Who’s afraid of Manny?

WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley and challenger Juan Manuel Marquez will square off in Las Vegas this morning (Manila time) but the talk of the town is why they both declined to face Manny Pacquiao.

Coming off back-to-back losses to Bradley and Marquez, Pacquiao shopped for a next opponent early this year. He was open to a rematch with Bradley and a fifth appointment with Marquez but neither stepped up to the plate. Brandon Rios eventually came to terms and will battle Pacquiao on Nov. 24 in Macau.

So why did Bradley and Marquez walk away from a big-money fight with Pacquiao? If Pacquiao is supposed to be over-the-hill, why did they opt to meet each other instead? Are they scared of Pacquiao? Your guess is as good as mine. Let’s not forget. After Bradley scored a dubious split decision over Pacquiao in June last year, he appeared in the post-fight press conference in a wheelchair. You and I know who really won that bout and it wasn’t Bradley. As for Marquez, he was on the verge of a total eclipse when Pacquiao got careless and walked into a right straight that landed with the Mexican not even aware of where the target was. Marquez took a beating and was lucky to escape with a win.

Bradley and Marquez could’ve gotten top money if they chose to fight Pacquiao. If boxing is all about business, why didn’t they go for the big bucks? Are they scared of Pacquiao? Your guess is as good as mine. For their fight this morning, Bradley will earn $4.1 Million and Marquez $6 Million. Bradley was offered $6 Million to battle Pacquiao in a rematch while Marquez $13 Million to wage war in a fifth engagement. Marquez initially asked for $20 Million, a ridiculous amount which indicated he wasn’t interested in pursuing it. They both settled for less to avoid Pacquiao. The estimate is their fight will bring in anywhere between 350,000 to 400,000 pay-per-view hits. A Pacquiao fight against either one would’ve raked in at least a million, boosting their share of the pie. Are they scared of Pacquiao? Your guess is as good as mine.

* * * *

Bradley, 30, is unbeaten with a 30-0 record, including 12 KOs, but nobody takes him seriously. Last March, he barely beat Russian Ruslan Provodnikov to retain his WBO crown on points and survived a knockdown in the 12th round. Two judges Marty Denkin and Jerry Cantu had it 114-113 while Raul Caiz, Sr. 115-112. When Bradley chose to go toe-to-toe against Provodnikov, he almost got bundled out. Bradley’s lack of power is reflected in his low knockout percentage. Fans don’t appreciate his lackluster style. Bradley and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. belong in the same cage of unexciting, cautious and risk-averse stylists.

Marquez, 40, is bidding for a fifth world title in a different division after pocketing the featherweight, superfeatherweight, lightweight and lightwelterweight championships. His record is 55-6-1, with 40 KOs. The Mexican warrior doesn’t look as frightful as before. There’s a lot of wear and tear in his armor. He’s flirting with disaster at 40 although it’s a fact that he’s never lost by knockout. His six career defeats were to Pacquiao twice (majority and split decisions), Mayweather, Chris John, Freddie Norwood and Javier Duran (disqualification in his pro debut). If Marquez loses to Bradley, it won’t be by knockout because the Desert Storm is a misnomer and packs no wallop. Marquez, by the way, was behind in the three judges’ scorecards when he stopped Pacquiao last December.

Marquez weighed in at 144.5 pounds for Bradley, the highest ever in his career. Bradley scaled a flat 146, a half-pound lighter than when he fought Provodnikov. If the weights and pictures are an indication, Bradley appears to be in better physical condition than Marquez. At the weigh-in, Bradley’s abs were visibly more pronounced than Marquez’.

Bradley should’ve learned his lesson from engaging Provodnikov so he won’t likely stand his ground against Marquez. He’ll stick, jab and move away. Marquez will try to counter and step in to keep Bradley within distance. For sure, Bradley won’t exchange from close quarters. He’ll do his best impression of Mayweather and bore the fans to sleep. In the end, Bradley will probably win a decision. There’s a lot more upside to Bradley’s future and that might be in the back of the judges’ mind. If Bradley proves to be an elusive target, Marquez is in for a long exasperating night. He got lucky with Pacquiao. Bradley won’t be as careless in walking into a knockout.

The fight referee will be Robert Byrd, a Hall of Famer who worked 34 years with the California highway patrol. He was the third man in the ring when Filipino Edrin Dapudong blitzed Gideon Buthelezi in one round for the IBO superflyweight title in South Africa last June. Byrd also worked the Pacquiao-Bradley fight last year.

The three judges will be Glenn Feldman of Connecticut, Robert Hoyle of Las Vegas and Patricia Morse Jarman of Las Vegas. Feldman was in Manila as a judge for the Brian Viloria-Omar Nino Romero fight for the WBO flyweight crown last year. Hoyle was also in Manila for the A. J. Banal-Pungluang Sor Singyu bout for the WBO bantamweight title last October. Jarman was a judge in the Mayweather-Miguel Cotto bout last year and the fight where Nonito Donaire, Jr. halted Fernando Montiel for the WBC/WBO bantamweight belts two years ago.

In the undercard, Sarangani’s undefeated knockout artist Jun (Hercules) Doliguez takes on Mexico’s Giovanni Caro in an eight-round featherweight contest. Doliguez, 22, is a 5-7 warrior with a 16-0-2 record, including 12 KOs with five in the first round. In his overseas debut last July, he was held to a majority draw by Ruben Tamayo in Merida, Mexico. Before that fight, Doliguez racked up four straight stoppages.

Caro, 29, is a veteran and a former WBC International superbantamweight king. A one-time world title challenger, the Mexican was stopped by Filipino Bernabe Concepcion in 2008. He’s fresh from back-to-back losses to Montiel on points and Hugo Ruiz. It’ll be an acid test for Doliguez who still has to prove himself as a worthy gladiator in the ring.