LOS ANGELES ? WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley said it was only a few days ago that he learned why his feet gave out on him during the fight of his life last year ? he has flat feet.
Against Manny Pacquiao, Bradley strained ligaments in one foot in the second round and severely sprained his other ankle in the fourth round. But Bradley was able to dance and move in the later rounds to secure a split decision victory over Pacquiao, although many in the media and fans disputed the outcome.
?I learned something new a week ago. Talking with foot doctors and they were saying the reason why that happened is my feet are flat,? Bradley said. ?I have size 12s and they?re flat. Being flat footed and being a boxer doesn?t work. They don?t even take people with flat feet into the army.?
Doctors told Bradley one of the remedies was shoes with arches.
?I used to wear arches, but I felt pressure there,? Bradley said. ?The doctors said, ?Yeah Tim, because they were working.? ?
However, Bradley said he won?t be changing his footwear for his fight tonight against Ruslan Provodnikov since he found out so late. His only adjustment is to wear socks with his boxing shoes so his feet won?t shift around.
?I didn?t want to do anything different,? Bradley said. ?I don?t want to add anything I didn?t do during the whole training camp. That?s the reason why I?m not doing anything.?
Bradley said he?s frustrated by the criticism he took after beating Pacquiao by split decision, and that he didn?t get credit for overcoming the adversity his feet created. Bradley said he couldn?t plant and throw his counter punches against Pacquiao. He had to gut it out and make the best of his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. After the fight, Bradley was in a wheel chair for his post-fight news conference, and was in a cast for weeks after the fight.
?I had two bad wheels, and to still be able to survive and box my way out to a victory in two judges? eyes, that?s unbelievable to me, man,? Bradley said. ?And no one in the arena knew I was hurt.?
