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By Keith Idec - When reminded yet again that Devon Alexander against Timothy Bradley would be a tough sell in the economically depressed Detroit area, promoter Gary Shaw suggested that we focus on the two men who’ll enter the ring tonight, not how many people walk through the turnstiles at The Silverdome.
“I put on the greatest fight of the decade, Corrales versus Castillo, and we didn’t sell even 2,000 tickets,” Shaw said. “I never heard anyone say that it wasn’t a fight that was extraordinary.”
Shaw wasn’t insinuating that Alexander and Bradley are capable of replicating the stunning slugfest that Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo produced during their legendary lightweight brawl on May 7, 2005, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Corrales-Castillo I ranks among the greatest, most dramatic action fights in boxing history, so Shaw wasn’t about to insult anyone with such an unrealistic comparison.
Still, while winning is obviously the primary objective for both boxers, Bradley, 27, and Alexander, 23, seem to understand that their 12-round fight for the WBC and WBO 140-pound titles needs to be entertaining. The winner will likely head toward a summer showdown with England’s Amir Khan, assuming Khan (24-1, 17 KOs) defeats an undetermined opponent April 16 in Manchester, England.
But the loser could quickly benefit as well if he is defeated in a compelling manner.
“I think it’s going to be a great fight,” Bradley said. “I think the fighters in this fight, win or lose, are going to be superstars. It’s going to be that spectacular.”
St. Louis’ Alexander (21-0, 13 KOs) and Bradley (26-0, 11 KOs, 1 NC), of Cathedral City, Calif., certainly have been provided with the platform for becoming stars in 2011.
HBO Sports has marketed the Alexander-Bradley fight much more aggressively than most main events televised live on the premium cable network. Alexander-Bradley also is the first significant fight of this year, despite that it is already 28 days old.
That has helped this showdown between unbeaten American world champions receive an inordinate amount of media attention in recent weeks, in addition to building a high level of anticipation among the hardcore boxing fans that are so eager to watch this 12-round fight for junior welterweight supremacy. [Click Here To Read More]
“I put on the greatest fight of the decade, Corrales versus Castillo, and we didn’t sell even 2,000 tickets,” Shaw said. “I never heard anyone say that it wasn’t a fight that was extraordinary.”
Shaw wasn’t insinuating that Alexander and Bradley are capable of replicating the stunning slugfest that Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo produced during their legendary lightweight brawl on May 7, 2005, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Corrales-Castillo I ranks among the greatest, most dramatic action fights in boxing history, so Shaw wasn’t about to insult anyone with such an unrealistic comparison.
Still, while winning is obviously the primary objective for both boxers, Bradley, 27, and Alexander, 23, seem to understand that their 12-round fight for the WBC and WBO 140-pound titles needs to be entertaining. The winner will likely head toward a summer showdown with England’s Amir Khan, assuming Khan (24-1, 17 KOs) defeats an undetermined opponent April 16 in Manchester, England.
But the loser could quickly benefit as well if he is defeated in a compelling manner.
“I think it’s going to be a great fight,” Bradley said. “I think the fighters in this fight, win or lose, are going to be superstars. It’s going to be that spectacular.”
St. Louis’ Alexander (21-0, 13 KOs) and Bradley (26-0, 11 KOs, 1 NC), of Cathedral City, Calif., certainly have been provided with the platform for becoming stars in 2011.
HBO Sports has marketed the Alexander-Bradley fight much more aggressively than most main events televised live on the premium cable network. Alexander-Bradley also is the first significant fight of this year, despite that it is already 28 days old.
That has helped this showdown between unbeaten American world champions receive an inordinate amount of media attention in recent weeks, in addition to building a high level of anticipation among the hardcore boxing fans that are so eager to watch this 12-round fight for junior welterweight supremacy. [Click Here To Read More]
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