By: Sean Crose
“I’m going to favor Spence slightly,” Tim Bradley told SNOWQUEENLA, “but I wouldn’t be surprised if Pacquiao could pull it off.” Bradley knows better than most what it’s like to face Manny Pacquiao in the ring. He’s faced the man three times, winning once (albeit controversially) and losing twice. Therefore, when Bradley speaks of the highly anticipated bout between Pacquiao and Errol Spence this August, he’s worth listening to. And Bradley appears to believe the 42 year old Pacquiao stands a real chance of pulling off the upset when he faces Spence in Las Vegas later this summer.
“I think it’s a great fight for Pacquiao,” the former welterweight titlist claimed. “I think it’s a great fight for Pacquiao.” To paraphrase Max Schmeling, Bradley feels Pacquiao sees something in the undefeated Spence which might play to his advantage. “He’ll pick and choose which guy he wants to face where he sees a little bit of advantage” said Bradley of the fighter known as PacMan. “I think that he sees Spence is a little bit slower than what he’s used to fighting.” But that’s not all, for it appears Bradley knows something else that Pacquiao might see.
“Spence does something that Pacquiao likes, he’ll work and bring his head back to the middle,” Bradley said in the interview. “Pacquiao’s going to wait on his opportunities and he (Spence) needs to understand that Pacquiao is not only going to counter him with one shot, he’s going to counter him with combinations…you’re not going to block Manny Pacquiao, all those punches he’s throwing at you.” Then there’s the matter of footwork and speed. “The speed,” Bradley said. “The speed, the footwork, the in and out movement, that’s going to be frustrating for Spence.”
“This guy is a phenom,” Bradley said of Pacquiao, making it clear Spence isn’t simply facing an aging fighter. Still, it’s Spence who Bradley feels has the edge walking into the fight. “He’s a younger guy,” he says of welterweight multi-titlist. “He’s a fresher guy. He puts a massive amount of pressure on guys all the way to the end of the fight. He throws a lot of punches, something that Pacqiuao hasn’t seen before in some time.” Bradley also feels Spence will have more in his tank as the rounds pile up. “I think he should be able to outlast Pacquiao,” he says of the younger Spence.
