SONAHR: LAS VEGAS, Nevada – November 8, 2015 – Stop the presses! Stop the presses! Timothy Bradley has scored a knockout win!
OK, maybe that?s a bit over the top with the sarcasm. But still ? current WBO welterweight champion Bradley is not known as a power-puncher. Going into Saturday?s title defense against Brandon Rios, Bradley had accumulated only 12 stoppages in 34 fights. Nicknamed ?Desert Storm,? Bradley is not a defensive wizard along the lines of Floyd Mayweather Jr. Instead, Bradley outspeeds and outworks his opponents ? a feather-fisted slugger, if you can accept such an apparent contradiction in terms.
In Rios, Bradley faced an opponent who had seen better days, but was still world-class. Rios had lost two of his last four contests, but had previously been a champion in the junior-welterweight division. Bradley had also held a 140-lb title before moving up to more lucrative pastures at 147.
A notable common opponent of Bradley and Rios is Manny Pacquiao. Pac-man won a lopsided decision over Rios, while Bradley is 1-1 against the former pound-for-pound leader. His 2012 win over Pacquiao was highly controversial, but his defeat in the rematch two years later was decisive.
Bradley-Rios looked like a good match on paper, with Rios a live underdog. In the ring, it looked more like a mismatch. Bradley produced his most exciting performance since his 2013 war with Ruslan Provodnikov. He capped his effort by knocking Rios down twice in the ninth round, prompting the referee to bring matters to a halt. The second knockdown was produced by, of all things, a body shot. The feathers in Bradley?s fists must have become explosive on Saturday night.
Although the result is excellent for Bradley, certain circumstances surrounding the event were, to put it mildly, bizarre. Both men made the 147-lb welterweight limit at the official weigh-in. At an unofficial weighing on the day of the fight, Bradley ? who is built like a pocket Hercules ? scaled 155, which is a pound above the junior-middleweight limit. And Rios hit a whopping 170 lbs, which made him a freakin? light-heavyweight!
One would think that such a disparity in poundage would have worked to Rios?s advantage. It didn?t. Indeed, the rapid weight gain might well have wreaked havoc with Rios?s innards, rendering him more vulnerable to body punches, even from a light hitter like Bradley. The weight issue doesn?t take anything away from Bradley?s triumph. But it?s yet another of the ?peculiar? circumstances that relegate boxing to the so-called red-light district of sports.
After the fight, Rios announced his retirement. That?s probably for the best, as he has now lost three of his last five contests, and seems to be all-too-willing to abuse his body.
Bradley has cemented his status as a major player in a division that is wide-open with Mayweather retired and Pacquiao in the shelf. Rising stars like Keith Thurman and Kell Brook would make for good matchups for Bradley, although they might consider him too much of a risk for too little reward. So would junior-welterweight king Terence Crawford, should Crawford decide to move up to the next division.
But please ? no more light-heavyweights fighting for a welterweight title.
