Arum on What’s Next For Bradley, Potential PPV Foes
by David P. Greisman
Timothy Bradley “fought an excellent fight” against Juan Manuel Marquez, according to promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank, who says that Bradley’s next bout will depend on what happens tonight between Mike Alvarado and Ruslan Provodnikov, and also next month between Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Rios.
“We’ll have to see how this fight and the fight on Nov. 23 turn out,” Arum said on Oct. 18 at the Alvarado-Provodnikov weigh-in. “And then we’ll figure what everybody is going to do.”
And whether Bradley ends up in his third pay-per-view main event or returns to an HBO broadcast will depend on who he fights, Arum said.
“You only have a pay-per-view attraction if you have a fight with somebody that people want to see,” Arum said. “If he goes in with somebody who nobody cares about, then it’s not a pay-per-view attraction.”
Opponents who could make for a feasible pay-per-view include Rios, Alvarado, or rematches with Marquez or Pacquiao, he said.
Bradley’s highly controversial win over Pacquiao last year wasn’t the most entertaining affair. His decision over Marquez last week was enjoyable but was more of a strategic affair. Nevertheless, Arum says the rematches are still sellable to the public.
“How much it does will really depend on the kind of promotion,” he said.
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