SONAHR: Oct. 13, 2013 – Officially, Tim ?Desert Storm? Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez fought on Saturday for the undefeated Bradley?s WBO welterweight title. Unofficially, they contested the championship of the ?I Beat Manny Pacquiao in 2012 Club.? Bradley?s highly-disputed decision victory over Pacquiao, and Marquez?s subsequent kayo of the Filipino legend, knocked Pacquiao off his long-held perch as boxing?s No. 1 pound-for-pound practitioner. So, it seemed only fitting that the two men who beat Manny would meet in a duel of their own.
When their twelve fiercely-contested rounds in the ring ended, Bradley came away with a split decision and an intact ?0? in his loss column. Unlike the Bradley-Pacquiao result, this decision was not universally condemned. Naturally, Marquez and his supporters believed he had done enough to win. But Bradley, utilizing a combination of speed, skill and smarts, was able to outbox an opponent who is himself a one of the best boxers of his time.
True, Marquez is 40 years old. So what credit does Bradley gain by defeating a man of that vintage?
Well, it?s also true that Marquez isn?t just any 40-year-old. He is to the lighter weight divisions what Bernard Hopkins is to the heavier ones: a master of his craft who continues to defy Father Time. And even in the wake of his welterweight-title loss to Bradley, Marquez still holds the WBO junior-welterweight crown.
Should Marquez choose to continue his career at the lower weight, a pack of young wolves is waiting to try to take him down. Danny Garcia, Mike Alvarado, Brandon Rios (who is slated to fight Pacquiao next month) ? these would all be good matchups. At welterweight, the options are less attractive. A fifth fight with Pacquiao, should Manny get by Rios? Maybe. A rematch with Bradley? Unlikely. A rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr., who beat Marquez decisively four years ago? No, thanks.
As for Bradley, he has regained much of the ground he lost as a result of the backlash that followed his win over Pacquiao. Although most of the vitriol landed on the three judges who rendered the decision, a lot of it splashed over Bradley as well.
The Marquez result wasn?t redemption for ?Desert Storm.? Bradley earned that in March of this year, when he went life-and-death in a war with Ruslan Provodnikov. Provodnikov was unheralded at the time, and we?ll see what he?s made of next week, when he takes on Alvarado. Still, Bradley showed courage under unexpected fire, and won over at least some of his critics. With the Marquez fight, he?s impressed even more of those who once vilified him. They may still believe that he didn?t legitimately defeat Pacquiao. But now they?re more willing to give Bradley credit for being a damn good fighter.
Although the welterweight division teems with talent these days, there?s really only one true challenge left for Bradley at 147 lb. That would be Floyd Mayweather Jr. Bradley would go into that fight as an underdog, like all of Mayweather?s opponents. But he would be a very live underdog, and is possibly the biggest threat remaining to Mayweather in the division.
Go for it, Tim.
