Pacquiao vs. Bradley II: Timothy Bradley claims his concussion against Ruslan Provodnikov gives him an advantage

We tend to think of concussions as bad things. After all, you don't receive one unless your brain has been jarred violently. But Timothy Bradley is looking at things from a different perspective.

After his war with Ruslan Provodnikov last year, Bradley suffered from slurred speech and memory loss, obvious signs of a severe concussion. Anyone who saw the fight wouldn't be surprised as he took many clean head shots from a heavy-handed fighter. But, despite the negative effects of his concussion, Bradley insists that it will give him an edge in future fights because he knows he can endure incredible amounts of pain.

In an article by the New York Daily News, Bradley stated that he feels he has an advantage.

"I think it's a huge advantage because I know I can endure a lot of pain," Bradley told the News. "Everybody thought I'd be damaged goods after the fight [with Provodnikov]. But I wasn't."

Freddie Roach, who suffers from Parkinson's disease likely brought on by his own professional boxing career, doesn't agree that it will help him.

"It can't be good," said Roach, who also trains Provodnikov. "I worry about him sometimes as a fighter. And I think Manny is going to remind him of those shots when they fight."

As much as I respect Bradley's incredible toughness, I have to agree with Roach on this. Bradley has taken a lot of headshots in his career. He took hundreds against Provodnikov and also took many when he faced Pacquiao the first time two years ago.

It was reported that it took him four months to completely recover from the concussion, and once an individual suffers one, it's much easier to happen again. According to the article, Bradley claims he doesn't remember any of the Provodnikov fight after the first round.

As bad as it sounds that he can't remember most of the fight, it isn't totally uncommon to hear from professional fighters. These guys are superhuman compared to you and me. But it does make me ponder about Bradley's future as a boxer, and how long he can continue to survive when he fields so many punches.