In Las Vegas tonight, Manny Pacquiao will square off with WBO Welterweight Champion, Timothy Bradley in a rematch of their hotly disputed first contest back in the Summer of 2012. 2 years ago, Pacquiao was the dominant fighter in what was something of a boring one sided contest although not according to the "judges" who it seemed were paid to score the fight in favour of the American who somehow managed to emerge with a decision that only 1 of 53 writers present on the night agreed with. A fix? HBO described it as a "horrible, bogus decision" The late, great, Manny Steward proclaimed himself "speechless" at the outcome. Bradley's split decision victory was indeed a sham and as I commented at the time, it was clearly set up to allow for a rematch down the line and here we are at that particular juncture. Money talks in boxing and with Bob Arum and his Top Rank stable only willing to assign fellow Top Rank promoted fighters for Manny to chew on, such rematches are fundamental to the success of their operation. However much has changed in the intervening months since Pacquiao's first "loss" in over 7 years. Following on from the Bradley fight was a 4th showdown with his Mexican foe, Juan Manuel Marquez but this time Pacquiao was beaten in some considerable style by a knockout blow that still sends shivers through the spine and no doubt caused some sleepless nights for Pacquiao and his trainer Freddie Roache up until their comeback victory over the limited Brandon "Bam Bam" Rios in Macau, China at the tail end of last year. Meanwhile Bradley, coming off the biggest win of his life was somewhat horribly and unfairly ridiculed and mocked in boxing circles for taking credit for a victory that clearly never happened. What needs to be remembered of course is that Bradley did not score the fight for himself, it was the corruption and or inteptitude of the judges that caused all the problems. Despite this, Bradley could not escape the negative attention and in his subsequent fight, with the idea in his head that he needed to do something spectacular to appease the boxing public, almost got said head taken off in going to war with the "Siberian Rocky", Ruslan Provodnikov. It was a gruelling but throughly exciting fight and earned Bradley some of the respect he appeared to have lost in his sham victory over Pacquiao. Having let go of his demons in the Provodnikov war, he resorted back to his boxing skills in his next fight, another Top Rank showdown with Juan Manuel Marquez. This time there was no dispute as Bradley boxed his way to a comprehensive and decisive points decision that noone could argue with. Now we are set for a rematch that while initially appearing redundant, has become an inevitability with the directions of both men's career taking them back into a necessary redemption match. For Bradley this is his chance to show that he really is the superior fighter and that the first fight was no fluke. For Manny, it's all or nothing. He knows he cannot afford another defeat and at 35, needs to look good in victory if he is to reemerge on the radar of the Money Man, Floyd Mayweather Jnr. While that is a fight I never expect to happen, an exciting victory for the Phillipino Typhoon would at least get everyone talking about the possibility of a showdown that seems destined never to materialise. Defeat for Manny would render such ambitions obsolete and the specter of retirement would loom even closer for a man who no matter the outcome of this fight, will go down as a true legend of the sport. My expectation for this fight is a close, hard fought 12 round decision. Pacquiao has not had a knock out for over 5 years and Bradley is by no means a big puncher and this looks certain to go the distance in what will I am sure be a hugely competitive and closely fought contest. While Manny is a clear favourite at 2/5 odds on, and speaking subjectively, is my favourite non British fighter since the days of Mike Tyson, I would not at all be surprised to see Bradley earn his stripes and win a clearer decision this time. Although with judges these days, it would hardly be a surprise to see it go in favour of Manny. Bradley is 11/4 to win on points while Manny is 11/10 to win by the same method. So get the coffee/whiskey at the ready and be prepared for a long night of waiting as this fight is scheduled for around 4am BST. I'm hoping for a great fight and a return to glory for the boxing slugger turned political icon, but such an outcome is by no means a formality and in Tim Bradley we have a man who has never been beaten. Such mental advantages could be the difference in this fight and as such I am tipping Tim Bradley to pull off another upset, although this time, I expect him to have earned it. Comments are closed.
|
Categories |