The all things technical thread.

Just watching Timmy Bradley closely. Something i see has but some serious doubt in my mind about him beating Pacquaio. Bradley is fast but there's different types of speed. I think Bradley has one shot speed, but Pacquaio has volume speed. Bradley doesn't have speed and timing in volume. Bradley is fast for one shot, he may even match Pacquiao for one shot speed, but the problem is Manny is ganna start extending the exchanges and Bradley might not be able to keep up.

In other words, Pacquaio has speed endurance with his punches whilst Timmy doesn't. This is ganna be his biggest problem i think. It's like someone being very good at running the 100 meters dash taking part in a 400 meters race. For the first 100 meters he's ganna compete, but after that he won't be able to keep up because he doesn't have the speed endurance to do so. That will be the difference between their punches. And i'm not sure his timing and precision is special enough to negate it either. Plus Pacquaio places his punches really well from different angles. There's a couple of other things that have me questioning my pick of Bradley aswell.

 

That's the thing. I think Bradley CAN punch with him. And he'll definitely try and get shot's inbetween Pacquaio's but i'm not sure he can win enough extended exchanges. But i'm still going out on a limb and picking him to win don't get me wrong. He has to fight a perfect fight though and his whiskers have to hold up.

You see everything that's good and bad about Tim Bradley in this gif here. Baiting and snatching. Working in the clinch and on the inside. Getting too reckless on the front foot.

This content is protected

 

Tim must not follow Manny around. That's my fear. He has to be disciplined.

Look how he gets reckless on the offensive in the below gif and we've seen him almost pay for it against Kendal Holt. And it's easier to make him miss. If he does this Manny will tear him to pieces. Pacquaio gives you the impressive that you can walk to him but then surprises you with a coup de main attack. Especially that check right hook he's developed. Everyone who's followed him around has been taken apart. Look at his history.

This content is protected

[/URL] GIFSoup[/IMG]


I want him to be patient and draw Pacquaio in. Bring him into no mans land and then counter punch. Bradley has the ability to do that. Especially with the right hand. Take a step back or roll away, create that space. Make him fall short, counter then pivot.

This content is protected

[/URL] GIFSoup[/IMG]


He falls short with that second right hand. But catches him with it beautifully in the very next round. You can see how he can roll with a punch at short range and make you pay.

This content is protected

Something that Bradley has to look out for his he sometimes paws with the jab trying to draw the opponents lead. He has to becareful not to get caught with the straight left when he does that. It will be easier for Pacquaio if Timmy leaves his lead out there. Sometimes when Pacquaio comes in you can dispense with the jab and counter with a power punch.

Pacquaio left hand down the pipe is very hard to read. He feints well, sets it up, dips to his right and then quickly releases his straight left shot. He's hit pretty much EVERYONE he's fought with this shot and Bradley really has to try and somehow limit the amount of times he's hit with this shot. The secret will be to quickly circle and pivot to his left and make Pacquaio fall short with it and get him overextending.

I would also advise team Bradley to not give away much in interviews and training sessions that are being filmed. And specially 24/7. Mosley gave away his strategy on that show. I've seen many fighters do it. Team Bradley are a bunch of nice guys they need to learn to say no to the media and that camera crew in the lead up to this fight.

Learn from Mayweather, Timmy. He NEVER gives anything away on those shows and once the cameras start rolling. I've seen him doing stuff like putting duck tape on the heavy bag when he's working it on camera. I think it was before the Mosley or Ortiz fights. He was clearly going to try and put some hurt on them. But he didn't wanna give that away so he put tape on the bag to hide the fact that he was working his power. Floyd's training is different depending on his strategy. When he's intending on trying to settle down and put some hurt on the opponent and press the fight he works the heaviest bag there is MUCH more. Look how different his training was for the De la Hoya fight. I don't think many people picked this up because he put tape on the bag.

This gave them the impression that he was just using a bag that was old and worn out, but that bag he was using on 24/7 was a brand new 200lbs and more bag, trust me.

 

The X's and O's of Lucian Bute.

Strengths.

- Sneaky punching: Bute punches VERY sneaky. He makes it hard for you to read his attack. He has a coup de main attack. Especially with his money punches. He keeps them short and sharp.

This content is protected

- The vicious uppercut to body and head: His sneaky punching is most characterised in his uppercut. It's one of the best punches right now in boxing. This is a real weapon for a southpaw historically. Laying back and then catching you coming in with this shot and Bute throws it as good as ANYONE i've seen. It's a real beauty. He has marmalised fighters with this shot. It's devastating to body and head because it comes from underneath and has real purchase and power. He paws with his jab, brings you in and BOOM!

This content is protected

This content is protected

This content is protected

- A certain degree of slickness. With his southpaw style, he's fluid, has nuances and subtleties like anticipation and can make you pay if you miss.


- Good footwork. He gets himself in good position. Has good foot placement. Can circle effectively and fight on the back foot or the front.

Watch the movement with his feet and the way he pivots to the side.

This content is protected

- He has and keeps his bearings on the inside. He also does a very good 'hip clinch'. Not the same as someone like Hopkins or Ward. Although we have to take into account the level of comp that he's been displaying that against. Showcase fights which he has handled as they should be handled to be fair. Putting almost all of them in the trunk.

Weaknesses.

- Not the best Chin. There have been question marks over his whiskers. He has been stopped heavily in the ams and we all saw what Andrade was able to do to him. A step up in comp will answer this question for us. Through his defence is good enough for it not to be a massive problem though only time will tell. He improved since that Andrade fight it would seem.

This content is protected

- He's not hard to disarm if you have the tools. He may struggle against certain styles at the top level against the likes of Ward who will attempt to disarm him. What i mean by that is someone who understand how to maul him and invade his space. The good thing is he has the sneaky punches to make you pay on the inside. But it'll be interesting to see him against someone who disarms him but doesn't get hit by his sneaky shots. It's also interesting to see how he can cope with someone who has length on him, can jab WITH him when he's pawing with it and can counter his lead.

- He fights too much on his front foot. What i mean by that is he puts too much weight on his lead leg at times. Bute is tall but he will bend over on the front foot looking for his money punches. This is a bad habit because he can be put off balance and if you can counter his counters. He can also be taken out of position if someone moves the other way. Doesn't come square on like he wants you to and goes more towards his right shoulder and then shots a right hand at him. I think he can he touched with a right hand. His own right hand is not as developed and dangerous so it can be taken away.

- Level of competition: We just don't for sure how good he is. He hasn't really fought anyone who can take advantage of his weaknesses. We don't know how well he'll hold up against the top guys in the division. But he's done what he's had to do so far.

 

I think you slightly misunderstood. What i meant was. Some great fighters have such incredible nuances and they're so instinctive that if you asked them why they were so special. Even they couldn't explain it to you. That's one of the reasons they struggle to train fighters who can't do what they were able to so instinctively. Also some of them can't teach and pass on what made them do what they were able to do. It's all about that communication when training someone.

You're right, i think Hopkins would make a great trainer. He's one who could explain EVERYTHING he does. Although i don't think he would have the patience to start from the bottom with fighters and get to that day to day grind training a young kid. After he's been in the game so long and had so much success at the top, he may struggle to play that role and i think he's said as much. Maybe a technical advisor role would suit him best.

 

Cheers, Wallet. :thumbsup

 

I'd make Manny the favourite. But i'm still going out on that limb and picking Timmy to pull it off. I see a lot of Holyfield in Tim. So much is ganna depend on how well he can take Pacquaio's power punches. Manny is a vicious sharpshooter.

 

You joining me on that limb and picking Timmy to pull it off aswell, Gooners?