The biggest events in boxing these days involve either Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Manny Pacquiao.

Mayweather faced Miguel Cotto in a battle that exceeded most of our expectations on May 5 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Now it’s Pacquiao’s turn.

The Filipino superstar is scheduled to fight Timothy Bradley on June 9 in the same arena on The Strip. And THE RING provides in a special preview package everything you need to know going into event.

Here’s a look at what you can find:

• Contributor Gary Andrew Poole writes in THE PRESSURE IS ON PACQUIAO that Pacquiao must defeat Bradley impressively if he hopes to regain any lost stature following his controversial victory over Juan Manuel Marquez in November.
• In NEW CHALLENGES, contributor Norm Frauenheim writes that Pacquiao vows he won’t be distracted in spite of mounting out-of-the-ring issues, including a dispute with the tax man and allegations he harboured a fugitive back home in the Philippines
• Contributor Ron Borges writes in COMING TO FIGHT that Bradley promises he won show his celebrated opponent too much respect, saying “I’m not in awe of nobody.”
• Doug Fischer, Editor of RingTV.com, compares Pacquiao and Bradley in 20 key categories and provides his prediction in our regular HEAD TO HEAD analysis.

Also featured in the July 2012 issue is our popular STATE OF THE GAME package, an exclusive and in-depth annual look at the sport division by division, which was compiled by contributor Don Stradely.

And in SO LONG TO A TRUE ORIGINAL, by contributor Bernard Fernandez, we look back on the remarkable life and career of prolific author and boxing historian Bert Sugar.

Also, Stradley conducted one of Sugar’s final interviews – which we call TRUE TO FORM UNTIL THE END – in which one of the sport’s most-recognizable figures was at his engaging best.

Elsewhere in the July issue:

• Columnist David Greisman takes a well-deserved shot at the sanctioning bodies in READY TO GRUMBLE.
• In BEST I’VE FACED, titleholder-turned-trainer Robert Garcia reveals to THE RING his top opponents in 10 key categories.
• Columnist T.K. Stewart writes in SIX PACK that it’s often difficult to determine when a fighter has slipped to the point that he should walk away.
• And, as part of our RATINGS PACKAGE, Danny Garcia is THE RING Fighter of the Monthafter he took the WBC junior welterweight title from the great Erik Morales.
• In FIGHT DOCTOR, Dr. Margaret Goodman writes that some fighters are more prone cuts than others.
• WOMEN’S BOXINGcolumnist David Avila introduces us to three women who won their weight divisions in the U.S. Olympic Trials, Claressa Shields, Marlen Esparza and Queen Underwood. We should note that only Shields and Esparza ultimately qualified to take part in the London Games.
• And, in THE ROAD TO LONDON, Frauenheim takes a look at a Russian team that has continued to succeed even after the break up of the Soviet Union.