3 reasons why you cannot rule out Timothy Bradley as a serious threat to Pacquiao.

Most recently undefeated Jr welterweight champion “Desert Storm” Timothy Bradley signed for a super fight with the top dog in boxing Manny Pacquiao on June 9th in Las Vegas, NV. A lot of fans have been downplaying this fight saying Tim Bradley is not a worthy challenger for the Pac-Man but I for one feel he is, as I reported before here on the skinNYC I was hoping this fight got made and my wishes came true. Here are 5 reasons why we should be considering Tim Bradley as a serious threat.

#1 Bradley is an undefeated fighter who does not know what its like to lose, he has been itching for a super fight and got a small taste of it when he fought Devon Alexander last year. Although the fight did not live up to expectations, a lot of that could be blamed on Devon for the type of fight he chose to have that night, Bradley pursued him all night and fought with a lot of intent on his punches that night. If Bradley brings this same hunger into the ring with him on June 9th, with his pure boxing style not only could he give Pacquiao fits in the ring but he can even pull off the upset, especially with Pacquiao’s most recent performance against another in ring technician Juan Manuel Marquez. Bradley will be going into this fight as a definite underdog, other than his flawless record he has nothing to lose. I expect him to put it all on the line that night.

#2 Pacquiao has problems with boxers, a lot of his big wins have been guys who are willing to stand and trade with him, Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, Ricky Hatton etc. When he fought Shane Mosley he showed signs of the trouble he could have against a guy with a jab and footwork, same with Juan Manuel Marquez. Tim Bradley has shown he can adapt to many styles, knows when to be aggressive and when to utilize his boxing ability to win rounds. I’m sure he, his trainer Joel Diaz and the whole Desert Storm camp will study Pacquiao and come up with a great game plan.

#3 Pacquiao is nearing the end of his career, he has not shown us the amazing one punch power since he knocked out Ricky Hatton. A one sided beating of Antonio Margarito, Shane Mosley and Joshua Clottey plus a disputed win over Juan Manuel Marquez you have to wonder at this point if his confidence is taking a hit as well and if age is catching up to him. He has been in many, many wars in the ring and that will eventually take a toll on any boxer regardless of how great he is. I feel Bradley is the fresher fighter of the two, and his mind is purely focused on boxing. Pacquiao has recently been named the habitat ambassador for peace and stated this might be his last fight because of his new duties. On top of that he still has his government requirements being apart of the House of Representatives in the 15th congress of the Philippines, representing the province of Sarangani. One has to wonder how long it is going to take before all of these different tasks effects him mentally.

Tim Bradley is coming off a TKO victory over Joel Casamayor ironically on the under card to Pacquiao vs Marquez 3. A lot of people who discredit Bradley seem to have forgotten the heart and determination he displayed when he got off the canvas against Kendal Holt, the one sided victory he had over Lamont Peterson. Peterson himself had a draw with former Mayweather victim Victor Ortiz and most recently defeated Amir Khan who many thought was to be one of the future kingpins of the sport. Then his undefeated showdown with Devon Alexander, Bradley has been in there with tough competition and always comes out victorious, I can’t honestly say I ever thought Bradley was ever in fear of losing a fight even after suffering his vicious knockdowns from Holt. I think this fight is going to be tougher than many people expect and Pacquiao will be in for a long night, unless he goes out there guns a blazing like he did against Hatton.