By Thomas Gerbasi - Boxing is often a matter of perspective. Many would say the worst night of Timothy Bradley’s professional career wasn’t when he lost to Manny Pacquiao in their 2014 rematch, fought to a controversial draw with Diego Chaves last December, or nearly got stopped in the closing seconds of his June win over Jessie Vargas.
They would point to his 2013 fight with Ruslan Provodnikov, a decision win that saw him dropped and nearly knocked out en route to victory, and that resulted in a concussion that stuck with him long after the bout.
It’s a valid opinion, but the most important person in this equation, Bradley, would likely disagree. If pressed, he might even call it his greatest night in the ring. It was a night in which an oft-criticized and frankly misunderstood boxer became a hero to everyone who loves the sport.
The previous 29 wins he scored didn’t matter, neither did his controversial nod over Pacquiao or the world title he retained that night. For 36 minutes he was the warrior every fan wants their fighters to be. He rebounded from a horrific first round and got back in the fight, all the while standing and trading with the rock-fisted Russian. And just when he had things in control in the final round, he hit the deck and had to rise and dig deep to make it to the final round. [Click Here To Read More]
They would point to his 2013 fight with Ruslan Provodnikov, a decision win that saw him dropped and nearly knocked out en route to victory, and that resulted in a concussion that stuck with him long after the bout.
It’s a valid opinion, but the most important person in this equation, Bradley, would likely disagree. If pressed, he might even call it his greatest night in the ring. It was a night in which an oft-criticized and frankly misunderstood boxer became a hero to everyone who loves the sport.
The previous 29 wins he scored didn’t matter, neither did his controversial nod over Pacquiao or the world title he retained that night. For 36 minutes he was the warrior every fan wants their fighters to be. He rebounded from a horrific first round and got back in the fight, all the while standing and trading with the rock-fisted Russian. And just when he had things in control in the final round, he hit the deck and had to rise and dig deep to make it to the final round. [Click Here To Read More]
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