LOL now I see why Arum kissed Bradley's ass. Free agent!

[PandaKilla]

I was wondering why Arum was kissing Bradley's ass.

He was saying how Bradley would be too much for Khan which is true, but then saying how someone like Bradley would be good for Top Rank, someone who is a good guy outside the ring. I can't find that article on here some reason though.



With manager Cameron Dunkin and San Antonio-based legal eagle Michael Miller in his corner, I'm fairly certain Bradley will be a VIP guest at Top Rank's Mosley-Pacquiao show. I don't see Tim and a few select family members or friends having any problem getting ringside "comped" tickets.

Second, the May 11 end of contract date, if the rumor is on target, sets Bradley up for something which is rare in boxing. Bradley is then free to conduct a wide open auction for his promotional services and, while Top Rank CEO Bob Arum figures to have an inside track, I do not see how rivals Golden Boy, perhaps in tandem with adviser Al Haymon, can forego making a spirited attempt to ink him also.

Arum can deliver Pacquiao.

It is presumed Haymon and Golden Boy can deliver Floyd Mayweather Jr.

If Mayweather won't dance with Pacquiao, for whatever reason, or if it's the other way around, then Bradley is the most attractive American dance partner extant.

From what I hear, neither HBO nor Showtime object to having an American in one corner in a PPV main event.

[ИATAS]

Possibly. Didn't arum say something a little negative about Timmy though after the fight? Said something like his head butts are a big problem. I can't remember exactly something along those lines maybe even hinting that his head butts could prevent him fights with big named opponents.

[wazaa.]

He also said positive things about Amir after he beat Salita and became a free agent. But Arum's mood changed when Amir signed with GBP.

[PandaKilla]

Possibly. Didn't arum say something a little negative about Timmy though after the fight? Said something like his head butts are a big problem. I can't remember exactly something along those lines maybe even hinting that his head butts could prevent him fights with big named opponents.

I didn't read that part.

Not sure if the article was taken down, I can't find it, but I did get the impression Arum wanted him. Then I saw this article about being a free agent and knew why.

[ATG Fighter]

He also said positive things about Amir after he beat Salita and became a free agent. But Arum's mood changed when Amir signed with GBP.

If I am not mistaken, Khan will also be a free agent after his next fight. I think he had a 3 fight deal with GBP

[wazaa.]

If I am not mistaken, Khan will also be a free agent after his next fight. I think he had a 3 fight deal with GBP

Yes, but he will extend his contract. I don't see him going to Top Rank.

[THe TRiNiTY]

This is all quite possible, which is a good thing for Timothy Bradley. He will be able to get the best deal worked out for himself, and either Top Rank or Golden Boy will be able to push him highger than he is currently.

However, if I were Bradley, I'd be careful to go with not only the best monetary deal, but also the best overall deal. Which fights could line up. So on and so forth. That would be Golden Boy.

In-house, they have Floyd Mayweather, Victor Ortiz and Amir Khan. Three sizable fights. Top Rank has Manny Pacquiao and that's about it. No other fighter Top Rank has is as big of a name with some skill to boot. They are usually 147 and up.

Not to mention that Golden Boy doesn't have the stigma of working only in-house (though truthfully, all companies would prefer it this way, regardless of what they say.)

[PandaKilla]

This is all quite possible, which is a good thing for Timothy Bradley. He will be able to get the best deal worked out for himself, and either Top Rank or Golden Boy will be able to push him highger than he is currently.

However, if I were Bradley, I'd be careful to go with not only the best monetary deal, but also the best overall deal. Which fights could line up. So on and so forth. That would be Golden Boy.

In-house, they have Floyd Mayweather, Victor Ortiz and Amir Khan. Three sizable fights. Top Rank has Manny Pacquiao and that's about it. No other fighter Top Rank has is as big of a name with some skill to boot. They are usually 147 and up.

Not to mention that Golden Boy doesn't have the stigma of working only in-house (though truthfully, all companies would prefer it this way, regardless of what they say.)

Floyd is a loose cannon. GBP have no control over him if he retires, but maybe if he fights. GBP do not like to put each fighter VS each other because of the fear of making one lose their rep IMO.

Manny is still fighting, and at 147 Clottey, and 154 Cotto and Marg. Arum is a guy who keeps it in house. All 3 make better money than Ortiz and Khan for Bradley. Maybe Clottey is on Khan's level for money.

[PandaKilla]

"I am troubled, very troubled by his tendency to head butt his opponents," Pacman's promoter said on Sunday. "The frequency of the head butts is something he must change. I don't think it's anything Bradley does intentionally."

Arum, whose fighter Lamont Peterson was beaten by the fighter from North Palm Springs, described the 27 year old as "not a great fighter but a very good fighter."

In Arum's view, Bradley should next target Golden Boy's 140 pound champ, the Freddie Roach trained Amir Khan. Arum sees Bradley overcoming Khan.

"I think Bradley is too tough a guy for Amir, that Khan has nothing to keep Bradley off of him. Khan has nothing to hurt Bradley with while he's getting constant pressure," Arum said.

The Top Rank head honcho said he's had no discussions with Bradley and his manager Cameron Dunkin but that, if Bradley was contractually free, he would be a welcome addition and figures in as a Pacman foe.

Maybe that's why Big Gary Shaw, whose promotional deal with Bradley is believed to expire in May, was targeting Floyd Mayweather after the technical decision over Alexander. Bradley, meanwhile, was describing a lucrative Pacquiao bout as "the keys to the gate."

Shaw and Arum appear to be on a collision course as Shaw downplayed a Bradley-Pacman bout, saying Arum only uses in house fighters to fight the Pinoy Idol.

"Bradley reminds me of (May 7 Pacman foe) Sugar Shane Mosley. Now some may say Shane's skills are diminished but he and Bradley always come off as nice guys. Bradley is a family guy who talks sensibly., there's no trash-talking, any of that nonsense.

"Bradley's the kid of fighter we'd love to have. He just comes off nicely as a person and is the kind of opponent I think Manny would welcome, the kind of opponent who is good for the sport of boxing," the 79 year old Arum said.

Arum, who is staging Mosley-Pacquiao with the Showtime/CBS TV combination, was critical of how promoters Shaw and Don King chose Pontiac, Mich., as the Saturday night bout venue and said the telecast and a mummified audience with no local rooting interest was "a downer.

"They made this fight too soon. They should've let it build up another year or so. It's indicative of how HBO handles their business. They put a lot of marketing into it but I don't think it got out to the sports fans, only to the (hardcore) boxing fans.

"Watching on TV, I felt no electricity so much so that even the broadcasters did not really seem pumped up, I mean (Jim) Lampley, (Larry) Merchant and (Emanuel) Steward. It was sort of like a downer.

"Most of the fans got their tickets for free. It wasn't a live audience like when you have a good Mexican fighter and fans who are really into the fight."

[tito_bandito]

If he signs to TR we probably won't be seeing Khan vs Bradley