Timothy Bradley Jr.?s recent unanimous decision win over Russian challenger Ruslan Provodnikov did not make for a convincing victory, but in abandoning his hit-and-run style for a riskier and more exciting toe-to-toe approach,
the undefeated World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion may have just earned a ticket for a lucrative rematch with Filipino Manny Pacquiao.
Nine months ago, Bradley collared the WBO?s 147-pound diadem by scoring a highly-disputable 12-round split-decision over Pacquiao. The decision was condemned on a worldwide scale and Bradley took the brunt of the debris, even receiving death threats from some irate fans. While Bradley hankered for a rematch to prove that the win he earned was not a fluke, the cautious, safety-first style he showed against Pacquiao made his demand a tough sell. It also did not help Bradley?s cause that the meeting with Pacquiao didn?t do well in the box-office.
Flash forward to his recent defense of the WBO diadem. A different Bradley showed up against Provodnikov. Truth be told, Bradley was expected to just run circles around the one-dimensional slugger from Russia. A natural junior welterweight (140 pounds), the 29-year-old Provodnikov moved up to the welterweight division just for the title opportunity. Provodnikov?s only claim to fame going into the fight was being a former sparring partner of Pacquiao.
Bradley had the option to just stay on his bicycle and settle for a comfortable points win. But in an attempt to silence his critics, Bradley went for Provodnikov?s scalp right in the opening round. He almost paid the price for his bravado, getting nailed by a hellacious right hand from Provodnikov. Bradley actually kissed the canvas, only referee Pat Russell ruled the incident a slip.
Bradley was rocked again by a series of right bombs from Provodnikov in the second round. Fortunately for Bradley, Provodnikov started running out of steam in the succeeding rounds, opening the path for the former?s comeback. With Provodnikov slowing down, Bradley started racking up points with nifty one-two combinations.
In the final minute of round 6, Bradley engaged Provodnikov in a brutal slugfest that had the crowd of 3,055 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California screaming their lungs out. Bradley found himself getting outpunched and in serious trouble at the end of the round. How bad was the beating he took? Bradley?s trainer Joel Diaz admitted that he considered stopping the fight.
Bradley refused to quit, however. The American kept pouncing on Provodnikov, whose cheekbone started swelling to grotesque proportions by the 10th round. After the round, it was the turn of Provodnikov?s trainer, Freddie Roach, to contemplate on stopping the fight. Yes, it was that kind of a war.
The 12th round was an absolute dandy. Instructed by Diaz to just box and play it safe, Bradley emerged from his corner with homicidal intentions. The WBO champ emptied his arsenal, only to get nailed a huge left hook from Provodnikov. A follow-up right hand from Provodnikov finally put the WBO champ down on his knees. Bradley beat the count and Provodnikov ran out of time and luck.
All three judges gave the fight for Bradley with scores of 115-112, 114-113, and 114-113. So close was the fight that had Provodnikov been credited with the first round knockdown, the result would have been a majority draw.
Regardless of the controversial outcome, Bradley showed that he is capable of being a high-wire act in the ring, and he instantly became marketable in the eyes of promoter Bob Arum. While the fight with Provodnikov was not made available on pay-per-view, it turned in huge ratings for cable giant HBO. A total of 1.2 million viewers tuned in to watch HBO?s live telecast of the 12-round brawl.
Bradley, 30-0 with 12 knockouts, has suddenly emerged as a viable foe for Pacquiao following his gutsy performance against Provodnikov. Bradley showed that he is willing to lay it all on the line, something he did not show when he opted to play it safe in his first meeting with the Pacquiao.
