Timothy Bradley decisioned Jessie Vargas after 12 rounds of action to win the interim WBO welterweight title?
Saturday night at the StubHub Center in Carson, California, in a fight televised live on HBO Championship Boxing, former two-division champion Timothy Bradley (32-1-1, 12 KOs), from Palm Springs, California, decisioned Jessie Vargas (26-0, 9 KOs), from Las Vegas by way of Los Angeles, after 12 rounds of action to win the interim WBO welterweight title.
The final scores were 116-112, 117-111, and 115-112.
Fighting out of the red corner in blue trunks trimmed in neon green, Bradley was as fit, as seasoned, as primed, as ready to rumble at ever. Even giving up five years in age and four inches in height to an up-and-comer wasn?t enough for his opponent to get the nod.
Vargas, fighting out of the blue corner in white trunks with gold and black trim, was taking a big step up in class. But his unbeaten record, no less than having legendary Erik Morales in his corner, might have won the day against a lesser man than Desert Storm.
There is much to like about Timothy Bradley. One of the things I like about Bradley is one never knows which Bradley will show up. Will it be Bradley the boxer-puncher, the guy who picks his shots and conserves his energy? Or will it be Bradley the kamikaze pilot, the warrior on a suicide mission who lets it all hang out?
Saturday night it was the latter, and it made for one helluva performance.
Bradley established his bad intentions at the opening bell. He jumped on Vargas, landing combinations on the inside, forcing the gentleman boxer into a dogfight. The kid landed a few jabs and nice counter left hook in round one, but the old pro treated his body like a heavy bag. Bradley landed a hard right at the bell to let everyone know what was to come.
Between rounds one and two, Bradley?s trainer Joel Diaz told him, ?That?s the best he has. You?ve got to break him. Apply pressure.?
The fight heated up in round two. Vargas had come to fight after all. His left hook found the range. His right hand was landing to the head and body. Bradley was doing some nice work as well. It was turning into a closer fight than the first round suggested.
In the first two rounds, Bradley connected with 31 of 106 total punches thrown. Vargas landed 27 of 115.
Round three was close. Bradley commenced hostilities with a nice uppercut. Vargas connected with two right hands in quick succession. They traded punches, landing some and missing others, but Vargas landed a big right with 10 seconds left that may have given him the round, even though each fighter landed 17 punches.
Between rounds Morales told Vargas, ?You?re more intelligent than he is. You?re longer than he is. You see what happens when you land. Press him.?
Vargas did just enough in round four to keep it competitive. Bradley, by contrast, was giving it his all and then some. Lefts and rights to the head and body were starting to take their toll. Vargas was still in it. He landed a sweet right hand counter midway through the round, and a short left hook with a minute left. But the whirlwind landed a body shot with five seconds remaining to pocket another round and extend his lead.
Bradley landed 24 of 61 punches to 21 of 51 for Vargas in the fourth.
The fade started in round five, almost imperceptibly at first, and extended into the championship rounds. It wasn?t quite all Bradley all the time, but his persistence, his pressure, his nonstop punching was paying off in a big way. Vargas was tentative. He was moving backward. He failed to initiate. His confidence was ebbing. He looked like a novice fighting a future hall of famer.
Going into the 11th, Bradley was ahead on all the scorecards. But he had a cut on his left eyelid, the left side of his face has begun to swell, and after exerting so much energy for so many rounds, he was losing his mojo. Vargas took advantage of the lack of incoming fire and succeeded in giving Bradley a dose of his own medicine. He had won only one or two rounds, but he was suddenly brimming with confidence.
After 11 rounds of fighting, Bradley had landed 220 punches to 189 for Vargas, but it looked, at least for the moment, especially after Vargas won the 11th, that the final round might be decisive.
Vargas connected with hard left. Bradley came back with two combinations. Both fighters were tired. Both fighters were spent. But it looked like Bradley had done enough, was doing enough to win the round and fight. Then, from out of nowhere, with 20 seconds left in the round, Vargas landed a thunderous right that exploded on Bradley?s chin. He didn?t go down, a testament to his fortitude, but Bradley was hurt and hurt bad. He slid along the ropes on rubbery legs to avoid the coup-de-grace. Vargas hunted him down and connected with two body shots. Bradley was in survival mode. He grabbed hold of Vargas. As Pat Russell broke them up, the timekeeper?s 10-second warning clacked, and the ref, to the astonishment of everyone, waved off the fight.
Vargas jumped on the turnbuckle to celebrate his come-from-behind victory. Bradley stood there with his hands at his sides, dumbfounded at his bad luck. Pat Russell, meanwhile, was talking heatedly with the ringside officials, explaining that he mistook the 10-second warning for the final bell. With all hell breaking loose around them, order was restored and it went to the judges, who correctly scored the fight for Bradley.
Pat Russell, to his credit, didn?t run from the arena and hide. Instead, he more or less came clean.
?It was very loud in that 12th round,? he said, ?and I thought I heard the bell. I sounded like the bell to me. So the fight was over when the bell went off. I made the call that I made based on what I heard. That?s all I can say. It was an honest call on an honest issue.?
Rather than explore the sonic properties of clack-clack versus gong, maybe we should hear what the winner has to say,
?He caught me with a good shot at the end,? said Bradley. ?The ref thought he heard the bell. I was good. I could have maintained. I grabbed a hold to him toward the end of the fight. If you look at the review, I was squeezing him so tight, like his mama was hugging him. Hey, it was a great shot. He caught me. But I would have finished, I ain?t gonna lie, with 10 seconds left. Even if the ref had let it go some more, I would have grabbed hold to him again. I?m an experienced fighter. I know what I?m doing in there. I?ll give him a rematch. No problem. When I was coming forward he caught me with that overhand right over the top. He snuck it over, hurt me, but you know, I could have continued. Hey, c?mon. I survived Provodnikov. C?mon.?
