Manny Pacquiao will return to action on April 13 with a rematch at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas against Timothy Bradley. This match comes 22 months after Bradley's surprise win over Pacquiao with a split decision in the same arena. In 22 months a lot has changed for the two men.
Pacquiao was outraged by his defeat, as many thought he had done enough to win, but then fell into a rematch with Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez knocking him out with a two-game losing streak. He then faced Brandon Rios in a fight that Pacquiao won, as expected, and remained one of the greatest figures in the world of boxing.
Bradley has taken a different path. The victory over Pacquiao did not immediately bring him as many battles as he would have liked, but he defeated Ruslan Provodnikov, albeit with difficulty, in his first match after Pacquiao. The next hurdle for Bradley was Marquez, the man who knocked out Pacquiao. Undoubtedly, Bradley found himself facing Marquez at his best and got another win. Once again, however, his glory escapes, although he is not a strong puncher, he is one of the undisputed boxing talents in the game today. He also has an 31-0 unbeaten streak and is the holder of the Welterweight title. Surprisingly this game is for the redemption of both, Bradley continues to look for a name among the best boxers, despite his two victories against two Hall of Famers. For Pacquiao, it is a revenge fight trying to put his name on top again for another year.
Pacquaio needs a victory to get back on the train that probably goes to Floyd Mayweather Jr, while Bradley still feels like he has not gotten what he deserves to date. This makes him a more dangerous fighter when the time of the fight comes.
I bet on the undefeated Timothy Bradley.