In the latest edition of the soap opera known as Boxing, Marcos Maidana has once again backed out of a scheduled fight vs. Timothy Bradley. Maidana, who initially backed out of their April 13th fight, cites a back injury as the culprit for his withdrawal.
This is the same back injury that kept him out of the first scheduled fight with Bradley. Maidana?s withdrawal has sparked harsh criticism and an unexpected, but exciting, twist in the junior welterweight division. Criticism toward Maidana Maidana?s withdrawal has left a sour taste in the mouth of Bradley?s promoter Gary Shaw. In a recent interview with Boxingscene.com, Shaw said he would petition the California State Athletic Commission to try and hold Maidana to his contract. Shaw also goes on to call Maidana unprofessional and a chicken. ?I believe that he is a chicken, that he is running from Tim Bradley. I believe the first back injury was a fake. They couldn’t provide doctor’s records. They couldn’t provide records that he went through treatment. His new name is ?El Pollo?. He can run but he can’t hide. We had a deal between us and Golden Boy and I’m going to try to keep him in the deal through the commission. He obviously knew he was lucky against [Victor] Ortiz and when he knew that he had to face a real fighter, he runs like a scared chicken.? Shaw, Boxingscene.com You can understand Shaw?s frustrations as this is the second time Maidana has backed out of a fight vs. Bradley. It?s ironic that Maidana?s camp has called Amir Khan a coward for ?ducking? him and now Maidana is being accused of the same. Devon Alexander vs. Timothy Bradley Marty Ross Sacramento, CA ?With Maidana backing out, do you think Bradley and Alexander will agree to a fight for their belts?? Maidana?s departure has opened the door for Devon Alexander to bust through. Alexander?s people didn?t waste any time and have already publicly stated their desires to fight Bradley. In an interview with Boxingscene.com, Alexander?s manager/trainer Kevin Cunningham issued a challenge to Timothy Bradley: ?He has no opponent. We have no opponent. They are the two best junior welterweights in the world. The only problem is, Tim Bradley is not ready to fight Devon Alexander. They want to claim they are number one but they don’t want to have a fight with the best guy in the division to prove that they are the best in the division. Right now is the perfect opportunity to give the fans what they really want in boxing, to see the two guys who are the best in their division fight each other to prove who is the best in the junior welterweight division. ? Personally, I would love to see this fight happen. I?m all for fights that unify titles. Currently, Bradley holds the WBO junior welterweight title and Alexander holds the WBC and IBF junior welterweight titles.
