Because You Won't Read Anything Else, It's the Pacquiao/Bradley II Prediction Piece!

For almost 10 years since his loss in the first Erik Morales fight, Manny Pacquiao embarked on a 15-fight unbeaten streak which elevated him from good to legendary. The night he fought Timothy Bradley two years ago looked like another win in the books as Pacquiao scored the harder shots and controlled the tempo of the fight from beginning to end, but that night wasn't like any other. No, that night it was Bradley's hand held in shocking victory and setting the stage for a rematch two years in the making.

This weekend, Pacquiao hopes to reclaim his title that was unjustly taken from him by incompetent judges and keep himself in the position of mega-bucks fights until the end of his career, but he's got his hands full. Bradley may not have deserved to win that title, but i'll be damned if there's anybody who is questioning his merit as a champion. Very seldom does a return fight exceed the level of the first encounter, but all signs are pointing to an unforgettable  night of boxing.


Timothy Bradley (WBO Welterweight Champion) vs. Manny Pacquiao II

Power: Pacquiao
Speed: Pacquiao
Technique: Bradley
Recent Form: Bradley
X-Factor: Pacquiao's dropping punch output.


The controversial verdict crowning Bradley the winner, as we all know, was only half the story for Pacquiao. Instead of opting for the rematch at a sooner time, Pacquiao chased the money and found himself cold-clocked by rival Juan Manuel Marquez in his very next fight. A win would finally come against Brandon Rios last November in a performance that played out like everybody thought it would, with Pacquiao beating the hapless Rios around the ring like a sparring partner, but failed to impress the notion that the Pacquiao of old was back.

That's partially because we are currently seeing the Old Pacquiao, who at 35 is showing the wear of a long pro career, but still is able to win at the high levels of the sport. He should have beaten Bradley the first fight, but was also on his way to a knockout win over Marquez until he ate canvas himself. Rios was the typical fall guy opponent to shake off the rust of nearly a year of inactivity, but even that fight was evident of Pacquiao's decline.

Rios managed to land 43% of his power punches despite the fact he was being manhandled, Marquez knocked him down and out and even Bradley left Pacquiao bruised and marked from thier encounter. Not to mention, Pacquiao is throwing less punches now than he did moving up in weight. Pacquiao is averaging around 55 punches per round since the Shane Mosley fight in 2011. Prior to that point, he was throwing nearly 70 punches a round.

That lack of activity is one of the factors that may have swayed the old, lazy eyes of the judges against Bradley in the first fight. Bradley certainly wasn't landing the better shots, but he was the visibly the more active fighter while Pacquiao would go in and out of lulls.

For Pacquiao to beat Bradley this time, it's not going to be a matter of "more of the same" as the script usually dictates in rematches. Pacquiao's lack of bad intentions of his opponent is admirable, but stupid...especially when the guy he's fighting would love nothing more than to knock him back to the moon.

Bradley's own aggression nearly costed him his title last year against Ruslan Provodnikov when he tried to trade punches with the much stronger man. Suffering a concussion from the beating he took, Bradley managed to keep most of his brain matter in tact to win a close decision in a brutal fight.

But where Pacquiao is naturally degenerating, Bradley is evolving. Brain overtook brawn in his next fight as Bradley easily defeated Marquez by outboxing the Mexican legend and not being drawn into trading shots with him.

The mistake Bradley made in the first Pacquiao fight, allegedly due to injuries sustained to his feet, was that he stood his ground with Pacquiao and gave rounds away to the better puncher. However, Bradley made an adjustment and was able to do much better work in the second half of the fight.

Believing that he defeated Pacquiao in the last fight and coming off of a career best win, Bradley may have all he needs in regards to preparation and motivation to outduel the Filipino legend. Pacquiao has always been a Plan A guy, which is "attack" and "attack" with a little bit of "attack some more" thrown in for good measure. The problem is that a cerebral style with accurate counters, patience and a good chin has often turned what should be a sensational win to a muddy, disputed finish through the course of his career. Marquez gave him three tough fights and a knockout, Morales figured him out in their first fight and Bradley's success in the second half of their fight are all evident of what kind of fight one needs to have when fighting Pacquiao.

Bradley cannot knock Pacquiao out, that's for certain, but the same can be said about Pacquiao's chances to knock out Bradley. This fight is going to come down to Bradley's brain vs Pacquaio's brawn and who sees their game plan through to the end. Bradley was able to do that against Marquez, even when it seemed he could take a chance and try to press for a more dominant win but Pacquiao stepped off of the gas when he could have easily stopped Rios in the later rounds.

Pacquiao may not have much time left in the sport, but where he was robbed of his title and glory two years ago, it's easy to pick him to regain his belt over a foe he easily vanquished. Yet, he isn't facing the same foe and that is what many people are not recognizing when they assess Bradley. Bradley's youth, new found confidence and experience has made him a much better fighter than he was two years ago and Pacquiao is going to have to figure that out when that bell rings Saturday night. Will he?

Maybe he won't have to, because boxing politics and the sad state of HBO Boxing and Top Rank Promotions almost ensures that Pacquiao must win to secure a major fight on their Fall calendar. Marquez fighting an easy mark in Mike Alvarado next month is evident enough that him and Pacquiao are being positioned for a fifth encounter, but to make that viable they must both win.

Unfortunately for Bradley, who should win over the last of his skeptics by seemingly winning a clear, competitive decision against a fading Pacquiao, he doesn't even have a chance. In boxing's version of an eye for an eye, Manny Pacquiao should controversially defeat Timothy Bradley this weekend and once again become a world champion.