Manny Pacquiao finds himself the favorite heading into this fight despite losing 2 of his last three fights, once to Bradley himself. Timothy Bradley on the other hand enters as the undefeated champion, having dominated the man who knocked Pacquiao out last year, but is somehow still the underdog.
If we just take the two fighters most recent fight it would point towards Bradley as the better and more polished boxer. Manny through a flurry of punches at Brandon Rios in his fight. Those were good enough to earn him a one-sided decision but there were no shades of the old Pacquiao. The power that came with those seemingly never ending combinations were gone. He was merely out-landing and outworking his star stunned opponent. That will not be enough to beat a determined and dare I say embarrassed Timothy Bradley.
Bradley feels as though he’s done enough to earn top billing in this rematch. Top Rank didn’t even give him the respect of placing his name above Pacquiao’s on the fight posters. A right usually given to any champion when defending his title. Bradley will use the underdog role as he did during his first fight; to propel him to victory.
My prediction for the fight is Timothy Bradley by Unanimous decision.
Timothy Bradley is the hungrier of the two fighters and one must wonder if Manny is just fighting now for the money. His tax debts and financial troubles have to be at least a small motivating factor for him entering tomorrow, which means that winning isn’t 100% of his focus.
My even bolder prediction for the fight is that Bradley will floor Pacquiao during the middle rounds. His power seems to have grown since their last meeting and his willingness to stand and brawl has followed suit. I see neither fighter scoring the knockout but a decisive boxing lesson will be handed out by Timothy Bradley.
