The Teddy Atlas Factor: Manny Pacquiao vs Timothy Bradley III Preview & Prediction

By Rummys Corner - 04/04/2016 - Comments

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In the moments immediately following the first bout between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley, just prior to the announcement of the official scores, very few people probably considered that this would be but the first chapter in a series of fights. After all, who could have predicted this budding rivalry? According to the large majority of observers Pacquiao should have been awarded a comfortable decision. The judges saw otherwise. And now here we are on the brink of what seems like one of the most unlikely rubber matches in boxing history – Manny Pacquiao vs Timothy Bradley III.

Their second fight wasn’t very much unlike their first, except that this one may have been closer in terms of rounds won by each fighter, and this time the judges got the correct winner. Neither fight was particularly engaging for the viewing audience. That’s not to say that these were bad fights. They were pretty good and they were both fairly competitive. But neither of them was anything extraordinary and neither of them left fans yearning for more. They were what they were, decent fights with similar dynamics and action.

One of the most interesting aspect of the rubber match is the addition of Teddy Atlas in the corner of Bradley. The 2 recently paired up when Bradley defeated Brandon Rios. During the fight, Atlas enthusiastically exclaimed that he and Bradley were “firemen”. They don’t run from the flames. They run to the flames, they control the flames, they move the flames to where they want them to go, and they ultimately extinguish the flames. The pep talk invigorated Bradley would go on to stop Rios during a bout where Bradley’s skillset seems to have been fine-tuned by his new trainer. With Pacquiao coming off of a shoulder injury, a lopsided loss at the hands of Floyd Mayweather, and almost one year of inactivity – can Atlas be the missing piece of the perfect storm scenario that might enable Bradley to emerge victorious?

This edition of Rummy’s Corner provides a brief preview into the fight, and explores the wild card factor which is Teddy Atlas. To get Rummy’s official prediction, please watch and enjoy the video.