ACCEPTED wisdom decrees that should one wish to judge a televised fight without the risk of being influenced ? consciously or otherwise ? the volume should be muted. I have always, somewhat arrogantly, considered myself above this occupational hazard, relatively secure in the belief that my response to a contest will be contaminated neither by commentators nor pundits. This ?skill? generates the unfortunate by-product of engaging in passionate, foul-mouthed verbal warfare with announcers who cannot hear me, while anyone in the vicinity who is able to discern my wailing may become concerned for my mental well-being. Such was the case watching Sky’s coverage of Timothy Bradley-Devon Alexander on Sunday morning.
Now I should affirm that I have a huge amount of respect for Sky’s commentators at the weekend, Jim Watt and John Rawling, with whom I once worked closely at ITV. Personal perception of a fight is of course subjective and it is not so simple as claiming they are wrong and I am right. But as it?s my blog that?s the precise conviction with which we shall proceed.
For me the duo seemed to early on become locked into a narrative which cast Bradley as a strong brawler and Alexander as his slick technical superior. This led them to give an impression of a far closer fight than the one I was watching (hence the one-way shouting match), an anomaly only emphasised by Watt?s unofficial scorecard, which made the bout even after eight rounds.
Watt and Rawling were far from the only experts to espouse these portrayals of both combatants, and it’s easy to understand why. Bradley is strong and aggressive. Alexander is slick and fluid. If it looks like a duck…
It?s just that for me, Bradley was done a disservice by these descriptions. He proved superior to Alexander in every area bar footwork. The Californian waged a highly intelligent war ? witness the way he constantly pumped out his jab, fully aware it would mostly be parried but knowing it would keep his opponent occupied and in a reactive role. I thought Bradley?s defence was, for the most part, outstanding. He may have left gaps up close, where his rival?s punches had little snap, but overall he presented the most compact of targets ? hands up, chin down, elbows tucked in. Alexander landed few clean hits and never more than one at a time as Bradley also moved his head smartly and, against a taller, rangier foe, ducked low, making himself near-impossible to hit. To retain such defensive composure while employing what was essentially an attacking strategy was highly impressive. Alexander often put Bradley temporarily off balance with the speed and flexibility of his feet but ?Desert Storm? never left himself vulnerable for long and his skill at cutting the ring off compensated for this one significant disadvantage.
One area where the Sky team got it dead right was how disappointing the fight was. I had stated in the preview that I expected styles to mesh pleasingly but Alexander did not produce anything like his usual output. But while many observers are already using this damp squib to highlight Bradley’s limitations and build a case for Amir Khan to defeat the Palm Springs man (we?ll get to that shortly), I see it completely differently; it was Bradley’s well-earned dominance which made the fight boring. He dictated the pace, pinned Alexander back with both strength and smarts, landing the cleaner, harder shots until Devon bailed out in the 10th ? it was a bad cut but occurred long before the end and the accidental headbutt which preceded the finish landed on the other side of the St Louis man?s cranium.
As for a potential Khan fight, the Bolton man is taller and rangier than Alexander, possesses the fastest hands in the division (sorry, Zab) and probably hits a little harder than Bradley. But Tim has fast mitts of his own, is strong, smart and an incredibly effective pressure-fighter. So far he has always found a way to win, against sometimes bigger, sometimes stronger, sometimes faster opponents. In physical stature and overall ability Khan has faced no-one like Bradley. The closest was Michael Gomez but, unfortunately for Amir, the peak 2003 version, not the faded one who still gave him a few problems five years later. And Bradley is leagues above even the prime Gomez.
Khan’s recent split with Alex Ariza, ahead of a possible Bradley fight where conditioning may prove even more important than it did against Marcos Maidana, does not bode well. There is a school of thought that says if crude, slow Maidana can tag Khan cleanly and often, the quicker, slicker Bradley could present the WBA champ with a nightmare scenario. It?s what Bradley will be thinking. While licking his lips. Until next time…
