By Chris Williams: I previously thought that Tim Bradley would have an excellent chance of beating WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao on June 9th, but now I’m leaning in the direction of Bradley needing a definite KO to make sure he comes out on top in their fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. After seeing Richard Abril get jobbed in his fight against Brandon Rios last weekend, I now think that Bradley will have to knockout Pacquiao for him to get the win.

The Rios-Abril fight brought me back to the three fights that Pacquiao had with Juan Manuel Marquez in the past eight years in which Marquez fought well enough to deserve decisions in all three fights but had to settle for a draw and two defeats. Getting a decision against Pacquiao is like winning the lottery. It just seems like an impossible thing to accomplish no matter how well a fighter does in the ring. Bradley could find himself in the exact same situation as Marquez after his three bouts. There are things that Bradley can do to avoid being jobbed, like working hard and trying to get a few knockdowns. But that’s not really Bradley’s game. He’s more of a boxer who occasionally can get a KO, but he doesn’t usually get knockouts.

Pacquiao is one of boxing’s biggest money makers and I think that makes it hard for him to lose because he brings in so much money. To beat money fighter like Pacquiao, Bradley will have to give him a major whipping and leave no doubt. I’m still doubtful that Bradley will get a decision even if he dominates Pacquiao in every round. I can’t see the judges giving Bradley the fight. The judges just aren’t going to give rounds to Bradley unless he makes it so overwhelming that they don’t dare score rounds against him. But I just don’t see it.

I think Bradley can whip Pacquiao as badly as Richard Abril did against Brandon Rios last Saturday, and I don’t see the judges giving him the decision. I think maybe one judge will score it a draw, whereas the others give Pacquiao the decision by four to six rounds at the minimum. Bradley is really up against it in this fight. It’s more than just fighter he’s taking on. Bradley is facing a big money star that attracts the green stuff to Las Vegas whenever Pacquiao fights. It’s like a large green tide coming in and washing over Las Vegas, helping out the economy in a big way. Bradley isn’t going to be able to stop that money stream unless he gives Pacquiao a major whipping on June 9th.