Bradley Could Fight at 154 By Year’s End, Start of 2016
by David P. Greisman
Timothy Bradley will remain a welterweight in his next bout, but the former 140- and 147-pound titleholder could soon be moving up to junior middleweight, according to trainer Joel Diaz Sr.
“He can still make 147. If I could bring him to ’40, I would bring him back to ’40, but he can’t make ’40 anymore,” Diaz said on April 10. “Our next move will be fighting at 154, but I’m not thinking right now. Maybe one more fight and we’ll move to 154.”
Diaz said that move could come by the end of 2015 or early in 2016. There had been talk in the past of Bradley going up and facing, say Miguel Cotto at or near junior middleweight, among other potential opponents. That’s not a far-fetched idea, Diaz said.
“He is a solid fighter. He don’t have the height, but he is a solid fighter,” Diaz said. “When he’s walking around at 155, 156, he’s very strong and fast in the gym. Once he starts getting lower than that, he diminishes a little bit.”
Bradley’s greatest successes as an amateur were in the 152-pound division, Diaz said.
But even if Bradley can carry the weight on his frame, would the other junior middleweights be too big for him?
“Depends on who it is,” Diaz said. “There are fighters like Paul Williams, who was really big for that weight. I always do my research. Miguel Cotto at one point was at 140 and he moved up to 147 and 154 and even fought at 160; he came in at 155. Miguel Cotto is not a big fighter but he’s a solid fighter.
“Tim will be OK. I think Tim will do good at 154 as well because of his ability,” he said. “He may not have the power but he has the ability to move and slip punches, and he has the speed.”
Pick up a copy of David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” at http://bit.ly/fightingwordsamazon or internationally at http://bit.ly/fightingwordsworldwide . Send questions/comments via email at fightingwords1@gmail.com
