I first recall meeting Timothy Bradley in March of 2008 in Cancun, Mexico under disappointing circumstances for the Palm Springs, California fighter. Bradley was in town with hopes of facing Jose Luis Castillo in a WBC eliminator on the undercard of the Oleg Maskaev-Samuel Peter WBC heavyweight title bout but the Mexicali native withdrew from the contest shortly after weighing in seven pounds over the Jr. Welterweight limit and Bradley was left without a dance partner.
Bradley spent the rest of the weekend walking the lobby of the elegant Cancun Palace hotel, interacting with fans, and remaining optimistic about his future despite his dire situation at the time. Bradley?s modest demeanor was a breath of fresh air and that was one of the reasons it was so refreshing to see his career turn around just months later when he scored a decisive decision win over then champion Junior Witter on foreign soil. From stranded in Cancun to a champion in the United Kingdom, Timothy Bradley?s story was just beginning to unfold.
In the past two years Bradley has done well for himself by facing a list of credible opposition in the likes of Edner Cherry, Kendall Holt in a unification bout, former champion Nate Campbell, and then undefeated Lamont Peterson. Bradley has looked solid each time out while remaining undefeated, with the Campbell clash serving as the only bout with an asterisk next to it as Bradley?s third round TKO victory was later changed to a ?no contest? because of a clash of heads that caused a nasty gash over the Jacksonville, Florida fighter?s left eye.
Bradley?s last fight was against Peterson and he definitely impressed, dropping the D.C. fighter in the third and outclassing his old amateur buddy by taking the initiative. Peterson reportedly had a tremendous training camp out in Las Vegas yet the hopes of his team were shut out by Bradley?s speed and skill. The win placed Bradley?s name a few notches higher and it was then that Timothy began calling out the big names of the sport.
Since entering 2010 Bradley has added different elements to his game, including a little bit of verbal theatrics, and has stated his desires to face both Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. At the time the two pugilists were linked together for a possible March 13th clash that never came to fruition. Pacquiao would change directions and set his sights on Joshua Clottey while Bradley added more fuel to the fire in the April issue of the Ring Magazine by calling the fight ?a joke? and also stating that he would be the first man to defeat the Las Vegas based Mayweather if given the chance.
Mayweather would opt to face Shane Mosley, who he dominated over twelve rounds at the MGM Grand last month, and Bradley seemed to be left out of the mix. Rumors of a June showdown with Marcos Maidana came into play and it did seem that Bradley had a suitable foe for this summer. Maidana was coming off of a thrilling stoppage victory over Victor Cayo at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas but withdrew from the Bradley contest, citing a sore back. Bradley vs. Maidana was a fight that many were dying to see but it looks as though we will have to wait just a little while before seeing it come off.
That leaves us where we are at today, with Bradley in line to now face Argentina’s Carlos Abregu at the Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, California on July 17th. Abregu is crude, power-punching brawler but will have trouble matching Bradley on skill alone in what is serving as Timothy?s first notable Welterweight clash. While it may not be the type of fight that Bradley is looking for the HBO showdown will give him a chance to remind everyone what all of the talk is about.
One thing that is for certain is that Bradley has found a way to keep his name in the spotlight despite being out of the ring. IBF and WBC champion Devon Alexander clamored heavily for a chance to meet Bradley but had to instead opt for an August 7th encounter with former champion Andriy Kotelnik. Alexander and his trainer Kevin Cunningham landed in Las Vegas last week to begin training for the fight and would love the chance to meet Bradley towards the end of the year.
Recently promoters Bob Arum and Gary Shaw, who oversees Bradley, got into a heated war of words regarding the validity of a Bradley-Pacquiao clash. Arum gave credit to Bradley for his skills but stated that he doesn?t bring enough money or name recognition to the table in order to make the contest lucrative enough. Shaw fired back by claiming that Bradley is far more recognizable than Pacquiao?s last foe Clottey and questioned Arum?s motives by opting for Pacquiao to continue fighting fellow Top Rank fighters.
Whether at 140 or 147 pounds Timothy Bradley isn?t an easy assignment for anyone to deal with. The champion has made tremendous strides in recent years and is definitely somewhat of a dark horse in the sport compared to names such as Floyd, Manny, Cotto, Berto, and others. Seeing Bradley in the ring with a fellow star is what we all deserve but we must wait until after July 17th to see how everything plays out. Only then will get a more realistic sense of what Bradley?s near future holds.
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