By Mick Akers
Timothy Bradley shouldn’t have to explain to anyone why he opted to face Juan Manuel Marquez on October 12 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev. in his next bout as opposed to the man he beat controversially in Manny Pacquiao.
After his exciting, all-out slugfest with Russian power-puncher Ruslan Provodnikov in March, Bradley showed the boxing world he will do what it takes to win a fight. Even if it means leaving the ring battered and swollen.
As Bradley stated, he was up for a Pacquiao rematch after their controversial decision and Pacquiao passed him over for a fourth bout with Marquez. As we all know that turned out to be a bad decision as Pacquiao was left lying flat on his face after Marquez knocked him out in Round 6 of their bout last December.
Right now Marquez appears to be the tougher fight for Bradley, as he looked the best he has in years and has all the confidence in the world leading up to the bout. This is in opposition to Pacquiao, who is coming off two-straight losses, is fighting for his career, as a third-straight loss would all but stick a fork in any real hopes of a legitimate career going forward.
Bradley made another valid point in him not wanting to travel to Macau to face Pacquiao for a proposed rematch. As it stands now, Bradley is the title holder and he should not have to travel outside his comfort zone to make a fight with anybody outside of Floyd Mayweather.
If Bradley can put forward the kind of effort he did against Provodnikov when he faces Marquez, he will have a great chance at beating Marquez and getting some of the doubters off of his back that have been hanging on since June of 2012.
