Bradley vs Pacquiao I

I just watched this fight for the first time today and a few things came to mind

1. bradley is one heck of a fighter
2. Pacquiao won the fight but it wasn't easy
3. Bradley is the most similar to Mayweather than any of pacquiao's past opponents


On the first point. A lot of Pac haters are diminishing Bradley for obvious reasons - Pac beat him twice so if Bradley is overrated then Pac isn't that good. Well, i ask these trolls, who are you comparing Bradley to? Maidana? Khan? JMM? WHO do you guys have in mind when you come to the conclusion that Bradley is not a top p4p? Maidana had 3 unimpressive losses, Khan has lost 3 times; Thurman is not proven yet; JMM has 7 losses AND got beat by Bradley. So, WHO are you guys measuring Bradley against? cause Bradley is up there with ANYONE in WW division, right below Pac and Mayweather. Bradley was undefeated before he faced Pac, is quick, is technical and has a strong chin. HE IS A P4P best. Who cares about that Diego Chavez draw, most thought be won and it's a draw, not a loss. Andre Ward himself has said that Bradley is a heck of a fighter, he knows him from amateurs.

On the second point, Pac won the fight. Lampley stated that out of 50+ ring side reporters, 50 scored it for Pac and 3 for bradley. This is in stark contrast to JMM vs Pac III where out of 100+ reporters and observers, it was pretty even, with like 60 scoring it to JMM and 50 for Pac. Now one important thing which leads to 3rd point is how many punches bradley threw. Even though Pac landed many more, Bradley threw more; he was very busy and this may have fooled two of the judges.

On the third point. Bradley is quite similar to Floyd in that he's fast, smart and a great technical boxer. In that first fight, Bradley was pretty quick, was not easy to hit, threw many different punches and fought a smart fight. Anyone who watches that first fight has to admit Bradley is a complete skilled fighter. Most thought he lost because Pacquiao was in form, connected more and Bradley's inability to show Pac he has power was a problem. If you don't scare Pac with power, he is loose, confident and this usually results in a Pac win. To me, Bradley is definitely similar to Floyd with Floyd being a bit more defensive and a bit faster but Tim is FAST. Floyd is slightly more skilled and smarter. They are also similar in that they lack power but i think Floyd has a bit more. What this fight showed though is that unless you are busy by throwing a lot, your chances of beating Pac are slim. Bradley through a ton of punches; he threw 839 punches. In contrast, Mayweather only threw 426 vs Maidana. Lacking power and not throwing a lot is a LOSING proposition so i simply DO NOT see Floyd winning by throwing less than 700 punches. Also if he doesn't show pac early on that he can hurt him, it will be even tougher. The floyd that fought maidana, canelo simply LOSES to Manny Pacquiao.

 

the differences between these fighters is little. Floyd is probably little faster, a little smarter.. that's it. To say 'in a completely different league' is like comparing an amateur to an all time great. That's a bit of an exaggeration. The margins are small but as in most sports, little differences here and there can make a big difference over an entire game or fight. If Floyd is just a little bit smarter and a little bit faster it separates him from Bradley but when i see them fight, i don't see Floyd being in a completely different league. Go ahead and watch Bradley vs Pac I and the put on floyd vs canelo or maidana, you'd be surprised to see Bradley looked even better. The problem is that looking better isn't necessarily being better. Floyd elusiveness wins judges over. How many times have seen rounds where ABOSULTELY NOTHING happens yet Floyd wins them? In the canelo fight, there were rounds where Floyd didn't so SH%T with punches but made Canelo look slow by making him miss... Floyd wins a lot of rounds like this, barely throwing or hitting opponents just making them look silly. So defensively he is wiz but this is not only raw skills, it's boxing IQ. I don't see a glaring difference in skills when i see Floyd and Bradley, subtle things here and there but they add up and again, Floyd is so elusive... but what i argue is that being elusive without throwing punches against Pac will not work. Floyd is elusive against guys with bad footwork who are slow... Pac is actually faster with his feet than floyd. Pac is crazy quick with his feet... Floyd WILL HAVE TO BE BUSY AND THROW A LOT MORE PUNCHES THAN USUAL or he'll be 47-1.