailable for comment. However, Top Rank president Todd duBoef said one of the attractions in choosing Bradley as Pacquiao’s next opponent is that Bradley is one of the few men in the world who is a legitimate threat to defeat Pacquiao.

Bradley, 28, soundly defeated Lamont Peterson in a Dec. 12, 2009, World Boxing Organization super lightweight title match, winning 10, 11 and 12 rounds on the three judges’ cards.

On Dec. 10, Peterson defeated heavily favored Amir Khan to win the WBA and IBF versions of the super lightweight belt.

“You saw how Bradley dismantled Peterson and then you saw how neck-and-neck Peterson was with Khan,” duBoef said. “This guy is a threat to Manny, absolutely. Bradley’s got the speed and quickness and the reflexes, kind of like Floyd. He’s that kind of fighter. He’s a more crude version of Floyd, but he has an aggressive style and he’s going to go after Manny.”

Bradley is 28-0 with 12 knockouts and has struggled to gain recognition despite being ranked among the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world and fighting a slew of top contenders.

Fighting Peterson, Devon Alexander and Casamayor, though, is entirely different matter than fighting Pacquiao. Pacquiao is not only at another level physically, but there is a mental component that goes along with fighting him.

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Bradley, though, insists it won’t be an issue and that he’ll step up when the bell rings.

“This is nothing different for me,” Bradley said. “Manny is a great fighter, no doubt about it. How can you not respect him tremendously? He’s one of the best in the world and has been for a long time. But he’s human. He has two hands and two feet. He’s a man, just like me. He’s not God and I don’t fear him.

“I won’t fear the crowd and I won’t be intimidated. This is the moment I’ve worked my whole life for and I’m going to take full advantage.”

DuBoef said Pacquiao has not signed, but he said the sides have agreed to terms and the contract is being drawn up for him to endorse.

http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news?slu...rweight_021012

[RedBlackAttack]

I think the winner will be Bob Arum.

Another in-house fight for that greedy fat slob.

[magic chiongson]

2nd best option after mayweather. this is a better choice than mosley & margarito. i wanted to see this fight happen everytime the pac-mayweather talks break down. and yeah, arum wouldn't have done this if he didn't have bradley on his stable

i also want to see the winner of peterson-khan rematch vs mayweather @ 147

[flipogb]

will Bradley be considered "shot" also after Manny beats him?

[Lebron23]

will Bradley be considered "shot" also after Manny beats him?

Bradley is at the prime of his career. If Manny beats him this is going to be his best win since the Miguel Cotto fight back in 2009.

[lefthook00]

This is going to be a scrap. Bradley may not have crazy power but he will definitely touch Manny's face a lot.

[magic chiongson]

is that jalen rose in the upper left behind pacman?

[Beebo]

**** bob arum

[Lebron23]

is that jalen rose in the upper left behind pacman?

Yeah. He's a huge fan of Manny Pacquiao.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqM0yuG9NNA

[Tarik One]

There are many ways for Bradley to win this fight. Maul for the first few rounds. Box for the next few. Move for the last few. Pacquiao hasn't stopped anyone since 2009 despite what his accusers say. It's possible he has he lost a step. In addition, Bradley has got some beast in him. Pacquiao should be favored, but Bradley is a live dog here.

Styles make fights and Bradley is no JMM but for a guy who is in some eyes coming off a loss I'm shocked at the dismissal of Bradley going into this. Will he fall into a bunker mentality like a Mosley or Cotto? Hell f'n no, he won't. Marquez found manny repeatedly with hooks to the body and rights, frankly I think he waited far to much though countering very well. I favor Manny but to think Bradley gets blown out is silly talk. He brings an intesity and busier pace than Manny has faced in a very long time.

[RedBlackAttack]

There are many ways for Bradley to win this fight. Maul for the first few rounds. Box for the next few. Move for the last few. Pacquiao hasn't stopped anyone since 2009 despite what his accusers say. It's possible he has he lost a step. In addition, Bradley has got some beast in him. Pacquiao should be favored, but Bradley is a live dog here.

Styles make fights and Bradley is no JMM but for a guy who is in some eyes coming off a loss I'm shocked at the dismissal of Bradley going into this. Will he fall into a bunker mentality like a Mosley or Cotto? Hell f'n no, he won't. Marquez found manny repeatedly with hooks to the body and rights, frankly I think he waited far to much though countering very well. I favor Manny but to think Bradley gets blown out is silly talk. He brings an intesity and busier pace than Manny has faced in a very long time.

Well, it doesn't help that this is Bradley's second fight at welterweight in the last six years and he looked largely ineffective the one time he did move up recently (Abregu).

I don't think Bradley's style is one that will serve him well as he moves up in weight. He is a brawler, but with very little power. He also isn't supremely athletic like Pacquiao or Mayweather.

He relies almost solely on toughness and a dogged style.

I don't see a single physical advantage that he has on Pacquiao.

Pacquiao hits 100x harder.
Pacquiao's hands are far faster.
Pacquiao is much more effective at 147 from what I've seen.
Neither guy has much defense.
Pacquiao will likely be the bigger man in the ring... a wash at worst.

JMM didn't match Pacquiao's physical attributes, either, but he was able to cancel out those advantages by being one of the very best boxers and counter-punchers in the sport... Something Bradley certainly is not.

Basically, if you think Bradley has a chance, you are counting on him being able to out-brawl Pacquiao... Which I don't think can happen.

I think this is a tailor made opponent for Manny, personally.

[magic chiongson]

pacquiao isn't a natural welterweight either. this would be like the best 2 junior ww fighting for the welterweight title, they are both better than all the real welterweights not named floyd anyway.

this is the next best opponent for pacquiao after mayweather

[Lebron23]

Pacquiao needs to get his head straight. Manny said that he's now a Born Again Christian.

[quote]Pacquiao recently said he has given up on gambling, drinking and womanizing and is

[RedBlackAttack]

pacquiao isn't a natural welterweight either. this would be like the best 2 junior ww fighting for the welterweight title, they are both better than all the real welterweights not named floyd anyway.

this is the next best opponent for pacquiao after mayweather

Not really. Hell, Amir Khan would be a much better stylistic matchup for Manny than Bradley. At least he can box and would legitimately have some physical advantages.

Marquez would also clearly make for a better stylistic matchup and is a better fighter than Bradley. But, I'm not surprised that a fourth fight was avoided after how the last one went.

I have very little interest in either of Mayweather's or Pacquiao's next fights. Bad matchups... Stylistic nightmares. Uninteresting, one-sided fights.

[Lebron23]

Amir Khan has a glass chin. Pacquiao is a harder puncher than Maidana and Prescott.