Juan Manuel Marquez will meet Timothy Bradley for the WBO welterweight title on Saturday night, and it's going to be one of the most exciting fights of the year.
They are two of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Marquez is finally beginning to see the end of what has been a long career, while Bradley still has a way to go. They have a combined record of 85-6-1 with 42 knockouts between them.
Below is all of the viewing information for Saturday fight, followed by a breakdown of the two boxers and a prediction.
Viewing Information
Where: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
Date: Saturday, Oct. 12
Watch: HBO PPV
Time: Coverage begins at 9:00 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape
Juan Manuel Marquez (55-6-1, 40 KO)
At 40 years old, Marquez has had an incredible career. He started fighting way back in 1993.
He finally added a win over Manny Pacquiao to his resume last year. After losing two fights to "Pac-Man" and notching a draw, Marquez finally got his revenge, knocking him out cold in the sixth round in December. If both fighters win their next bout, there's a chance we'll see them go at it again.
Age doesn't seem to be a factor for Marquez. Sure, he's lost three fights since 2008, but two of those were against Pacquiao and the other came against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
A win on Saturday night would be the best way for Marquez to cap off his great career. He likely won't retire after this fight, but he won't have left to do after beating Bradley.
Timothy Bradley (30-0, 12 KO)
Bradley took a nine-month hiatus after his controversial win over Pacquiao. Although many believed that Pacquiao had beaten Bradley, the judges thought otherwise and gave Bradley the split-decision win.
Still, Bradley is undefeated in his career. He finally returned to the ring in March, taking down Ruslan Provodnikov by unanimous decision and defending his WBO welterweight title for the first time since taking it from Pacquiao. It wasn't all good, however, as Bradley suffered a serious concussion.
Kieran Mulvaney from ESPN.com provided some quotes by Bradley on his symptoms:
A few weeks after the fight, I was still affected by the damage that was done. My speech was a little bit off. I was slurring a little bit. But after about two months, I cleared up and I have my wits about me now.
A lot of fighters probably go through the same things I went through after certain fights. I'm here to tell them that there is basically help out there. You can get help. I got the help out there, and I'm here to speak out. A lot of people feel that I shouldn't speak out about it and that I should keep it a secret. But for some reason, I want to talk about it. I went through it and I want to share it with the world. I want to let them know, "Hey, it is true what they talk about boxing. It is a dangerous sport." When you come in for a fight, you might not leave the ring the same way.
A win for Bradley would mark his second straight title defense and solidify him as one of the top fighters in the world. It would also likely help him shake off any remaining negative feelings from fans about stealing a win away from Pacquiao.
Prediction
There's a lot to like about both fighters, and it's bound to be a close fight.
Bradley is faster and has a solid chin. However, he might be a little hesitant after what happened in his last fight against Provodnikov.
Meanwhile, Marquez puts a lot of power behind his punches. He also is a terrific counterpuncher who makes opponents pay for any missed punches.
I don't think that we'll see a knockout in this one, but we will see two fighters go at it with some big shots and likely a couple of knockdowns.
Bradley is good, but I believe that Marquez will pull out the win and continue his long, successful career.
Prediction: Marquez wins by unanimous decision
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