Manny Pacquiao and Tim Bradley earlier this month in Las Vegas (Photo: Naoki Fukuda)

By Chris Robinson

While veteran analyst Larry Merchant may have given Manny Pacquiao the same amount of rounds vs. Tim Bradley in their rematch as he did in their first meeting, he feels the fight itself had a completely different feel to it.

Inside of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on April 12, Pacquiao got revenge for a controversial June 2012 split-decision loss to Bradley by out slicking him in the second half of their rematch and pulling out a unanimous decision.

Each man had endured much physically and mentally since their first clash, Pacquiao being blitzed by Juan Manuel Marquez and Bradley going to war with Ruslan Provodnikov, and Merchant could feel the intrigue.

“I scored it similarly to the original fight,” Merchant stated. “I thought that it was a very electric event because of what both fighters have been through since their original fight. I thought that Pacquiao, with his speed and boxing ability, pressured Bradley into trying to get lucky. And good is usually better than lucky.”

Bradley put up an excellent boxing effort against Marquez in capturing a split-decision victory this past October yet he was far more aggressive against Pacquiao six months later.

“I don’t know why Bradley didn’t stick to the same kind of boxing plan he had successfully against Marquez, but he didn’t,” Merchant explained. “I have to assume it’s because he found out that Pacquiao was a little too quick and a little too good. I was perplexed by how he fought in the last half of the fight; just hoping to land a big punch.”

Digging in a bit further, Merchant feels that Pacquiao deserves the credit for neutralizing Bradley down the stretch.

“I don’t know what caused that exactly,” said Merchant. “But I always think there is cause and effect in a fight and if he was reduced to just trying to get lucky there must have been a good reason for it and the good reason must have been Pacquiao.”

Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com

Boxing analyst Larry Merchant breaks down Pacquiao-Bradley II (Photo: Chris Robinson – www.HustleBoss.com / Chris Farina – Top Rank)

By Chris Robinson

Despite being a slight favorite heading into his rematch with Timothy Bradley, there are some who seem skeptical whether or not Manny Pacquiao will be able to have enough success in the match.

Pacquiao faces off with Bradley on April 12 from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada and will be looking for revenge over the Palm Springs native, who bested him via controversial split-decision in June of 2012.

Catching up with longtime boxing analyst Larry Merchant to discuss the fight, he seems to feel that Pacquiao has his work cut out for him.

“I think it’s a tough fight for [Pacquiao],” Merchant stated. “I think that he showed against Rios that he was able to fight a pure boxing style that we hadn’t seen before. He’s made various inventions and reinventions of himself. But I don’t think he’s going to outbox Bradley.

“I think the essence of the fight is [whether he can] stoke up the fire to get Bradley, who’s coming off a couple good wins after their first fight,” Merchant added. “But Manny’s impressive in the sense that he’s a veteran fighter who’s still going after it. He’s still not over satisfied but now he’s got to show that he can go back to an earlier version of himself to beat a guy like Bradley. I don’t think anybody’s too sure who’s going to win this fight.”

Merchant was asked what Freddie Roach might be thinking about the clash and Bradley in particular given he has already had a change to study him in action against his fighter.

“Freddie’s a realist and Freddie likes guys who go for it and I think he’s going to try to convince Manny that he’s got to revert to that great year he had when he stopped De La Hoya and Hatton and Cotto,” Merchant noted. “He hasn’t stopped anybody since but he’s got to be a positive force in the ring against a fighter like Bradley who has shown his versatility in his recent fights.

“Bradley is a tough matchup at this stage of Pacquiao’s great career,” Merchant said.

Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com

HustleBoss.com speaks with longtime boxing analyst Larry Merchant, as he shares his thoughts on the Manny Pacquiao vs. Tim Bradley II rematch on April 12 in Las Vegas.
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