PALM SPRINGS? WBO and former WBC light-welterweight champion Timothy Bradley cannot wait for his July 17 defence against hard-hitting WBA Interim king Marcos Maidana. Not only does Bradley get the opportunity to springboard into the mainstream with the intriguing Rancho Mirage showdown, he can prove a point to rival WBA title-holder Amir Khan, for whom Argentina?s Maidana is the mandatory challenger.
?Khan?s getting better, but he?s not fighting Maidana, who should have had the opportunity by now,? Bradley summised. ?They came to some sort of agreement but that?s not how it works with me. I would have liked to have kept the WBC title and defended it against Devon Alexander when we?d had more time to build the fight up, but I was not allowed to. It?s ridiculous, the WBA should have picked the title from Khan a long time ago.?
Bradley sees the fight with Maidana, who pulled out injured from his original June date with the WBO boss, as a way to increase his profile and as a stepping-stone to a future contest with Khan.
?I?m probably not a household name just yet but I?m not far from it,? Bradley stated. ?Writers are writing good things about me and I?m starting to become more recognised. I?m where I need to be at right now, and one or two more big fights at 140 should do it. Maidana, then I?ll take out Khan, which should set up a huge fight with Alexander? and then I?ll take him out. After I take care of business with Maidana, Freddie Roach and [Khan?s promoter] Golden Boy know I want to take care of Khan. I?d love to get it on with Khan.
?Maidana had just came off a big fight [against Victor Cayo on March 27], and it?s possible he may or may not have hurt his back. He?d just come out of an extreme training camp, so it was really soon for him to get into strenuous preparations for the No. 1 at 140.?
Bradley was actually quite happy with the delay because he has another important date to look forward to.
?It just gives me more time to get even more focused and ready, plus I?m getting married to my fianc?e Monica, who I?ve been with for three-and-a-half years, on May 15 in my hometown,? revealed the 26-year-old, a step-father to Robert (10) and Alaysia (5). ?We won?t be going on any honeymoon until December. I?ll have eight weeks exactly from my wedding until the fight, 60 days.
?I?m training right now, doing some strength training, running, light work in the gym, but the intensity hasn?t picked up yet.?
With 25-0 (11) Bradley currently on what is, for him, a light schedule, he found some time to give his thoughts on Saturday?s welterweight superfight between Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley.
?Mayweather will win,? Bradley affirmed. ?I?m a Mosley fan, I hope he can win but Floyd Mayweather is no doubt the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and he can outspeed and outwit Shane Mosley. At this point in Mosley?s career? Mayweather is at the top of his game right now.
?Mayweather knows I want some of him, but this is a business too, you?ve got to maximise that dollar. I?m not a househeold name but I?m a big enough threat for him to avoid.?
