By Dan Ambrose: Tim Bradley (28-0, 12 KO’s) feels that he’s fighting WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KO’s) at the right time in his career when Pacquiao is starting to slow down, show more vulnerability and fight more flat-footed.

Tonight, Bradley and Pacquiao will be battling in what could be Bradley’s super bowl. You can’t say the same thing for Pacquiao. To him, it’s just another fighter, and may actually be a step down for him given his string of big fights against popular fighters in the past three years. However, many of Pacquiao’s bouts have come against fighters badly on the decline, such as Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito. The one fighter that Pacquiao has faced that was still on the top of his game in the past three years that really matters is Juan Manuel Marquez, and a lot of people think he beat Pacquiao last November and in their two previous fights before that.

Bradley said “Pacquiao is in for a rude awakening. Baby, I can box…I’m ready to shock the world. I’m ready to do whatever it takes to win. Training camp was hell. I’ve never trained like this in my whole life. It’s going to be a war. I’m ready.”

Pacquiao comes into tonight’s fight with a power advantage, but not a much of an advantage in hand speed. Bradley is the fastest puncher that Pacquiao has faced since perhaps when he was fighting at featherweight. You have to go back a long ways to find anyone as fast as Bradley on Pacquiao’s resume, if there is anyone as fast as him.

However, as Marquez showed in their last fight, a fighter doesn’t have to be speedy in order to land shots against Pacquiao. All you need to do is wait for him to throw his shots and then tag him when he’s exposed. As famous as Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach is, he’s done pretty much zero in improving Pacquiao’s defense. He’s still as easily hittable as he always was. When he’s thinking defense, Pacquiao can be okay, but once he gets hit, he seems to lose his senses completely and just throw power shots with reckless abandon. Roach talks as if Pacquiao is a complete fighter, but his words doesn’t match what you see in the ring. Pacquiao is a fighter that essentially gets by with power and speed. Things defense don’t enter into it.