Opinion: Just Say No to Pacquiao-Bradley 3

Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed below are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company, Evolve Media.

Timothy Bradley had the performance of a lifetime against Brandon Rios on Nov. 7 in Las Vegas.

Before the fight, there was curiosity about how the 32-year-old would fare with new trainer Teddy Atlas in his corner. The result was nothing short of spectacular, as Bradley became the first fighter to knock out Brandon Rios, something even Manny Pacquiao could not accomplish. Bradley looked damn good, mounting stellar offense and deploying several new defensive tactics to keep Rios off balance.

Not only did the ninth-round knockout mark the first time Rios had been stopped, it was also the first knockout recorded by Bradley since a 2011 clubbing of a faded Joel Casamayor. Prior to that, Bradley had not scored a KO since a fifth-round stoppage of unknown Nasser Athumani in 2007. Bradley has only 13 knockouts in his 33 victories, a very low KO percentage. But, under Atlas, he appears rejuvenated, so much so that there has been talk of a rubber match between Bradley and Pacquiao for the Filipino fighter’s final bout before moving on to full-time politics.

Now that the dust has settled from Bradley’s victory, let’s talk about how ridiculous it is that we are considering Bradley to be in the running for a Pacquiao fight.

Despite their series being tied at 1-1, anyone with a brain knows that it should be 2-0 in favor of Pacquiao. It can be argued that Pacquiao beat Bradley worse the first time than in the rematch where the judges finally got right. Pacquiao was undoubtedly the better fighter on both occasions, and it wasn’t even close.

Of course, Pacquiao seems to have faded a bit since then, and Bradley’s victory over Rios suggests that he is much improved. However, there’s another problem here that hasn’t been addressed. Was Rios simply a shot fighter by the time he got in the ring with Bradley? It’s unfair to take anything away from a brilliant performance from Bradley. However, things have to be put in perspective before strapping a rocket to Bradley’s back and shooting him to the moon.

Before the Bradley loss, Rios was 2-2 in his last four fights. Sure, he beat Mike Alvarado in their rubber match, but Alvarado looked to have faded even worse than Rios by the time those two stepped in the ring. Against Diego Chaves, Rios was on his way to losing before a disqualification gave Rios the win. The losses against Pacquiao and Alvarado were pretty one-sided. So, when he stepped into the ring against Bradley, it can be assumed that the wars to which Rios had subjected his body over the years had finally taken their toll. As great as Bradley looked, Rios looked even worse. That’s problematic when you attempt to use this victory as a means for Bradley to face Pacquiao a third time rather than Terence Crawford or Amir Khan.

Nevertheless, here we are, discussing a possible Pacquiao-Bradley 3. Even Bradley, when asked after the fight, didn’t seem all that enthused with the prospect of a third fight against Pacquiao. Maybe he was just trying to enjoy his victory or maybe he wants to face a fresh face. The pay-per-view numbers for Pacquiao-Bradley 2 weren’t all that great to begin with, suggesting that perhaps a fresh face is necessary for the final fight of Pacquiao career. In that case, Khan is the perfect matchup, with his U.K. base, questionable jaw and fan appeal. Crawford isn’t quite the draw and Bradley has had his chance.

Maybe, just maybe, Bradley should get the winner of Miguel Cotto and Saul Alvarez’s bout, but let’s pump the brakes on a third fight with Pacquiao. That’s unnecessary.

Andreas Hale is a content producer for Jay Z’s LifeandTimes.com and editor-in-chief of PremierWuzHere.com, as well as a frequent Sherdog.com columnist. Check out his archive here.