By Keith Idec
NEW YORK — When it was relayed to Timothy Bradley this week that Amir Khan indicated he could go toe-to-toe with Marcos Maidana, rather than try to out-box his heavy-handed opponent, Bradley scoffed.
“He’s crazy,” Bradley exclaimed. “He’s going to be running all night. Once he feels that boy’s power, he’s going to be running all night. I’ve watched Maidana train in California. That boy can punch. He puts holes in bags.”
Bradley has studied Maidana closely because Bradley was supposed to fight him June 19 in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Maidana mysteriously withdrew from their fight a day before the official press conference, which prompted Bradley to make his official welterweight debut a month later against then-undefeated Luis Carlos Abregu.
The unbeaten Bradley could still encounter the Argentinean power puncher, though.
The WBO junior welterweight champion expects Maidana (29-1, 27 KOs) to defeat the highly skilled Khan (23-1, 17 KOs) tonight at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, and that he’ll overcome Devon Alexander (21-0, 13 KOs) on Jan. 29 at The Silverdome in Pontiac, Mich.. That scenario could set the stage for a Bradley-Maidana match on HBO later in 2011, unless Bradley becomes a more legitimate player in the Manny Pacquiao sweepstakes.
Regardless, he’ll watch intently tonight as Khan attempts to prove that his first-round knockout defeat to Breidis Prescott (23-2, 19 KOs) in September 2008 was an aberration.
“I’m going with Maidana,” said Bradley (26-0, 11 KOs, 1 NC), of Palm Springs, Calif. “Khan is going to bang with him and I’m not sold on his chin yet. But Khan has a lot of speed and footwork. It’s going to be interesting.”
The 24-year-old Khan clearly is a better boxer than he was when Colombia’s Prescott clocked him with a left hook 25 seconds into their lightweight fight two-plus years ago in Manchester, England. Working with renowned trainer Freddie Roach has benefitted the 2004 British Olympian technically and boosted his confidence, particularly because the experience has enabled him to spar plenty against Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs), arguably the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world.
Khan, of Bolton, England, has won five consecutive fights since Prescott interrupted his ascent to stardom, including a dominant performance against former IBF junior welterweight champ Paulie Malignaggi (27-4, 5 KOs) in his last bout, May 15 in The Theater at Madison Square Garden.
Alexander appreciates all the improvements Khan has made, so much that the southpaw from St. Louis thinks he’ll have a relatively easy time taming Maidana.
“I like Khan in this fight,” Alexander said. “I’m a firm believer in that skills beat a puncher any day. Skills pay bills. I think Khan will out-box Maidana. But if Khan gets stupid and tries to bang with him, then the puncher has a chance. The way Khan is talking, it’s like he’s going to stand there and trade with him. That’s not a smart fight for him.”
Not surprisingly, Alexander and Bradley disagree even more about who will win the ensuing significant 140-pound showdown.
“His skill level, I’ve seen it before,” Alexander said of Bradley. “There’s nothing special about it. He knows I’m too fast for him. He knows my angles will be too much for him. He’s just trying to figure out something to calm his nerves. … I’m going by skill. My skills pay the bills.”
By the end of their press conference Wednesday at Gallagher’s Steak House in Manhattan, Bradley was noticeably agitated by what he perceives to be blatant disrespect by Alexander. He took particular exception with the WBC champion continually stating that Bradley was running from him, and that the only reason they’re fighting Jan. 29 is because HBO forced the unification fight upon Bradley and his co-promoter, Gary Shaw.
Bradley pointed toward Alexander’s narrow unanimous decision defeat of Ukraine’s Andriy Kotelnik (31-4-1, 13 KOs) in his last fight, Aug. 7 in St. Louis, as proof that “Alexander The Great” is more a clever nickname than an accurate depiction of Alexander’s abilities.
“He has ability,” Bradley said, “but then he got exposed and everybody said, ‘Whoa! He’s not as good as we thought he was.’ He’s a good technical boxer, but he’s a tad bit slower than I am.”
Any ‘Silver’ linings in Pontiac?
After watching Kotelnik “get robbed,” Bradley didn’t want to face Alexander in St. Louis, the most sensible site for their fight because Alexander has become a considerable draw in his hometown.
Bradley conceded that if he “had to go [to St. Louis], I would do it,” but Shaw fought for a neutral site. Philips Arena, home of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks and the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers, and The Silverdome were the finalists to host the bout. Tickets have been priced reasonably ($25-$400), but there are legitimate concerns about the fight failing at the gate.
Andreas Apostolopoulos, the new owner of The Silverdome, is making a concerted effort to make the venue relevant again. Nearby Detroit also has a rich boxing history, especially when it comes to accomplished African-American fighters (e.g. Joe Louis, Tommy Hearns).
But Detroit’s economy is in shambles and there aren’t many legitimate ticket-sellers from the area Shaw and Don King, Alexander’s promoter, can place on the undercard to ensure anything close to a capacity crowd. The soon-to-be-refurbished building will be scaled to accommodate 15,000 fight fans that night.
Shaw, however, is undeterred.
“If it’s good enough for Barry Sanders,” Shaw said, “it’s sure as [expletive] good enough for me to put on a fight there.”
Making sense of the dollars
Khan acknowledged that he accepted less money than he expected for defending his WBA super lightweight title against Maidana.
The British star will earn $985,000 for the fight tonight, according to Nevada State Athletic Commission records. That figure doesn’t include Khan’s undisclosed cut from the license fee Sky TV has agreed to pay to televise the fight via pay-per-view in Great Britain, where the fight might not start until approximately 3:30 a.m.
“I thought the fight was worth more money,” Khan said, “but it was important for me to take this fight now. I want to prove that I’m better than him once and for all. I haven’t been running from him. I’m going to prove it by beating him.”
Nevertheless, it’s worth pointing out that Khan’s take from HBO Sports’ license fee, for a dangerous fight no less, is just $60,000 more than the network paid WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto (27-0, 21 KOs) for his laughable blowout of overmatched Mexican Freddy Hernandez (29-2, 20 KOs, 1 NC) two weeks ago in Las Vegas.
Keith Idec covers boxing for the Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, NJ., and BoxingScene.com.