By Lem Satterfield
Top Rank Promotions CEO Bob Arum believes WBO/WBC junior welterweight champion Timothy Bradley might be a good match for southpaw WBO welterweight (147 pounds)titlist Manny Pacquiao as early as the fall or the first half of 2011. Bradley (27-0, 11 knockouts) believes that he will be the perfect opponent to defeat the 32-year-old Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs).
"I don't think that Manny Pacquiao has faced someone like me who has the skills and who can fight. I think that I would be perfect, man," said Bradley. "I think that, I, myself, if I fight the perfect fight, man, I know that I can beat him. If I fight the perfect fight then I can beat Manny Pacquiao, no doubt."
A long-time presence on HBO, Pacquiao will pursue his 14th straight victory and his ninth knockout during that run when he faces 39-year-old Shane Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) in a May 7 defense of his WBO belt at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in the first-ever appearance on Showtime for both fighters.
Prior to Mosley, Pacquiao scored consecutive unanimous decisions at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium, respectively, over former world champion Joshua Clottey, in March of 2010, and, ex-titlist Antonio Margarito, in November, for the WBC crown.
"They're just putting Manny in there with stiffs, man. They need to put Manny in there with guys who can actually punch and punch back. They need to put him in against someone who has some defense," said Bradley.
"Someone who can offer it up and throw Manny off with some movement to isolate all of those punches that Manny likes to throw. We walk around at about the same weight, so there's really no excuses for him not to fight me. What's big deal? I mean, how much more do I need to do to get a shot at this guy?"
Lem Satterfield is the boxing editor at AOL FanHouse and the news editor at BoxingScene.com. To read more from Lem Satterfield, go to AOL FanHouse by Clicking Here.
