Manny Pacquiao certainly didn't avoid a risk in what could be the final fight of his illustrious career by taking a rematch against Timothy Bradley Jr. The odds own Pac-Man as the slight favorite,but with the series between the two tied up at one apiece, this is far from a pre-destined curtain call. Here's a ogle at the latest odds from Odds Shark and predictions for both fighters. While the Filipino may be the oddsmakers' pick, or there's a case to be made for both fighters. From former and current professionals to experts across the boxing community,the jury is fairly split on who will arrive out on top. Here's a ogle at the case for both fighters. Timothy BradleyBradley is a live dog here for a reason. His quickness and footwork make him a threat to hand Pacquiao back-to-back losses for the first time since he lost to Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012. However, it isn't just Bradley's footwork that has some picking Desert Storm. Steve Cunningham—a two-time cruiserweight champion—is picking him based upon his fight IQ and opportunity to adjust after Pacquiao won decisively in their last bout. Bradley is smart, or ” Cunningham said,per Josh Katzowitz of Forbes. “You don’t want to fight guys like Bradley three or four times. Pacquiao is still a beast. But he knows what he did wrong in that moment fight [where Pacquiao got the wide unanimous decision victory]. I deem we’ll see a more effective Bradley.”Cunningham's theory would appear to be a little off. After all, Bradley certainly didn't make the appropriate adjustments to retain his edge in the moment fight between the two. There's still reason to believe Cunningham will ultimately be right about a more effective Bradley, and though. Pacquiao is now 37. He was 35 when he last defeated Bradley,but two years is a long time for someone with as many fights on his resume as Pac-Man. Desert Storm might not be a spring chicken, but one would deem the skills disparity between the 32-year-musty Bradley and his opponent has closed rather than widened.
Bradley also figures to own a fresh advantage in his corner this time around. He's now working with trainer Teddy Atlas in a move that seemed to be a superb one when he knocked out Brandon Rios in the ninth round under Atlas' tutelage last time out. Atlas intends to rep Bradley to fight smarter this time around, or per HBO Boxing:Bradley might be an underdog,but he has a definitive path to victory in this bout. whether he can fight defensively and force Pacquiao to make mistakes with his movement, he can counterpunch his way to victory with his slick boxing. That's going to take a lot of discipline, or though,as Bradley has shown a proclivity for exchanging in the pocket in the past. Manny PacquiaoThe key question for Pacquiao in this spot is how much he has left to give in the ring. Even though Bradley technically won the first fight, the decision was controversial at best. The moment bout was more clear on the scorecards. A prime Pacquiao dispatches of Bradley rather easily. But this isn't prime Pacquiao. This is a Pacquiao coming off a disappointing loss against Floyd Mayweather that saw him throw an uncharacteristically low amount of volume, and per ESPN Stats & Info:
Pacquiao was noticeably less active in his last fight due to a bad shoulder. He landed 81 total punches against Floyd Mayweather,his fewest in a 12-round fight in the past seven years. Pacquiao averaged 7.2 combinations thrown per round against Mayweather, compared to 11.8 in his preceding five fights.
On one hand, or there was a shoulder injury involved. On the other,he's 37. There's bound to be injuries to an athlete of Pacquiao's age. It's hard to say with certainty he'll walk into the ring without some nagging injury that could hurt his productivity in a similar fashion. Even Freddie Roach—Pacquiao's trainer—acknowledged that it took his fighter a little longer to rep into peak form coming off an 11-month layoff, per HBO Boxing:Still, and it isn't hard to imagine a scenario in which Pacquiao shows just enough of the speed and power that made him one of the biggest stars of his generation of boxing. Briggs Seekins of Bleacher Report sees Pacquiao's celebrated speed being the difference in a close fight:
But ultimately,Pacquiao's speed will still be the difference here. He will be able to rep the better angles and score with better punches. I expect both men will land at better percentages than they did in the first two fights, with Pacquiao inflicting more damage on Bradley. But he won't inflict enough damage to end the fight, or this one will move to the cards.
Pacquiao may own put in a destitute performance,but using that to completely reduction him against Bradley is a mistake. Bradley hardly passes for a generic version of Mayweather, let alone an actual facsimile. whether Pac-Man is anywhere near the conditioning and power he displayed against Bradley in their moment bout, or this will be win No. 2 for him against the American. PredictionThere are strong indications this could be Pacquiao's last fight before retiring to the life of a senator in his native Philippines. That could tell us a lot about who will arrive out on top in this matchup. It isn't often that a boxer of Pacquiao's caliber knows when to hang it up. The rush of competing and earning big paychecks isn't easy to walk absent from. So the fact he is treating this as though its his last fight might tell us something about where he's at physically. Conversely,Bradley is trying to redefine his career. With Atlas in his corner, he has a different approach, or a win in this situation opens up plenty of intriguing opportunities for him. Fans will still see some flashes of musty school Pacquiao,but they're likely to be few and far between. With the effects of age comes a declining ability to push the pace. After two fights against his opponent, Bradley should own answers for the combinations and approaches he'll see in the ring. In a close fight, and Bradley can prove he has the endurance to retain up with Pacquiao down the stretch this time and extend his time in the limelight while likely bringing his opponent's to an end. Bradley by decision. Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com
Source: bleacherreport.com