Timothy Bradley: From Hunter to Hunted, and He Likes It

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If the world of professional boxing ever has a czar, I’d like to nominate WBO junior welterweight champion Timothy Bradley for the position. Why? Well, in a game filled with dodgers and demands, Bradley – while understanding that this is a business – just wants to fight.

“I want to fight Devon (Alexander), I want to fight Amir (Khan), I want to fight (Marcos) Maidana, I want to fight Victor Ortiz, and all these fighters,” Bradley told BoxingScene. “The 140 class right now is the best division and we have some of the top young athletes in the world heading into their prime, and I think this division could be something like in the days when you had (Thomas) Hearns, (Marvin) Hagler, Sugar Ray (Leonard), and (Roberto) Duran in the same division going head to head.”

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Of course, then the business end of things rears its ugly head, and with different promoters, different sanctioning bodies, different networks, and all that other fun stuff getting in the way, the odds of getting something like that done anytime soon are slim. But Bradley, who was scheduled to fight Maidana this month before the Argentinean withdrew from the bout, still has hope.

“If we all agree to it, then why not do it?” he asks. “But again, it’s not always the fighters’ decision; it’s the promoters’ as well. A promoter wants to protect his asset and it’s an investment - get him the right fights, build him up, and then go for the big fight. I don’t mind. I want to have a four man tournament. Let’s have the Americans fight against the overseas fighters, and then whoever wins there can fight each other, and whoever wins that is considered the best junior welterweight in the world.”

“That’s what boxing needs,” continues Bradley. “It needs big fights between young fighters trying to make a name for themselves. Not taking anything away from the older fighters who’ve been in the game for a while now, but with all these young fighters trying to make a name for themselves, you’re gonna see some fights. And in every division I feel there are too many champions. There should be one reigning champion, and every division should have a tournament to find out who is the best in the division.”

It’s a far cry from Bradley’s salad days battling it out on the local circuit in Southern California, as he scored win after win in the hopes of getting his big break. That break came in 2008 when he traveled to England to lift Junior Witter’s 140-pound title and begin his run towards the pound-for-pound list. Now, Bradley is, for want of a better term, the man, in the division, and he kinda likes the view from here.

“This is what I’ve been fighting for all these years,” he said. “I started off fighting and trying to get to that world championship, and after you get the championship, you want to get the fans’ respect. They didn’t think it was legitimate, ‘oh, he just got lucky,’ and then once you get the fans’ respect and once you get all the analysts and commentators on your back, then they start pushing you and pushing you and you can get one of these big megafights. So it’s been a great journey, I love the pace that I’m going in my boxing career at this moment. It’s been tough, but I really embrace the boxing public for putting me pound for pound; I think that’s amazing in my sixth year as a professional, and I just can’t believe it. I just want to continue and make everything that everybody’s saying about me true.”

It would be difficult not to get behind Palm Springs’ Bradley (25-0, 11 KOs, 1 NC), who not only can fight, but who is a solid citizen and one of the good guys in the game. But before he starts moving towards the big fights on the horizon, Bradley first has to get by another tough Argentinean knockout artist in 29-0 (23 KOs) Luis Carlos Abregu on July 17th. Adding to the intrigue is that this will be Bradley’s first official welterweight bout since 2006, when he checked in at 146.5 pounds against Alfonso Sanchez. One thing’s for sure though, he’s enjoying that extra seven pounds in training camp.

“It’s been fun,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of energy. I went to my doctor and he’s been checking my levels and he’s been like ‘are you training?’ Yeah, I’ve been training hard. He said ‘Your energy’s there and I think you’re gonna be big time ready for this fight.’”

Funny what being able to eat a little more can do for your psyche. But even more exciting for Bradley is that this bout has the potential to be an audition for the big names at welterweight – namely a couple guys named Pacquiao and Mayweather – should those two decide not to dance later this year.

“This is an audition for the big names,” he agrees. “I’m willing to go up and face any of these guys. It’s definitely a tough fight (against Abregu). This guy hasn’t lost, he’s a big knockout puncher, he’s a lot bigger than I am and he’s been a welterweight his whole career, while I haven’t, so this is a tough challenge. A lot of people are not giving Abregu any credit or any chance, but he packs a big punch, and let’s see if I’m able to take the punch at 147 pounds.”

Yet if things go well, as Bradley expects, he insists that he’s not abandoning 140 pounds anytime soon.

“I can still make 140 pretty easily,” he said. “I just have to dedicate myself a little bit more as far as getting the cardio up. I’ve got unfinished business at 140 and I definitely want to go back there and face some of these challenges there. There are a lot of big names at 147 who I would definitely move up there to fight, so I just want to test the waters at 147 and see how I do and then we can just go from there.”

It’s been a pretty life-altering two years for the 26-year old Bradley since he first put his stamp on the world boxing stage, and you can tell that he’s still adjusting to the ins and outs of big time boxing. The main adjustment is tempering your initial expectations. At first, you expect that once the title comes, fights will follow, but as he’s found out, that’s not always the case.

“It is tough,” he admits. “It’s been a rollercoaster. I go from beating Lamont Peterson to not even able to get a fight with anybody. It was ridiculous. I was getting frustrated because nobody wanted to fight me, and then all of a sudden, everybody and their mama wanted to fight me now. I was looking at ESPN the other night, and there was the kid who was 4-0 calling me out already. (Laughs) Wow, I’ve got a big target on my back and all these guys are gunning for me now, A couple months ago, there was nobody.”

Add in the callouts, the threats from sanctioning bodies to strip titles, and all the rest, and it could bring you down and make you lose track of what you need to do in the gym and the ring, but at the very least, Bradley’s got that part figured out, so Abregu can’t hope to catch the junior welterweight champ napping.

“I look at every fight like it’s my last fight, so I never have a mental struggle getting up for a fight,” he said. “This is my job and so all I say is, you know what, I’m gonna kick his ass because he’s in the way of what I’m trying to get. He’s in the way, so he has to be destroyed.”

And if you ask Timothy Bradley whether it’s better to be the hunted or the hunter – since he’s been in both positions – he doesn’t hesitate in his response:

“I like to be hunted because it keeps me sharp,” he said. “I like when everybody wants to fight, and when people challenge me, it motivates me. And when they say I can’t do something, then it really motivates me because I want to show ‘em.”

Comments

RomeByKoSun Jul 11, 2010, 6:50 AM UTC

You don't seem to have followed what happened. HBO has never made him any offer because he has never asked them to. How hard is that to understand??? It was all covered in detail by the boxingscene journalists. Bradley gave an interview to boxingscene in which he claimed that completely irrelevant offer from Showtime a year ago was a reason not to fight Alexander now, even though they are both HBO fighters now, and even though Alexander is a unified titlist now, and had never fought for any title a year ago. Alexander responded to that interview by giving an interview of his own to boxingscene, in which he pointed out that the offer from Showtime a year ago was completely irrelevant in the context of what HBO would offer him now, and he challenged Bradley to go to HBO with him and ask them to make them an offer. Bradley never responded to Alexander's challenge. That's a fact. Google is your friend. What is dishonest is your pretending that the offer he received from Showtime a year ago when Alexander hadn't fought anyone has any relevance whatsoever to the situation today, when you know damn well that it doesn't. Why would HBO, who pay Amir Khan over a million dollars per fight, offer the two top fighters in the division $400k to fight each other? Why are you making figures up? The fact is that Bradley never tried to find out what HBO would be willing to pay them to fight this year. That is just a fact. And there is no reason whatsoever to suppose that HBO would have lowballed them if they had tried to make the fight. Bringing up the Showtime offer of a year ago, and pretending it is relevant to the current situation when it isn't, is dishonest. That's a fact. I followed what happen which is why I said a number of times I did not recall hearing about an offer or the numbers of the offer.It was you who kept talking about HBO putting up big numbers for them to fight.Bradley brought up what he was offered the first time to show everybody that he was being low balled.It is a bigger fight now and should be treated as such don't you think?? As far as Devon having too belts and fighting rank fighters Devon fought two rank fighters right??Bradley has fought five hmmm.Bradley has earned the right too test the waters at 147lb being the fact that he beat every opponent put in front of him at 140lb and fought his way to the num 1 spot.Devon beat two rank fighters and all of a sudden he is the talk of the town..Let Devon prove a little more that's just my opinion.. Khan is a big draw look how he and Paulie sold MSG out do you really believe Paulie was the one putting asses in those seats??Khan is big period cause of being from the UK and because he is a Muslim.Khan is a bigger Draw then Bradley and Devon believe that my friend.. Quick question.Do you not think it is smart that Bradley did not fight Devon right away??

LEATHERF8CESun Jul 11, 2010, 3:11 AM UTC

Worldwide maybe, but not in the US - not yet, anyway. HBO is only interested in the US market. No journalist has ever said so. Nor has Bradley or Alexander. I wouldn't put any faith in what a forum poster says, if it isn't backed up by a single article by a reputable journalist, or by any statement made by either fighter. Whether by waiting they'll turn it into a superfight is open to question and I'm not going to get sidetracked into that debate in this thread. The point I was making was that in comparison with a year ago, it is already a superfight, and therefore to bring up what Bradley was offered a year ago to fight him and pretend it's relevant to what he would make now is just dishonest. I understand you point on a year ago,, Recently HBO is asking for this fight in January but has not said anything about money, now before all this, when Maidana pulled out, Alexander never once contacted Shaw for a fight even tho cunningham did alot of talking on BS, so why even ask HBO...Bradley was on a radio interview and i try to dig that up for you, but he was on his way to a laker playoff game and he was questioned fighting alexander because of Maidana pulling out of the fight and he also said HBO only offered 150k for the fight and this is coming from Bradley..but anyways lets just hope in January HBO puts up the kind of money this fight is worth cause IMO i think this could be a Trilology

Dave_RadoSun Jul 11, 2010, 1:34 AM UTC

Khan has a huge fan base more than Bradley and Devon put together,,, Worldwide maybe, but not in the US - not yet, anyway. HBO is only interested in the US market. I believe there was a second offer for Bradley and Devon fight and there was another poster on here that also said it,, No journalist has ever said so. Nor has Bradley or Alexander. I wouldn't put any faith in what a forum poster says, if it isn't backed up by a single article by a reputable journalist, or by any statement made by either fighter. now a SUPERFIGHT between Devon and Bradley could do alot more than that, and Bradley knows it Whether by waiting they'll turn it into a superfight is open to question and I'm not going to get sidetracked into that debate in this thread. The point I was making was that in comparison with a year ago, it is already a superfight, and therefore to bring up what Bradley was offered a year ago to fight him and pretend it's relevant to what he would make now is just dishonest.

LEATHERF8CESun Jul 11, 2010, 12:02 AM UTC

You don't seem to have followed what happened. HBO has never made him any offer because he has never asked them to. How hard is that to understand??? It was all covered in detail by the boxingscene journalists. Bradley gave an interview to boxingscene in which he claimed that completely irrelevant offer from Showtime a year ago was a reason not to fight Alexander now, even though they are both HBO fighters now, and even though Alexander is a unified titlist now, and had never fought for any title a year ago. Alexander responded to that interview by giving an interview of his own to boxingscene, in which he pointed out that the offer from Showtime a year ago was completely irrelevant in the context of what HBO would offer him now, and he challenged Bradley to go to HBO with him and ask them to make them an offer. Bradley never responded to Alexander's challenge. That's a fact. Google is your friend. What is dishonest is your pretending that the offer he received from Showtime a year ago when Alexander hadn't fought anyone has any relevance whatsoever to the situation today, when you know damn well that it doesn't. Why would HBO, who pay Amir Khan over a million dollars per fight, offer the two top fighters in the division $400k to fight each other? Why are you making figures up? The fact is that Bradley never tried to find out what HBO would be willing to pay them to fight this year. That is just a fact. And there is no reason whatsoever to suppose that HBO would have lowballed them if they had tried to make the fight. Bringing up the Showtime offer of a year ago, and pretending it is relevant to the current situation when it isn't, is dishonest. That's a fact. HBO pays Khan that kind of money for the same reason GBP wanted to sign him,, because he's a cash cow...Khan has a huge fan base more than Bradley and Devon put together,,, I believe there was a second offer for Bradley and Devon fight and there was another poster on here that also said it,, but i can't seem to remember who he was but claimed to be related to Devon, but he said 800k was offered for that fight earlier this year, if i'm not mistaken...now a SUPERFIGHT between Devon and Bradley could do alot more than that, and Bradley knows it

Dave_RadoSat Jul 10, 2010, 10:59 PM UTC

Once again where is your proof??I never read anywhere that he refused to hear an offer from HBO?? Yes we know HBO has big money but we don't know the offer for all we know it was 400K right?He is fighting a good fighter a dangerous fighter as well.More dangerous then who Devon is fighting no? You don't seem to have followed what happened. HBO has never made him any offer because he has never asked them to. How hard is that to understand??? It was all covered in detail by the boxingscene journalists. Bradley gave an interview to boxingscene in which he claimed that completely irrelevant offer from Showtime a year ago was a reason not to fight Alexander now, even though they are both HBO fighters now, and even though Alexander is a unified titlist now, and had never fought for any title a year ago. Alexander responded to that interview by giving an interview of his own to boxingscene, in which he pointed out that the offer from Showtime a year ago was completely irrelevant in the context of what HBO would offer him now, and he challenged Bradley to go to HBO with him and ask them to make them an offer. Bradley never responded to Alexander's challenge. That's a fact. Google is your friend. What is dishonest is your pretending that the offer he received from Showtime a year ago when Alexander hadn't fought anyone has any relevance whatsoever to the situation today, when you know damn well that it doesn't. Why would HBO, who pay Amir Khan over a million dollars per fight, offer the two top fighters in the division $400k to fight each other? Why are you making figures up? The fact is that Bradley never tried to find out what HBO would be willing to pay them to fight this year. That is just a fact. And there is no reason whatsoever to suppose that HBO would have lowballed them if they had tried to make the fight. Bringing up the Showtime offer of a year ago, and pretending it is relevant to the current situation when it isn't, is dishonest. That's a fact.

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