Junior Welterweight

Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley isn't the vastly anticipated fight of fantasies, but three reasons assure that Manny's first unforgettable bout with a "Jr." won't include Floyd. 

On June 9th, a rising, undaunted shooting star will rest on cloud nine or enter a spiraling free fall.

The undefeated Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley Jr. faces an opportunity to make a splash in a small pond primarily dominated by two massive fish.

No matter the outcome, there won't be more excitement about a ring until the next royal wedding. 

Brawl 'Til You Fall

This isn't a chess match; it's a match that will strike and ignite the MGM Grand when the first-round bell knells.   

Perhaps Bradley should get "M2" tattooed across his chest because he leaves a path of destruction akin to the military vehicle of the same name. The moment "Desert Storm" steps into the ring, he's ready to unleash an overwhelming onslaught of combinations.

If Pacquiao follows suit and rivals Bradley's intensity, heads will undoubtedly rattle like maracas. 

Back to the Future

Due to MMA's increasing popularity and the never-ending story authored by Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, boxing's bright future has been partially eclipsed.  

Let's begin with the obvious: It's not Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather.

Mayweather is a savvy marketing machine—a chameleon that adapts to his surroundings in order to optimize any potential gain. The controversial pay-per-view king embraces the role of "villain" with open arms, redlines his Maybach on the road to riches and eventually laughs his way to the bank. His relentless barking is only rivaled by his malicious bite.

Timothy Bradley Jr., on the other hand, is a scrappy junkyard rottweiler surrounded by an aura of ill intentions. He may not produce as much noise, but he beelines with pointed ears directly towards the hint of any threat.

Unlike many of today's top-selling boxing pay-per-views, Manny Pacquiao's upcoming fight won't be purchased for a storyline-driven clash of the titans. The usual B-grade Hollywood script is nonexistent.

The core of Pacquiao vs. Bradley is comprised of a single element: boxing—no scornful insults, deep-seated hatred or historically rich rivalry.

Just boxing.

To casual fans, the first mention of Timothy Bradley's name usually precedes, "Timothy who?" 

While Mayweather is a businessman, Bradley just gets down to business.

The native Californian embodies a hard-nosed, never-say-die will that Bradley acquired from a challenging upbringing. During an episode of HBO's critically acclaimed 24/7 series, Bradley depicts an atypical childhood highlighted by contempt and regret. 

His father, Timothy Ray Sr., attempted to steer his son away from the streets by demonstrating a totalitarian mindset, and he ruled over his son with an iron fist.

Bradley Jr. vividly recounts:  

We were working out at the garage one day, and we didn't have a medicine ball to toss around. And my dad goes into the desert and gets a rock...he gets a rock! 'Sit down, lay down. This [is] your medicine ball.' And he's trying to hit me with a rock on my stomach [laughs]. I couldn't believe it.

Bradley has the intangibles: intriguing personality, unbreakable will and disciplined work ethic.

But Bradley's physical skill set will dictate whether he evolves into boxing's next star—a feat that proved insurmountable for Victor Ortiz. 

Silence is Golden

The trilogy shared between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez was blemished by controversy; the Filipino's image suffered the same fate. 

Although the boxing community initially argued about the questionable scoring that followed the last bell, the debate ultimately birthed a larger question: Are Manny Pacquiao's skills deteriorating?

Manny and skepticism rarely meet. Even in the rare occurrence that they do, it's normally outside of the ring, and Floyd is the smiling matchmaker. But Pacquiao's skills were never questioned. 

Did an underlying conspiracy secure public interest in the Pacquiao vs. Mayweather blockbuster? Was it just a case of honest judging? In all likelihood, both questions will remain in the air with an unlimited supply of helium. 

Excluding the aforementioned trilogy, Pacquiao's dominance was consistently illustrated in recent fights and punctuated by left hooks. Now it's punctuated by an ellipsis.

The upcoming battle with Bradley, however, offers "Pacman" the opportunity to erase the dots. 

Timothy Bradley has no shortage of confidence regarding his June 9 bout against WBO welterweight title holder Manny Pacquiao, but his confidence (or perhaps arrogance) will ultimately end with his first professional loss.

A recent story by GMA News displayed just how excited and confident Bradley is for this fight.

At first, Bradley seemed humbled by the opportunity to fight arguably the best pound-for-pound boxer in the sport saying, “I am thrilled beyond compare that I am challenging Manny Pacquiao.”

“Thrilled beyond compare” you say? I don’t know about that Bradley—my dog was pretty jazzed about that B-O-N-E she got last night (I’m afraid that even if I type the word she’ll go nuts).

Despite Bradley’s evident humility through that quote, his true colors showed later on.

“It feels great to get the fight with Manny Pacquiao,” he said. “It’s going to feel even better when I beat him. You can take that to the bank.”

Alright, I understand that as a boxer if you don’t have a sense of cockiness and arrogance, you’re probably going to get beat. You have to believe you can win before it can actually happen, but “you can take that to the bank” seems a bit extreme. I certainly will not be taking Bradley’s comment to the bank because I’m a bit light in the wallet at the moment.

The fact that Bradley is basically guaranteeing a win against Pacquiao probably will not sit well with the WBO welterweight title holder.

Bradley is undefeated at 28-0 in his career, but his lack of experience when compared to Pac-Man is already working against him. He did not need to add fuel to the fire.

In addition to Pacquiao’s advantage in terms of boxing experience, he’s fighting to defend his WBO welterweight title. Pacquiao won that title back in 2009 against Miguel Cotto and still retains it.

He’s defended his title three times already since 2009 (against Joshua Clottey, Shane Mosley and Juan Manuel Marquez), and the Bradley fight will be no different.

Pacquiao steps up when it matters most and lets his skills in the ring do the talking for him.

Enjoy that 28-0 record for now Bradley—it will soon be tainted with your first defeat.

June 9 is going to be our lasting memory of Timothy Bradley.

He will either pull off the shocking upset of Manny Pacquiao and launch his career to the next level of super-stardom in the world of boxing—or he’ll become victim No. 55.

There is no in-between.

Juan Manuel Marquez did everything but knockout PacMan before he was robbed of the win, and now, he has been relegated to lesser fights against guys like Serhiy Fedchenko.

Who?

Exactly.

Bradley’s most well-known opponent en route to his 28-0 record has been Joel Casamayor, a boxer who hardly moves the needle. This is his opportunity to shine on one of the brightest stages.

If Bradley can use his superior quickness and foot speed to beat the best fighter of the 2000s, the sky will be the limit.

Handing PacMan just his fourth loss in 60 matches would catapult Bradley onto the national stage and into the collective conscious of casual sports fans. It would give him the inside track to a bout against Floyd Mayweather.

Every boxing fan wants to see a Pacquiao-Mayweather battle, but if both don’t enter the match on a long winning streak, the luster has been lost. The buzz would be shot.

Bradley has an outgoing personality and is brimming with confidence, but unless he captures the win over PacMan, he’ll never have the opportunity to show off his talents to a mainstream audience. Endorsement deals, parts in movies and more will not be in his future.

Right now Bradley is known among the general population as “the guy who is fighting Pacquiao.” In order to change this, he needs to win this bout and do so without any sort of controversies.

If he completes this task, he’ll forever be known as “the guy who ruined Mayweather-Pacquiao"—something all boxers lucky enough to fight either of them have dreamed of doing.

Will Bradley be the one to accomplish the feat?

The stakes couldn’t be higher for Bradley on June 9. 

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WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao has admitted Juan Manuel Marquez is indeed a brilliant counter-puncher.

Pacquiao admitted in his 59 fights it was only Marquez who gave him a real challenge. “My trainer, Freddie Roach, has said many times that Juan is the only smart one out there -- the only fighter who has figured me out,” he said

"Juan really understands how to fight southpaws. He's a very smart man and an excellent fighter. His deliberate and patient style of fighting is a product that comes from experience, and experience against great opposition. He's a brilliant counter-puncher," Pacquiao told ESPN.

In 2004, Marquez and Pacquiao fought to a controversial draw in a featherweight bout (126 pounds). Pacquiao should have won on a split-decision if not for a scoring error committed by one of the judges who scored a round at 10-7 instead of 10-6 for Pacquiao's three knockdowns of Marquez.

In 2008, at super featherweight (130 pounds), Marquez and Pacquiao clashed in a hotly contested rematch with Pacquiao earning a split-decision, as Pacquiao's third-round knockdown proved to be the difference in the bout.

In their third fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas last November, Pacquiao won via a controversial majority decision.

Marquez' camp protested the judges' decision saying it was clear the Mexican counter-puncher won the fight on points. 

Unlike their last two fights, Pacquiao failed to score a knockdown in their trilogy fight. His trainer Freddie Roach claimed Pacquiao was distracted on the night of the fight and blamed it for his ward's lackluster performance.

Pacquiao continued praise of Marquez by speaking of the possibility of a fourth fight.

"I know the fans want to see a fourth fight between us, and I can understand why." he added.

Marquez continues to call out Pacquiao for another fight to satisfy fans and to determine who really is the better fighter.

A few days after the fight last November, Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum said they were already working on the fourth fight possibly to take place in Mexico. 

Manny Pacquiao will defend his WBO Welterweight title against Timothy Bradley on June 9 in front of an MGM Grand crowd in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao is older, more experienced and more skilled than the rising Bradley, but he should not take Bradley lightly.

Bradley has never lost a fight in 28 contests. He has 12 knockouts and could catch Pacquiao by surprise if he does not come to this fight focused.

Let's examine the key ingredients to a successful title defense for Pacquiao.

Focus

Pacquiao's name has been plastered all over the media lately, for all the wrong reasons.

Promoter Bob Arum has questioned Pacquiao's demeanor, reporters have misquoted him and he could lose focus because of this.

PacMan must shed these troublesome media distractions and just fight his fight. He is an incredibly gifted fighter who is virtually unbeatable when on his game.

Bradley will try and get off to a fast start, hoping he can catch Pacquiao off guard.

Pacquiao must be aware of this and counteract it with unflinching ferocity.

Attack

Bradley's power should not worry Pacquiao; he only has 12 career knockouts.

Pacquiao must use Bradley's lack of power to his advantage by relentlessly attacking him. Pacquiao's unique blend of speed and power will overwhelm Bradley.

Bradley has never fought a fight on this grand stage. Pacquiao can overwhelm him by using his defensive style against him.

Expect Bradley to maintain position on the outside, trying to make Pacquiao overextend himself.

Pacquiao must fight smart and force Bradley to come toward him. Once he comes within striking distance, Pacquiao can pepper him with his patented straight left hand.

Pacquiao's serious power advantage should be a major advantage in this fight.

Don't Chase Bradley

Bradley's only chance of beating Pacquiao is to keep a safe distance.

Bradley does not have the power to go toe-to-toe with PacMan. His foot position and quick feet will have to make up the difference.

Pacquiao must be careful not to overextend himself. He nearly did in his third bout with Juan Manuel Marquez.

Bradley is not Marquez quality, but he is dangerous nonetheless.

If PacMan chases Bradley, he could get tagged with an unlikely power punch.

Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley will wage their WBO welterweight battle on June 9th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Most boxing enthusiasts believe a Pacquiao victory is inevitable, but Bradley is far from hopeless.

Bradley's undefeated record needs a marquee victory. He is currently ranked No. 1 at 140 pounds, and is currently the world's No. 10 pound-for-pound fighter.

He has the power and quickness to stick with Pacquiao, but he must establish a style capable of defeating Pac Man's lethal inside-out attack.

Pacquiao is the clear cut favorite, but Bradley has a reputation of his own. The following tactics can allow Bradley to pull off the upset and catapult his career.

Establish Position

Pacquiao has not been challenged by many fighters outside of Juan Manuel Marquez. Marquez has battled Pacquiao three separate times. Marquez's footwork played a major role in these close contests.

Bradley must establish outside position to protect himself from Pacquiao's lethal attack. Defense will be the name of the game, especially with Bradley's suspect knockout power.

Pacquiao will try and keep Bradley off balance with an array of straights and hooks. Bradley must protect himself by taking away Pacquiao's space and tying him up whenever possible.

Defense and footwork will pay major dividends for Bradley, if he can stay smart.

Bradley only has 12 knockouts in 28 career contests. He must avoid a slugfest.

Take Advantage of Early Distractions

Pacquiao has to be distracted, right now. He knows a matchup with Floyd Mayweather is looming. Promoter Bob Arum told ESPN.com that Pacquiao has been a different person since his victory over Marquez.

Maybe Pacquiao's new attitude will be a good thing, but that would be hard to believe. The attitude that carryed him to titles in eight different divisions is not an attitude worth changing.

Pacquiao has political aspirations and possibly a waning interest in boxing.

This should urge Bradley to charge out of his corner in Round 1. Bradley needs to take advantage of Pacquiao's state of mind early in the fight before Pacquiao settles into fight mode.

Muck it Up

Bradley will not win this fight with a beautiful knockout. Instead, he will need to keep Pacquiao from unleashing his furious assault.

That requires Bradley to give Pacquiao less time, less space and fewer openings. Bradley needs to stay inside of Pacquiao, utilize tie-ups and stay behind his jab.

Bradley's jab will keep Pacquiao at a distance. Bradley's 69" inch reach will keep Pacquiao away and force him to attack from the perimeter.

Pacquiao's best punch is his straight left hand. Pacquiao will not be able to use his left if Bradley takes away space.

Bradley does not need to run and hide, but he needs to be careful. Pacquiao has considerable power and Bradley must avoid his heavy hands.

Bradley's quickness and technique will determine this fight. If he can 'muck it up', he can pull the upset on HBO's pay-per-view.

It turned out Manny Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach was misquoted on the divorce story about Manny Pacquiao and wife Jinkee which appeared in the May 10 issue of the Los Angeles Times.

In the LA Times report, Roach was reported to have said that Pacquiao was served with divorce papers on the eve of the Marquez fight.

Pacquiao and Roach have denied the LA Times report, saying someone lied, though he knew Pacquiao and wife Jinkee were not getting along well before the fight.

“I never said that in my life, but someone wrote it, and someone lied,” Roach told Steve Angeles.of ABS-CBN News.

“I said I knew him (Manny) and his wife weren't getting along before the fight, but I never said that.”

“The thing is, we did have a bad week before the last fight and everything kind of fell apart and a lot of distractions, and he’s got rid of all those distractions and now everything is smooth,” he added.

A number of stories have been posted on the Internet and print media about the distractions Pacquiao had to bear before his fight with Juan Manuel Marquez last November, one of which is the serving of divorce papers to Pacquiao allegedly on Jinkee's initiative.

One of these stories was posted on B/R which used the LA Times report as the source of the story. The writer is providing the links here in order to correct any misinformation that may have come from the article source.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao, who is facing unbeaten Palms Spring boxing star Timothy Bradley, has reunited with strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza at Freddie Roach's Wild Card Gym in Hollywood.

Ariza left the Baguio training camp in the Philippines ahead of Roach and Pacquiao, to be with Julio Cesar Chavez for his June 18 fight against Andy Lee in El Paso, Texas.

Ariza was seen in the company of Pacquiao on Monday morning in the hills of Griffith Park for Pacquiao's early morning run. They were joined by assistant trainers Buboy Fernandez and Nonoy Neri.

Pacquiao is set to face Bradley on June 9 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

On July 14th, Juan Manuel Marquez will return to the ring at Cowboys Stadium in Texas in a tune-up match that will hopefully lead to Manny Pacquiao, if he is successful against Timothy Bradley, in the fall later this year.

Since Marquez's last win over Sergey Fedchenko, there was a list of fighters that were rumored to be Marquez's next opponent. Names on that list included Paul McCloskey, Zab Judah, Erik Morales, Mercito Gesta, Mike Alvarado and at the front of the pack, Brandon Rios.

A lot has changed since then, though.

McCloskey recently lost to DeMarcus Corley, and Rios won a very controversial decision over Richard Abril. 

Now, according to BoxingScene.com, Marquez has fully ruled out the possibility of facing Rios, after previously leaving the possibility open to interpretation. Marquez cited Rios' discipline in making weight (referring to his failure to make weight twice against against Murray and Abril despite both being at lightweight).

With that, Marquez's list is now narrowed down to two names. Former world champion and Mexican legend Morales and young, undefeated lightweight prospect Gesta.

Many fans are hoping for a fight to materialize between the two Mexican legends, but that doesn't seem to be Marquez's interest.

He has made it known in the past that he's serious about his Pacquiao rematch and wants a southpaw to prepare him for Pacquiao. That was supposedly the same thing he did when he fought against Likar Ramos last year and blasted him in the first round.

Marquez has also mentioned numerous times that he wanted to face Gesta to prepare himself for Pacquiao. So it seems that Gesta will be the most likely opponent for Marquez come July 14th. 

Anything can happen between now and fight night, though. A fight with Morales might yield a better payday and seems more fitting for the venue than a fight with a little-known prospect. 

Whatever the case may be, hopefully they announce who Marquez will be fighting soon, as the boxing world will be all eyes and ears for the fight come July 14th. 

WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao has been widely criticized for his lackluster performance against Mexican counter-puncher Juan Manuel Marquez during their trilogy fight last November in Las Vegas, Nev. 

Few people know what really was the real reason for what boxing fans say was an unusual fighting stance of Pacquaio on the night of the fight against Juan Manuel Marquez.

Earlier, Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach finally broke his silence on the real reason for Pacquiao's unimpressive performance against Marquez.

Roach revealed why Pacquaio was so distracted hours before his fight with Marquez last November. It appeared Pacquiao's wife Jinkee has filed for divorce and the Filipino boxing star was actually served the divorce papers on the night of the fight.

Roach said it was the real reason Pacquiao struggled against Marquez last November. "All the distractions caught up to Manny in his last fight," Roach told the Los Angeles Times.

After a favorable verdict by the judges, Pacquiao worked overtime to save his marriage by giving up his vices and giving more attention to his family.

"He's given away his cockfighting farm [in the Philippines ], sold his casino and his nightclub," Roach said.  "Now, he's back with his wife, reading the Bible every day, and he's given up basketball," his trainer added.

Obviously Pacquiao will have less distractions now that he had reconciled with Jinkee and after giving up his vices. 

But his promoter, Bob Arum, has expressed apprehension about Pacquiao's sudden transformation as a religious man which could hinder his aggression as a tough fighter.

“You have to understand, since the last fight last November, he has become a totally different person. He’s super religious. He does bible study every night. Sometimes I get the impression that I’m promoting Rick Santorum, and not Manny Pacquiao. But be that as it may, who knows what effect it will have on his ring ability on June 9th?”

Arum said Bradley is a terrific fighter and he is not sure if Pacquiao is indeed free of any distraction on the night of fight.

“He’s undefeated. He poses a tremendous challenge for Manny Pacquiao. And my problem is what Pacquiao are we going to see?"

Most likely, Pacquiao will try to make up for his lackluster performance against Marquez when he squares off with Bradley on June 9. 

And with less distractions, fans can expect to see a revitalized Manny Pacquiao with his awesome speed and power as he collides with Bradley on June 9 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.

Next week, Amir Khan (26-2 18KOs) was supposed to fight Lamont Peterson (30-1-1 15KOs) in a rematch of their first controversial fight in Washington D.C last December. It was controversial because Khan dropped a split decision in the challenger's hometown and was penalized for some very questionable point deductions. 

Everything was going according to plan until earlier this week, news broke that Peterson tested positive for synthetic testosterone twice in two different samples during a random drug test taken in March. The fight was jeopardized, and with less than two weeks to go, it wasn't clear if it would even happen.

With Peterson having his license suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, their May 19th bout is now cancelled and Khan is in talks with HBO in hopes of returning to the ring either July 7th or July 14th.

In another twist of good news for Team Khan, it appears that Lamont Peterson will be stripped of the titles. They will now be returned to Amir Khan.

Now all that's left for Khan is to find a new opponent for his ring return in July. Names such as Miguel Vasquez and WBC champion Danny Garcia are high up on the list. 

Whoever it may be, should Khan win, he's back in the drivers seat of working towards a possible Floyd Mayweather Jr. clash later next year.