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Timothy Bradley - An Analysis
Let's analyse Timothy Bradley, who is one of the most underappreciated modern greats of the sport. His official record is 33-2-1. But his record should really just be 32-3-1. He lost to Pacquiao 3 times and his "victory" against him in their first fight was a blatant robbery. His draw against Chaves also made one wonder which kind of drugs the judges had been taking, as Bradley clearly won the fight. His fight against Provodnikov was one of the greatest fights ever and really should have been a draw. Both were brilliant that night. So yeah, 32-3-1 should be Bradley's record, with only 13 of his wins coming by way of knockout. In other words, Bradley doesn't punch very hard. And yet, he has beaten every opponent he faced, except Pacquiao, and a lot of those opponents were quality wins. Vargas, Chaves, Marquez, Alexander, Abregu, Peterson, Holt, Witter, Vasquez. Bradley managed to beat that long list of good boxers with different styles due to his incredible attributes that makes his lack of punching power irrelevant.
Chin and heart:
Bradley got the heart of a warrior and puts it all on the line when he fights, eating massive punches without being discouraged, as we saw against Pacquiao and especially against Provodnikov. Bradley has never been stopped, despite being in brutal wars, which is simply because his heart and chin is as world class as they get.
Technician and brawler:
Bradley got mad skills. The way he outboxed Marquez and Alexander, who themselves are good technicians, was absolutely fantastic. He can move, he can jab, he can counter. And he's damned good at it. However, he doesn't fear a good brawl and can handle himself pretty well in it. Despite his lack of power, his punches, when thrown with bad intentions, still hurt his opponents. Just ask Rios and Pacquiao. It's extremely rare to see such a combination of defensive skills and brawling skills. Andre Ward himself declared Bradley to be the hardest fight he ever had.
Great physical shape:
Bradley is insanely fast, both with his legs, hands and upper body. His stamina is good and he's in the fight from the first round to the last, always being active. He's in fantastic physical shape. Just look when he tightens his muscles, it's insane.
Conclusion? Losing 3 times to Pacquiao doesn't change the fact that Bradley is a truly great boxer who deserves far more respect than he's getting.
Chin and heart:
Bradley got the heart of a warrior and puts it all on the line when he fights, eating massive punches without being discouraged, as we saw against Pacquiao and especially against Provodnikov. Bradley has never been stopped, despite being in brutal wars, which is simply because his heart and chin is as world class as they get.
Technician and brawler:
Bradley got mad skills. The way he outboxed Marquez and Alexander, who themselves are good technicians, was absolutely fantastic. He can move, he can jab, he can counter. And he's damned good at it. However, he doesn't fear a good brawl and can handle himself pretty well in it. Despite his lack of power, his punches, when thrown with bad intentions, still hurt his opponents. Just ask Rios and Pacquiao. It's extremely rare to see such a combination of defensive skills and brawling skills. Andre Ward himself declared Bradley to be the hardest fight he ever had.
Great physical shape:
Bradley is insanely fast, both with his legs, hands and upper body. His stamina is good and he's in the fight from the first round to the last, always being active. He's in fantastic physical shape. Just look when he tightens his muscles, it's insane.
Conclusion? Losing 3 times to Pacquiao doesn't change the fact that Bradley is a truly great boxer who deserves far more respect than he's getting.
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