Opinion: Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley 3 Not as Bad as You Think

Editor's note: The views and opinions expressed below are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company, Evolve Media.

Manny Pacquiao’s decision to face Timothy Bradley for his final fight before taking on politics full-time was met with a shrug of indifference by the general public. After all, 99.9 percent of fight fans believe Pacquiao handily defeated Bradley in the two previous showdowns, even though the official record sits at 1-1 after erroneous scorecards inexplicably handed Bradley the first fight. So why are we doing this again?

Originally, it looked like Pacquiao’s opponent would come in the form of Terence “Bud” Crawford, a young switch-hitting lion who has the kind of pedigree that could potentially give Pacquiao problems. It was also the Filipino’s opportunity to stick it to Floyd Mayweather Jr. by exiting the sport with a challenge rather than taking the easiest path to retirement. However, Pacquiao decided to go the Bradley route, much to the chagrin of fight fans hoping to see the “Pac-Man” pass the torch to Crawford.

Honestly, it’s not as bad of a fight as one may think. Even though Pacquiao has been the dominant fighter in their previous meetings, there are still questions considering how poor he looked against Mayweather and how brilliant Bradley looked in his stoppage of Brandon Rios in November. Obviously, it’s difficult to put a value on Bradley’s victory when considering that Rios may have been shopworn heading into that fight. Nevertheless, Bradley looked rejuvenated with the legendary Teddy Atlas in his corner, as he starched Rios and earned a ninth-round TKO. Meanwhile, there are questions looming as to how Pacquiao will perform, as he will be just a few months removed from shoulder surgery -- the culprit in his lack of output against Mayweather in their mega-fight turned mega-dud.

You can easily make the argument that Pacquiao-Bradley 3 is better business for Top Rank CEO Bob Arum than Pacquiao-Crawford since Crawford has yet to make his mark as a major draw. More importantly, it would be tough sledding for Arum if he were to decide to pit his new star against his old superstar. Simply put, Pacquiao-Crawford was a no-win situation for Arum. If Pacquiao were to win, Arum would be left without a star, as Crawford’s perfect record would be blemished and Pacquiao would be leaving the sport. If Crawford were to win, it would be a tragic ending to Pacquiao’s career. Nobody really wants to see Pacquiao lose his last fight, especially Arum. Instead, a third fight with Bradley is the safer bet. There’s a built-in story with the two fighters splitting the series. Bradley is the more established boxer, even though neither he nor Crawford is a significant draw on his own. We’re not even sure how Crawford would fare against the awkward Pacquiao. Better to be safe than sorry, and put Pacquiao in a fight he can win.

However, there’s reason to believe this could be one hell of a fight, considering that Pacquiao is supposed to be trending downward and Bradley’s arrow is pointing north. The two are familiar with each other, and the chatter between trainers Atlas and Freddie Roach could provide an extra boost to the marketability of the fight. There’s no doubt that Atlas will put together an excellent game plan for his fighter against Pacquiao. It will simply be a matter of whether Bradley will be able to execute on April 9. Roach will have to figure out whether Bradley is truly an improved fighter or if his development was more pronounced by Rios being an overcooked opponent who simply needed a nudge out of the door.

All of this could lead to a magnificent battle. Neither fighter will play it safe, as both have something to prove to their opponent and the fans. Pacquiao hates to disappoint, and Bradley hates to lose. That’s reason enough to be more forgiving toward this matchup. At least it isn’t Andre Berto, right?

Andreas Hale is a content producer for Jay Z’s LifeandTimes.com and editor-in-chief of PremierWuzHere.com, as well as a frequent Sherdog.com columnist. Check out his archive here.