A call from the International Boxing Hall of Fame can reach its new inductees in the strangest of places, as Timothy Bradley Jr. recently found out.
The two-division world champion from Palm Springs, California, will see his name enshrined for posterity next year in Canastota, New York, as part of the IBHOF’s men’s modern category, which includes Rafael Marquez and Carl Froch.
Bradley won titles at 140 and 147, including a split decision victory over Manny Pacquiao in their welterweight title bout in 2012. But it was in 2013 that “Desert Storm” truly made a name for himself by being involved in arguably the greatest televised fight of the 2010s, his thrilling — and at times harrowing — barnburner with Ruslan Provodnikov. Bradley won that brutal scrap via unanimous decision. The two losses he suffered in his career came at the hands of Pacquiao in subsequent rematches.
During the recent ESPN broadcast of the Teofimo Lopez-Sandor Martin junior welterweight main event at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Bradley, who works for the network as a boxing analyst, told the story of how the news of his induction was delivered to him.
“Let me tell you the story of how I found out,” Bradley said. “I get a call from my wife and she says, ‘I got a flat tire.’ And I said, [Where are you?], Where’s your location?' She drives a Tesla, so I figured out her location, went to her and said, ‘Take my truck, go ahead, take my truck home, go to work, do what you gotta do, not a problem, I’mma stay here and wait for the tow truck.’
“She drives off, she pulls to the side of the road, after about 100 feet, turns around, comes back, hands me the phone. I’m, like, 'Who is this?' And she’s just, like, 'Here, the phone is for you.' I’m like ‘OK.’ Picked up the phone and was like ‘Hi, is this Timothy Bradley.’ ‘Yes, the one and only.’ ‘This is the international Boxing Hall of Fame.’ I’m on the side of the road—the side of the road! I take a knee right there and I burst into tears.
“I mean the feeling—I can’t describe the feeling that I’ve had for many years. I came, didn’t get in, came, didn’t get in, it was all good. All the ballots are stacked. Ours was stacked with top, top guys. But to know that I’m in now, it’s the best feeling in the world. I’ll tell you right now folks you can give me all the money in the world—money will run out sooner or later. But one thing they can’t take from me is my greatness in the sport of boxing. That’s forever.
“My kids’ kids, their grandkids, their kids’ kids’ kids’—They gon’ be able to see proper when they go up to Canastoa, New York, and see me in the International Boxing Hall of Fame. You can’t buy your way in there.”
