Timothy Bradley is set to face Juan Manuel Marquez on October 12th, in a clash between the two men who most recently defeated Manny Pacquiao. Heading into this bout, Bradley has set a lofty goal for himself, forcing Marquez into retirement.
"Marquez is a late-bloomer who got better and better," Bradley said. "He is a legend. The greatest Mexican fighter of his era. He has a great trainer in Nacho Beristain. But they will never stop my will to win. I will win because I have to win. It's in my DNA. And I will be a bigger name because of my will to win. ... I have one goal - go into the ring, win and retire the great Juan Manuel Marquez."
Talk of "retiring" Marquez is bold; he is fresh off a knockout win over Pacquiao, one of the greatest fighters in the sport's history, and a man whom most followers of boxing believe handled Bradley with ease.
Secondly, of Bradley's 30 victories, only 12 have come via knockout. He does not figure to possess the necessary firepower to floor Marquez; furthermore, if he tries to initiate a firefight, he would be playing into the counter-puncher's strengths.
In Bradley's most recent fight, a win over Ruslan Provodnikov, he attempted to engage his powerful opponent on multiple occasions, resulting in near-knockouts each time. While that style earned back the respect of many, who appreciated the heart he showed, it did expose flaws in his defense as well as his lack of power.
Marquez has proven his thunder with the flattening of Pacquiao, and he has also demonstrated his counter-punching prowess in his first Pacman tilt, when he fought to a draw despite being knocked down three times in the first round.
Each fighter is hoping a win can lead to bigger and better things, but expect neither to retire regardless of the outcome.
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