However, it won’t be anything like Game 1 of the Thunder-Lakers series, it’ll be more like Game 2 of the Heat-Knick series.

If you are not a hoops fan and do not get my analogy, just expect a clear Pacquaio victory but not a total wipeout because Bradley:

1. Is an undefeated Ring champion, albeit at a weight class south (140 lb.) of Pacquiao’s. However, as we have seen many times before, an undefeated fighter is often damn hard to defeat;
2. Has a very solid chin. Sure, he’s been knocked down before (like Pac Man) but he’s always gotten up and has never been stopped. That will bode well for him in this fight, as he surely will taste some hellacious punches.
3. Is not really much smaller than Pacquiao. Standing at an identical 5’6" and with a two-inch reach advantage (69" to Pacquiao’s 67"), the muscular Bradley will not be physically overwhelmed here;
4. Has great "wind." If he passes the "chin test" that Manny will put him through, he shouldn’t have a problem fighting briskly over 12 rounds. Next to Floyd Mayweather and Pacquiao, few champions can match Bradley’s stamina.
5. Is a natural counter-puncher. Look no further than Juan Manuel Marquez to see how and why counter-punchers give Pacquiao fits. Sure, Bradley is no Marquez, but he’s no pushover either.

Although I gave five compelling reasons why Timothy Bradley will give Manny Pacquiao some trouble when they meet in a few weeks, I’m not crazy enough to pick him to win the fight. 

He’ll be able to find solace in the fact that he will be somewhat competitive with the Pac Man, but Bradley will ultimately succumb via a late technical knockout loss.

Although I’m obviously in an NBA Playoffs state of mind, Pacquiao-Bradley will serve as a brief respite for me. Let’s hope it lives up to Heat-Thunder (yes, that’s my NBA Finals prediction, in case you guessed).

Last December, I predicted that Amir Khan (26-2, 18 KO’s) would defeat Lamont Peterson (30-1, 15 KO’s) via late round stoppage.

Because I am sometimes stubborn when it comes to proving myself right and lazy-I really don’t feel like writing an original post on a fight that is a sequel, I’m sticking with my original prediction for this fight.

We all know what happened when Amir Khan faced off with Lamont Peterson late last year. They produced a scintillating fight that could have gone either way on the scorecards.

Fortunately for Peterson, it went his way. Unfortunately for Khan, he lost a narrow decision in his opponent’s backyard.

And therein lies the rub.

I do not want to take anything away from Peterson’s great performance on that fateful night. However, it is obvious that he received (at worst) a biased, hometown decision, but at best, a decision aided by some dubious officiating which cost Khan multiple points on the scorecards.

If (Peterson recently failed a random drug test…stay tuned) this fight takes place next Saturday, I feel that Khan will emerge victorious for the same reasons that I stated in my earlier post.

To quote the late Notorious BIG, "ain’t no more to it!"

But this ain’t all about me.

I am interested in your very own fight predictions.

Please leave a comment, include your email address in your submission, and state who you think will win the fight, including the exact scores if it goes the distance or the round that the fight will be stopped by knockout or TKO.

The person whose prediction is closest to the outcome of the actual bout will get a shout-out in next week’s post.

I look forward to your predictions!

The advantages in favor of Mayweather are more than considerable.

Mayweather Advantages

"Pretty Boy" aka "Money" Mayweather’s biggest advantage, as is usually the case, will be his fast-twitch muscles. To be more specific, he’s got a huge advantage in speed of foot and hand.

In terms of defense, Mayweather also gets the nod. He seemingly has the more steady chin (witness the shots he took from Shane Mosley in their fight) and definitely has the better, tighter defense. To say that Cotto gets hit easily would be somewhat kind.

The intangibles of conditioning and ring generalship also favor Mayweather. While Cotto often fades late in his fights, Mayweather tends to dominate more as a fight progresses. That’s extremely bad news for Cotto. "Money May" is perhaps the best "ring general" in the game today. Cotto is a competent ring general but is not on Mayweather’s level in this department.

Cotto Advantages

Cotto’s best shot in this fight is to have his naturally heavier hands crack Mayweather’s chin. Mayweather has some pop, but I favor Cotto in terms of power. Cotto is shorter (by an inch) and has shorter arms (by five inches). But don’t let that fool you. He’s the stockier, and naturally stronger man in this fight, especially with it taking place at 154 pounds. Mayweather has very deceptive strength, which I expect to see on display here, but not enough to give him the nod in this category.

 "Let’s Call It Even"

Although the fight is taking place in Mayweather’s adopted hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada, Cotto will have his fair share of fans at the MGM Grand on May 5. I see no true advantage for either boxer in terms of the fight locale. Both fighters have fought a "who’s who" of boxers. For a period a time, Cotto seemed to be facing stiffer competition than Mayweather, but more recently it seems to be the other way around. Overall, both men have faced similarly stout competition for the balance of their Hall of Fame careers.

The verdict: Because of his significant advantages in defense, speed and ring generalship as well as his underrated power and unparalleled conditioning, Floyd Mayweather will dominate Miguel Cotto and stop him by round 10 (possibly on cuts or due to Cotto’s failure to answer the bell).

So what can you expect from me during a basketball week like this one? You guessed it-a blog post that I have already written.

But cut me some slack, do you really expect Bernard Hopkins-Chad Dawson II to be much different than its predecessor?

To put it bluntly, their first fight was a stinker. And I expect this one to be as well.

However, it will not be a no contest like last time.

Chad Dawson (31-1, 17 KO) will finally get some measure of vindication on April 28 when he decisions the venerable Bernard Hopkins (52-5-2, 32 KO).

And do not worry, the posts will pick up next month in anticipation of the superfights slated for May and June. Stay tuned!