By Mark Vester
WBC junior welterweight champion Devon Alexander says Tim Bradley, the WBO champ, has been avoiding him for some time. They unify on January 29. Alexander feels that HBO, which is televising the fight, forced Braldey's hand in taking the contest. He claims to have chased Bradley several times in the past and received nothing but excuses regarding a possible fight.
"He says he hasn't avoided me," Alexander said told NY Newsday. "but here are the facts: He gave up the WBC title because he said I wasn't a big enough draw. So, I won the WBC. Then, he didn't want to fight me because I wasn't a big enough name. So, I unified the titles . Then, he said he wanted to let it marinate some more, so, we let it marinate some more and he still didn't want to fight me. I think HBO forced this fight on him because it's a fight the fans want to see."
Alexander is not impressed with Bradley's style or the opponents that he's beaten. After studying tapes, he believes Bradley has put on too much bulk from working out. Alexander also noticed a flaw that leaves Bradley vulnerable to straight punches.
"He ducks his head a lot. He kind of throws punches and doesn't know where they're going. I think it's because he's so big. He's lifting weights, and he's losing a lot of speed. Straight punches all night are going to kill him," Alexander said.
