Since Floyd  Mayweather Jr.  won his highly anticipated fight  last month, the next big boxing match that has been on everyone’s mind has been the upcoming fight between Timothy Bradley and  Juan Manuel Marquez. Their match to determine the new Welterweight Champion will be tomorrow, Saturday the 12^th, at 9pm. This fight can solidify a lot for either fighter, and could further push them into eventual legend status. But leading up to the fight, who has a higher chance of winning?

Bradley

Timothy Bradley is the current Welterweight Champion. He is 30 years old, and has an impressive undefeated record of 30-0, with 12 KO’s. And though it was a win covered in some controversy, he is still one of five people to have beaten the legendary Manny Pacquiao.

Bradley is a significantly younger fighter than Marquez. Bradley is fit, and his quickness and elusiveness will prove to be a difficulty for Marquez. Bradley is also a tough fighter, who does not give up very easily. But in order to win against an opponent like Marquez, Bradley cannot just have speed and precision punches, but smarts as well. If he is able to do this, and anticipate Marquez’s attacks, then he has a chance of winning- probably not by knockout, but by decision.

The main concern for Bradley going into this match is the beat-down that he took in his most recent fight against Ruslan Provodnikov. And though he managed to scrape a win, it was a grueling, physical fight that left Bradley with a concussion. Since then Bradley has also admitted that the Provodnikov fight caused him to have slurred speech for several days afterwards. Many believe that the Provodnikov fight took too heavy of a toll on Bradley, which could cause him to lose the fight tomorrow.

Marquez

Juan Manuel Marquez has a record of 55-6-1, with 40 KO’s. At 40 years of age, he is 10 years older than his opponent. Many will see Marquez’s age as a crucial setback, but those added years give Marquez experience and smarts that Bradley just doesn’t have.

Marquez’s biggest asset is his counter-punching ability. He is a very technical fighter, but his punch is also stronger than Bradley’s. Bradley may be able use his quickness and movement to his advantage early in the fight, but there is a strong chance that eventually, Marquez will be able to land some solid punches, maybe even ending up knocking Bradley out with a well-placed counter.

In addition, Marquez is coming off the fight of his career. Last December, he managed knocked out Manny Pacquiao in the 6^th round, and was rewarded the “Champion of the Decade” belt. That fight marked the first time Pacquiao had been knocked out since 1999, and the match was hailed by many as the fight of the year. So, Marquez has a lot to prove in this match tomorrow.

Conclusion

Most analysts have Marquez taking title. And though I want to say the young and gritty Bradley will win, I have to go with the talented, smart, and experienced Marquez as well. Either way, I think most people who follow Boxing can agree that this will definitely be a phenomenal fight to watch. Plus, If whoever wins gives a good enough performance, there is a chance that their next fight could very well be against Mayweather.

The fight will be available for purchase on HBO Pay Per View.