Tweet
Alexander-Bradley Winner 'Merits' Pacquiao, Mayweather, Marquez
By Lem Satterfield
Boxing Editor
The Jan. 29 winner of an HBO televised junior welterweight (140 pounds) clash between southpaw WBC champ Devon Alexander, of St. Louis, Mo., and WBO counter part Tim Bradley, of Palm Springs, Calif., merits a mega fight opposite eight-division king Manny Pacquiao, six-time titlist Floyd Mayweather or WBO and WBA lightweight (135 pounds) belt-holder Juan Manuel Marquez, Alexander's manager and trainer, Kevin Cunningham, contends.
Cunningham also believes that the victor between the 23-year-old Alexander (21-0, 13 knockouts) and the 27-year-old Bradley (26-0, 11 KOs) would stand worthy against 39-year-old, three-division, five-time titlist Shane Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs), against whom the 32-year-old Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs) will defend his WBO welterweight (147 pounds) crown on May 7 without Pacquiao's WBC junior middleweight (154 pounds) belt being on the line.
Cunningham's response counters a notion by Golden Boy Promotions CEO, Richard Schaefer, that the winner of Alexander-Bradley, to be contested at the Pontiac Silverdome, in Pontiac, Mich., face 24-year-old WBA king Amir Khan (24-1, 17 KOs) of England, who is coming off of a Dec. 11, unanimous decision over then-WBA interim belt-holder Marcos Rene Maidana (29-2, 27 KOs), of Argentina.
Schaefer, who promotes Khan, told Robert Morales of BoxingScene.com that he has spoken with officials at HBO concerning a July 30 fight for Khan against the winner of Alexander-Bradley, with the loser meeting Maidana. Khan is slated to return to the ring on April 16 against an opponent to be determined in England.
Top Rank Promotions CEO Bob Arum agrees that the Alexander-Bradley winner could "merit," Pacquiao. In this FanHouse Q&A, Cunningham discussed the merits of Pacquiao, Mosley, the 33-year-old Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs) and the 37-year-old Marquez (51-5-1, 38 KOs), the latter of whom is a three-division champion
FanHouse: What are your thoughts on what should be next for the winner of the Devon Alexander-Tim Bradley fight?
Kevin Cunningham: They're trying to push Amir Khan on the winner of this fight, and I don't like that. With us, we'll fight anybody.
But I don't like how they're setting it up like these two are fighting to see who deserves to fight Amir Khan. I don't like that.
Would you, instead, want to see Devon Alexander and Tim Bradley do a rematch, as Bradley indicated to FanHouse as the result of a rematch clause?
I don't have a rematch clause. I don't know what Bradley has in his contract, but we don't have a rematch clause. We have another fight with HBO, but its up to HBO's discretion with whom we fight.
But we don't have a rematch clause with Tim Bradley. Maybe Bradley has a rematch clause, but we don't. But you have two, undefeated fighters who are the best two, 140-pounders in the division fighting each other.
They are also the only two who have unified titles in the division. They are the only two who are undefeated. I don't see Khan as being a prize for the winner of this fight.
The winner of this fight should be awarded with a mega fight, and I don't see Khan as that mega fight.
By Lem Satterfield
Boxing Editor
The Jan. 29 winner of an HBO televised junior welterweight (140 pounds) clash between southpaw WBC champ Devon Alexander, of St. Louis, Mo., and WBO counter part Tim Bradley, of Palm Springs, Calif., merits a mega fight opposite eight-division king Manny Pacquiao, six-time titlist Floyd Mayweather or WBO and WBA lightweight (135 pounds) belt-holder Juan Manuel Marquez, Alexander's manager and trainer, Kevin Cunningham, contends.
Cunningham also believes that the victor between the 23-year-old Alexander (21-0, 13 knockouts) and the 27-year-old Bradley (26-0, 11 KOs) would stand worthy against 39-year-old, three-division, five-time titlist Shane Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs), against whom the 32-year-old Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs) will defend his WBO welterweight (147 pounds) crown on May 7 without Pacquiao's WBC junior middleweight (154 pounds) belt being on the line.
Cunningham's response counters a notion by Golden Boy Promotions CEO, Richard Schaefer, that the winner of Alexander-Bradley, to be contested at the Pontiac Silverdome, in Pontiac, Mich., face 24-year-old WBA king Amir Khan (24-1, 17 KOs) of England, who is coming off of a Dec. 11, unanimous decision over then-WBA interim belt-holder Marcos Rene Maidana (29-2, 27 KOs), of Argentina.
Schaefer, who promotes Khan, told Robert Morales of BoxingScene.com that he has spoken with officials at HBO concerning a July 30 fight for Khan against the winner of Alexander-Bradley, with the loser meeting Maidana. Khan is slated to return to the ring on April 16 against an opponent to be determined in England.
Top Rank Promotions CEO Bob Arum agrees that the Alexander-Bradley winner could "merit," Pacquiao. In this FanHouse Q&A, Cunningham discussed the merits of Pacquiao, Mosley, the 33-year-old Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs) and the 37-year-old Marquez (51-5-1, 38 KOs), the latter of whom is a three-division champion
FanHouse: What are your thoughts on what should be next for the winner of the Devon Alexander-Tim Bradley fight?
Kevin Cunningham: They're trying to push Amir Khan on the winner of this fight, and I don't like that. With us, we'll fight anybody.
But I don't like how they're setting it up like these two are fighting to see who deserves to fight Amir Khan. I don't like that.
Would you, instead, want to see Devon Alexander and Tim Bradley do a rematch, as Bradley indicated to FanHouse as the result of a rematch clause?
I don't have a rematch clause. I don't know what Bradley has in his contract, but we don't have a rematch clause. We have another fight with HBO, but its up to HBO's discretion with whom we fight.
But we don't have a rematch clause with Tim Bradley. Maybe Bradley has a rematch clause, but we don't. But you have two, undefeated fighters who are the best two, 140-pounders in the division fighting each other.
They are also the only two who have unified titles in the division. They are the only two who are undefeated. I don't see Khan as being a prize for the winner of this fight.
The winner of this fight should be awarded with a mega fight, and I don't see Khan as that mega fight.
If he beat Alexander he would be #1 at 140 - and i wouldn't mind seeing him in there with May/Pac, but i think a khan fight is what everyone wants.
Comment