By Ian S Palmer
American Timothy Bradley will be putting his WBO Welterweight belt on the line against Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico in Las Vegas on Saturday, October 5. The bout will be broadcast on HBO’s pay-per-view platform across North America. The 30-year-old Bradley hails from Palm Springs, California and is unbeaten up to now at 30-0 along with 12 Kos. Marquez is 10 years his senior at 40 and carries a record of 55-6-1 into the ring with 40 Kos.
Many boxing fans feel Bradley has actually lost his last two contests though as they believe he was gifted a split decision win over Manny Pacquiao for his title in June of 2012 and was also the recipient of some questionable judging in his win over Ruslan Provodnikov in March. Bradley proved one thing in those fights though, and that’s that he possesses one hell of a chin. The two-division champion’s confident heading into the fight, but realizes Marquez is going to prove to be a handful.
Marquez is another Mexican boxing legend and has won titles in four different weight classes. He’ll be trying to make that five on Saturday night. He’s coming off of what is arguably the biggest win of his career, which was a sudden one-punch knockout against Pacquiao in the sixth round last December. He’s nearing the end of his career now, but is certain to become a hall of famer.
Bradley is strong and tough to deal with because of his slightly awkward boxing style. He keeps his head low and bulls his way in, which sometimes results in butts. He’s aggressive and likes to attack the body as much as he can. He likes to dictate the pace and has fine boxing skills and is extremely determined. The only thing he doesn’t possess really is above-average power.
He’s going to have to use his movement and hand speed against Marquez and land crisp combinations. He’s pretty accurate with his punches, but he’s not the hardest guy to hit. However, this is where his granite chin helps him out. He keeps his hands busy and managed to throw about 1000 punches against Provodnikov, but got nailed and hurt all night long by leaving himself open.
It’s hard to say what will happen if he engages in a slugfest with Marquez, but it’s probably not a good idea to find out. If he keeps his head moving Bradley will be a little tougher to connect against. He doesn’t want to have to depend on his chin to get him through. But if Marquez has his way he’s going to have to. Marquez has good power and can take an opponent out with one well-place and timed shot.
He’s a great counterpuncher and is good at controlling the distance. But like Bradley, he’s also not hard to find and hit. He sometimes waits too long to let his hands go and doesn’t throw enough punches. This was a problem he had against Pacquiao in their first three meetings. He needs to be busier and use his jab and make sure he’s not just looking for one big shot.
Even though there’s a 10-year gap in their ages, this looks like it’s quite an even matchup. Provodnikov had Bradley out on his feet, but couldn’t finish him off while Pacquiao out-landed and boxed him. He can be beaten and regardless of his record has been. Both boxers are determined to prove they’ve still got it, but Marquez will simply have to throw more punches to keep up with Bradley’s output. Marquez has the power to hurt Bradley, but it’s doubtful the champion has what it takes to stop Marquez unless it’s by an onslaught of punches.
Bradley could easily rack up the points on the scorecards and if his chin stands up he should take this bout by a relatively close decision. It’s all going to come down to his chin though. And since he managed to go the distance with Pacquiao and the ultra-aggressive Provodnikov, he’s likely to do the same against Marquez and keep his belt by unanimous decision.
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