By John F. McKenna (McJack): Five time trainer of the year Freddie Roach thinks that the style of WBO light welterweight champion Timothy Bradley (28-0- 1 NC, 12 KO’s) is a perfect match for his charge, WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KO’s). The undefeated Bradley will square off with the Filipino icon on June 9 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.

Roach acknowledges that Bradley is a tough and very dangerous opponent in addition to being a very hungry fighter. Roach is especially wary of “Desert Storm’s” habit of coming in head first and landing an accidental head butt. But Roach says that Manny is training for any eventuality.

Further, Roach believes that “Pacman” after his lackluster performance last November against Juan Manuel Marquez will be equally hungry and that he wants to prove to his loyal boxing fans world wide that he is still the best pound for pound fighter in the world.

Roach was quoted in PihilBoxing.com saying the following:

“Manny is more motivated now to win impressively after his lackluster performance against Juan Manuel Marquez. He wants to erase the stigma of that performance and reclaim his reputation as the world’s pound for pound king and that would be bad news for Bradley.”

Roach is quick to point out that although Bradley is a tough fighter, he does not have Manny’s power or his footwork which can only be experienced by stepping into the ring with Pacquiao.

One of the toughest challenges for Team Bradley has been the attempt to find a sparring partner whose style replicates that of the “Pacman”. It is almost a futile effort because such a fighter does not exist. Pacquiao’s style is unique in its complexity. Most important when fighting Manny is that he is unpredictable in the ring and has lightning speed in both hands. “Desert Storm” though fast has nowhere near the power or footwork of Pacquiao.

Obviously Roach has taken the challenge of Bradley very seriously after Manny’s poor performance against Marquez last November . Freddie, leaving no stone unturned, has brought in a fighter all the way from Siberia whose style he feels closely replicates that of Bradley. His name is Rusian Provodnikov, who at 21 – 0 is a pretty good fighter in his own right.

Roach is of the opinion that Manny will be more than up to the task of handling Bradley and is predicting that “Pacman” will knock him out in six rounds or less.