The last time we saw former junior welterweight champion Randall Bailey inside of the ring he was involved in one of the most bizarre endings to a fight in recent times. Fighting in an IBF welterweight eliminator against Morrocon-born Las Vegas resident Said Ouali, Bailey got off to a fast start with a pair of knockdowns in the early rounds but saw the fight changed to a no-contest after Ouali went flying over the ring after being lifted in the air by a confused Bailey.
Now back in his South Florida bases, Bailey mentioned that he is set to fight in another eliminator on February 18th but that the IBF will now have to find another willing combatant as Ouali turned down a rematch offer. Life moves on for Bailey, who is hoping a tune-up victory can lead to a shot at champion Jan Zaveck sometime this summer.
A fearsome puncher throughout his duration at 140 pounds, Bailey has seemed to carry his power up well to the welterweight division, most recently evidenced by his savage first-round battering of Belgium?s Jackson Bonsu last March. A fight with Zaveck would present him with the opportunity to claim a title in a second division and there most recently have been whispers of a possible Andre Berto collision sometime down the road.
Never one to back down from a challenge, Bailey would love to lay his gloves on the WBC welterweight champion.
“I’ve tested every chin I have been in the ring with,? says Bailey, owner of 36 knockouts in 41 victories. ?Some got past it, some haven?t. If the fight happens, it happens. I wouldn’t mind it happening. That would be a great fight for me and I know I gotta go down that road anyways if I want to get a Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao fight whether it’s now or later. It doesn’t matter to me.”
A fight agaisnt either Pacquiao or Mayweather would be the most lucrative of his career but the challenge of Berto is daunting enough given the tremendous speed and solid power possessed by the Haitian-American. Asked for his impression of Berto throughout the years, a shrewd Bailey wasn?t in a rush to offer up any compliments.
“Until I get in the ring with a fighter there’s not much I can say about him,? he contined. ?I judge fighters by the first round. I don’t watch no tape. Once I get in the ring with you I see how you come out in the first round I can see how the fight is going to go. I’m not making no prediction on what I would do to him.”
For Bailey to even be at the cusp of another title shot is pretty remarkable considering how many times the 36-year old has been written off throughout his career. Asked how he has found a way to persevere throughout the years, the Opa Locka fighter insists his December 2004 loss to one of the sport?s rising champions gave him a reality check at the time.
“I give a lot of credit to Miguel Cotto,? says Bailey of the man who stopped him inside of six rounds at the Mandalay Bay. ?Because timing in a fighter’s career is everything. If you catch a fighter at the right time anything is possible. He caught me at the right time. That fight told me right then and there where I was and if I wanted to stay in this game, what I needed to do. I took that as a learning lesson to get my career back on track.”
Related news: Cotto ready to deal with Mayorga’s antics
Cotto is now in line to defend his WBA junior middleweight strap against brazen and brash Ricardo Mayorga on March 12th at the MGM Grand. It?s a fight that seems to be much more dangerous than some are giving credit for and Bailey insists his former foe must be on top of his game to make sure the wild-swinging Nicaraguan doesn?t upend his applecart.
“Cotto is a great fighter,? Bailey continued. ?I take nothing away from Cotto. He was young, he matured very early in the game and he has done well. The fight against Mayorga, anybody who steps into the ring you have to be weary of. Anybody can get knocked out of if they get hit right. He just has to continue to do what he’s doing. Stay focused, don’t take nobody for granted, and train hard.”
As for Pacquiao, the Filipino star Bailey would love to one day meet inside of the ring, he has some business agaisnt Shane Mosley to handle two months later inside of the same building. Pacquiao is a huge favorite heading into the contest and Bailey seems to agree with those odds.
“Pacquiao has to be careful early of Mosley. I think his speed and his power are pretty much going to take over the fight.”
