** Analysis of Bradley's Strategy **

Well, I felt that Bradley's approach to fighting Pacquiao was off. I could tell early on he wanted to circle left like Marquez and move and counter. However, in order to counter effectively you have to be the matador. Marquez was a master at that. When there were lulls in action Marquez did not "back up" like Bradley did without initiating action. Marquez would come forward in these lulls with a jab & looping right hand or a left hook to the body, which would inspire Pacquiao to charge like a bull in which Marquez would effectively step left, and/or slip left and land the beautiful left uppercut to the chin and/or the looping right hand to the chin or face.

Bradley instead keep bending over to the right to avoid the left hand. Tarver and Gary Russell use this same tactic in a mirror agst orthodox straight right hands. The difference was that Bradley bent over so much that he wasn't in a position to punch or counter afterwards. Plus when Pacquiao was onto where Bradley's head was instead of slipping left and throwing his own right, Bradley would dip lower, then start moving his head side to side while bent over which was another compromising position in which he couldn't throw back, and honestly couldn't see very well, and plus he did this with his hands down. This just gave Pacquiao more room and time to keep throwing and try to land his left hand.

Bradley's father had him work on a modified shoulder roll to counter Pacquiao's lefty stance. That was another mistake because it would be hard to see the right coming and with the left hand low his face was open, and the right hand which was plastered on the cheekbone would not be fast enough to block a straight left down the middle, and if he did place his glove in the middle Pacquiao could loop the left hand around the guard. I felt keep both hands up and shelling was more effective when Bradley did so.

I find it annoying when a fighter's only head movement is bending from the waist, this creates a predictable pattern that can be picked up. Why not bob and weave or slip in different ways or catch punches sometimes? Look what happened with Hasegawa vs. Gonzalez:

http://youtu.be/1B7Q-HmmzJ4?t=11m29s

Or Tarver did a good job of occasionally catching Kayode's right with his left glove and coming over top 1-2 to the face afterward.

I feel slipping left while countering with an uppercut, left hook up top or to the body, or a straight or overhand right to Pacquiao's jab or advances would have proved more effective. That's it!