It’s no surprise Manny Pacquiao enters Saturday’s welterweight title fight as a better than a 1-to-4 favorite to defeat up-and-comer Tim Bradley. Pacquiao is the only boxer to win championships in eight different weight divisions.
Pacquiao, one of the two best pound-for-pound boxers in the world, is coming off a November victory over the estimable Juan Manuel Marquez. However disputed, it was Pacquiao’s 54th victory. But it’s no longer enough for him to win.
Floyd Mayweather is Pacquiao’s true competition, even though they’ve danced around an actual matchup for more than two years. Mayweather last month won an impressive decision over Miguel Cotto — a fight in which Mayweather was outmuscled but never outsmarted.
In the race against Mayweather for bragging points — and leverage in any future contract negotiations for what would be a mammoth fight — Pacquiao must beat Bradley, and handily. The fight airs at 7 p.m. Saturday on HBO pay-per-view from Las Vegas’ MGM Grand.
