Despite the fact that Timothy Bradley has denied signing any paperwork to become the latest addition to the Top Rank roster, sources have informed us that once the litigation with his former promoters, Gary Shaw and Ken Thompson, is complete, the undefeated jr. welterweight champion will indeed make his move official. According to a source with knowledge of the November 12th showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez, Timothy Bradley is in fact expecting to make his Top Rank debut on the undercard against a yet to be determined opponent. Obviously, we fully expect Bradley to deny that he’s had any discussions about fighting on any Top Rank cards, as it could potentially jeopardize his ongoing litigation. After all, considering that Bradley’s manager, Cameron Dunkin, has close ties to Top Rank (he also manages Top Rank fighters Kelly Pavlik and Nonito Donaire) and is also being sued by Shaw and Thompson for allegedly interfering with their promotional agreement, it’s probably not a good look for Bradley to even be saying the words “Top Rank” right now.
According to the lawsuit, Shaw and Thompson are seeking an injunction against Bradley, hoping to prevent him from fighting under the banner of any other promotional companies, as they believe Dunkin has already been negotiating with other promoters about signing the talented jr. welterweight champion. It’s also no secret that Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has expressed interest in doing business with Bradley, naming him as a potential future opponent for pound-for-pound champion Manny Pacquiao shortly after his unanimous decision victory over Shane Mosley. Coincidentally, or not, Bradley was said to be in attendance for that bout, much like Shane Mosley was in attendance at Pacquiao’s bout with Antonio Margarito prior to the announcement that he was next in line for the Filipino superstar. If Bradley got the same type of red carpet treatment that Mosley informed me he got prior to being named as Pacquiao’s next opponent, it would not suprise me at all to hear that Bradley got a special invite to Casa de Arum for a friendly chat over dinner.
