As the June 9th between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley approaches, conventional wisdom might lead you to believe that Bradley's chances of winning a decision are near impossible considering the highly-anticipated Mayweather vs. Pacquiao mega-fight looming in the balance. In researching scenarios of what may occur inside the ring that night, I discovered several reasons as to why it should not be a stretch to think Bradley can get the nod on the judges' scorecards.
- RECENT PERFORMANCES
Around the time when the public interest for Mayweather vs. Pacquiao had peaked, Pacquiao had a dominant victory over Oscar De La Hoya, as well as the destructive one-punch knockout of Ricky Hatton, that had many believing he had a great chance of dethroning Mayweather. Recent performances, however, particularly the most recent against Juan Manuel Marquez, has left even the diehard Pacquiao fan thinking that he may be tailor made for Mayweather. If the Bradley fight is close, it might not matter if Manny gets the decision nod since it may leave little interest in what once seemed like an even mega-fight. - NEW STAR OPPORTUNITY
One of the intriguing possibilities is the prospect of a new boxing star being born on June 9th in Timothy Bradley. Many that have tuned in to previews and fighter interviews have gotten to know Bradley and are now rooting for him to get his just due in the sport. Boxing is in need of a fresh face in the general public's eye, and if Bradley has the performance of his life, it may not be out of reach for the judges to turn out to be unbiased in their voting. - BRADLEY MAY DOMINATE
No matter how you handicap the match-up, it does not look like an easy fight either way, unless you look at the Hatton tape and imagine Bradley getting caught early while coming straight forward. If in some way, however, Bradley gets the momentum and ends up dominating the fight, would the judges somehow find a way to give Pacquiao the rounds? Some may answer yes, especially in Nevada, but if the performance is dominant, it'll be hard to give rounds to the guy taking the beating. - ONCE AGAIN, SANCTIONING BODIES AND THE STATE COMMISSION ARE IN THE SPOTLIGHT
With the number of bad decisions that have already taken place this year, the sanctioning bodies and the Nevada State Athletic Commission are going to be under close scrutiny for the officials that get assigned for the bout. I'm sure all involved are well aware of the attention that will be paid to the event, and they may even be reminded to judge the fight honestly. You can also be certain that Bradley's experienced management team, headed by Cameron Duncan, will be quick to strike if a seemingly historically scrutinized official gets appointed for the bout. - PACQUIAO'S MOTIVATION COME FIGHT TIME
Going through a spiritual awakening as Pacquiao is going through, how can he even be sure that he'll have the same motivation as always in the ring? The possibility of a "Tiger Woods Syndrome" may exist, where he just doesn't fight the same with a changed life outside of the ring. Since the drama he's gone through, Tiger Woods still enters tournaments feeling great and thinking he's ripe for victory, only to come out on the losing end of the stick. Despite Manny's old, rebellious lifestyle, he was still considered a man of the people, and he seemed to carry the motivation from those that he would meet and greet in the bars and pool halls before "discovering" God. Someone like an Andre Ward that has had his beliefs with him his entire career is sound in his motivations. Pacquiao may discover in the ring that he really doesn't wish to be there anymore. If that was to happen and Manny fights in survival mode, how could a reasonable and professional judge lean towards him strictly because of star power?