Posts Tagged ‘Timothy Bradley’

Bradley_Provodnikov

What fans witnessed last night was not just an exciting Timothy Bradley fight (!), but unquestionably what will go down as one of the most dramatic and brutal contests of 2013.  Those familiar with Ruslan Provodnikov knew this was a good fight on paper, but no one predicted Bradley would come out and seek to brawl with this power-punching Russian (God bless him for it). The boxing world is still buzzing, and unfortunately for Tim, this bout also had a scoring controversy that put some damper on this thrilling battle.

WHAT GOT INTO BRADLEY?!: In the leadup to this fight, Bradley claimed that his technique had massively improved and we’d see a marked improvement in punching power. That, coupled with his other promise to not go 12 rounds with Provonikov, caused him to come out guns blazing with quick combinations inside and repeated jabs to the head and body. Provodnikov walked through them, and Bradley obliged him with more punishment inside with hooks to the body.

Bradley’s issue was lingering too long inside, and Provodnikov hurt him badly with a wild right hand. Bradley was on queer street immediately and soon hit the canvas. It was ruled a slip, but that didn’t stop Bradley from doing an impressive Trevor Berbick impersonation and falling back over. To his credit, Bradley showed a huge heart in staying uprght and exchanging as Provodnikov unleashed a frightening array of power shots with Bradey trapped on the ropes. The exact same sequence repeated again in the second round (minus the missed knockdown), with Bradley boxing well until being caught by another big Provodnikov hook.

Bradley barely made it out of this one, and survived on nothing but heart and instincts as this one was just a solid punch or two from being over.

CRUCIAL SCORING MISTAKES: Unfortunately for Provodnikov, the scoring of the aforementioned two rounds factored heavily into his narrow defeat on the scorecards (113-114 twice and 112-115). If referee Pat Russell had correctly ruled the knockdown in the first round, Provodnikov would have at least earned a draw. Or even better, if the judges had given him credit for a 10-8 second round (which there’s a strong case he deserved even without the knockdown as badly as he had Bradley hurt), he’d have received a narrow win when you add in his dramatic work on Bradley to secure the knockdown in the 12th.

PROVODNIKOV’S STAMINA BETRAYS HIM: What hurt Provodnikov’s case was that there were at least four rounds where he did absolutely nothing. After throwing so much in the two opening rounds, he literally had nothing left in the third and simply let Bradley tee off with combinations while he recovered. Bradley would take rounds 3-5 like this before Provodnikov would catch and him hurt again in the sixth.

When Bradley used to footwork to move and fight on the inside, Provodnikov could do nothing with him. The powerful Russian’s face was being rearranged with the constant barrage of shots, but he flashed a ghoulish smile at Bradley and kept coming. Bradley’s massively outworked and outlanded Provodnikov with clean shots in rounds 7-10, but I thought Provodnikov delivered significant damage in the 11th (courtesy of that big right hand). The thudding left and right hooks that forced Bradley to take a knee in the waning moments of the 12th, had Provodnikov finishing the fight strongly.

THE WRONG STRATEGY, BUT THE SAME BRADLEY: Boxing is all about adjustments, and after those hellacious opening rounds Bradley found a winning strategy by moving and boxing Provodnikov at a distance. However, that’s not Tim’s style — he loves to mix it up inside and break guys down with his workrate. That’s what enabled Kendall Holt to drop him twice with big counters in their fight, and why Provodnikov had him out on his feet on no less than 4 separate occasions.

We should also keep in mind that Bradley was coming off a nine month layoff in part due to feet injuries. Bradley is always ripped, but also he looked softer in the middle than previous fights. Add all that together, and that’s likely why he couldn’t keep up the constant movement.

REMATCH?: Well, Ruslan Provodnikov has certainly earned one. He was very bitter at the decision, saying Bradley never hurt him. That’s not completely true, as a few body shots stopped him dead in his tracks. But Provodnikov was never out on his feet or on the verge of a stoppage loss. My gut tells me the rematch would be nowhere near as good as the first with Bradley making sure he spends the majority of the fight on the move and clinching when Provodnikov traps him. Nonetheless, this performance ensures he’ll be back one way or another. Can you imagine Provodnikov and Brandon Rios going at it?

BRADLEY STILL GETS NO RESPECT: With an obvious concussion after the fight, Bradley still had the misfortune of being booed afterward and in front of his hometown fans no less (the same ones that delivered a few “Bradley!” chants during the fight). People there were not happy with the decision. My colleague Jeandra LeBeauf of Bad Culture was there ringside and vehemently disagreed with the decision. I have to admit, I was yelling at my TV and wanted a Provodnikov KO bad in that 12th round.

Let us remember though that it takes two great performances to create an awesome fight, and the last thing people should have been doing is booing Bradley.

VARGAS OUTSMARTS OMOTOSO: The undercard featured a solid fight with Jessie Vargas keeping his undefeated record via a unanimous decision win over Wale Omotoso. Vargas appeared to be in big trouble through the first three rounds —  Omotoso had dropped him on a body shot and couldn’t miss with counter right hands. But Vargas adjusted by working stiff jabs and 1-2s that keep Omotoso on the outside. The fight slowed down and Omotos got buzzed bad and nearly stopped off a right hand counter. In addition, Omotoso’s own right was now falling short. He wasn’t happy with the decision, but he never adjusted to Vargas’s changes. He had only himself to blame.

So what’s your take? Did Bradley redeem himself or get another undeserved decision? Watch the full fight HERE if you missed it.

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Bradley_Provodnikov

The “forgotten champion” Timothy Bradley, who’s been inactive since June 2012 after his controversial decision victory over Manny Pacquiao, will return to the ring on March 16 against bruising slugger Ruslan Provodnikov. This fight isn’t going to resonate with the casual public, but Provodnikov’s style should make for a entertaining fight despite the skill level gap in Bradley’s favor. This fight card will be televised on HBO live from the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.

Source: Fight Hub TV

 

Every year, the boxing community gets several painful reminders why we’re one of the most corrupt sports in existence. Boxing is one of the few sports where saying the “fix is in” is not something referencing a bygone era. While it wasn’t as bad as some years, 2012 had its share of blatant, shameful robberies. Here are the worst of the bunch.

 

Kirkland_Molina1

5. JAMES KIRKLAND DQ10 CARLOS MOLINA

This was a case where the blame fell on the referee instead of the judges. Molina was supposed to be a decent challenge before Kirkland got a ppv showdown with Canelo Alvarez in September. Instead, Molina completely frustrated Kirkland with clinches and strategic punching to take a lead on two scorecards headed into the 10th round. Kirkland finally found his range and stunned Molina with two right hooks before landing a glancing left to score a knockdown with the clock winding down. The bell sounded and Molina’s corner jumped in the ring to begin setting up their corner, not realizing that referee Jon Schorle was still administering his eight-count. After a quick review with ringside officials, Schorle made the decision to award the match to Kirkland by disqualification.

Yes, Molina’s trainer did technically break a rule by entering the ring before the round officially ended. However, the referee always can use his discretion on deciding whether any infraction is worth a disqualification. The oversight by Molina’s trainer had no impact on the fight and this is a case of Schorle using either extremely poor judgment or deliberately trying to salvage a Kirkland win (and in essence an opponent for Canelo). Regardless of where you stand, Schorle robbed both fighters — Molina got jobbed of an opportunity to hang on and gut out a victory while Kirkland’s chance at a dramatic comeback was stifled. That’s Texas for you.

 

Cunningham_Adamek_rematch

4. TOMASZ ADAMEK SD12 STEVE CUNNINGHAM

Apparently two of the judges (Tom Miller and Dave Greer) for this fight in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania are very partial to fighters who walk forward into stiff jabs, right hands and miss flurries. That’s what happened to Tomasz Adamek in the majority of the rounds last week when he faced old rival Steve Cunningham. For most observers, Cunningham took this fight 8-4 in rounds AT WORST (that was my scorecard). Instead, Adamek walked away with an inexplicable victory via scores of 116-112, 115-113 and 113-115. This fight took place a few days before Christmas, but that didn’t stop Adamek from getting his gift early. And to stick the knife even deeper, the fight was first announced as a split decision draw before being changed to a victory for Adamek.

 

Manny Pacquiao v Timothy Bradley

3. TIMOTHY BRADLEY SD12 MANNY PACQUIAO

Karma for the Pacquiao robbery over Juan Manuel Marquez in 2011? Devious, Sith-lord like maneuverings from Bob Arum to continue keeping Pacquiao away from Mayweather? Just bad scoring? Whatever take you have on this decision, it signaled that all bets are truly off when arguably the most popular fighter in the world can get screwed on the scorecards. There were a lot of sad and angry Filipinos on this night.

 

Campillo_Cloud

2. TAVARIS CLOUD SD 12 GABRIEL CAMPILLO

Surprise, surprise — more boxing fuckery from that state of Texas! Tavaris Cloud looked headed to a dominate KO victory when he dropped Campillo twice in the opening round. That was until the second stanza when Campillo damn near turned into Sugar Ray Leonard by ripping off blistering 3-4 punch combinations to hold off Cloud. Campillo’s southpaw left kept Cloud befuddled and the champion could only manage sporadic success over the remaining rounds. Campillo was in complete control at the final bell, but two of the judges (David Robertson and Joel Elizondo) had a trademark Texas rally on the scoecards for the house fighter to give Cloud a victory with scores of 116-110 (SMH!), 114-112 (hmph) and 111-115. Note Cloud’s mother fainted at the verdict — she probably was expecting her camp to get struck down by lightning at that moment. Campillo filed a protest with the IBF immediately afterward to no avail. Campillo will be facing Sergey Kovalev on January 19 while Cloud gets an HBO-televised bout with Bernard Hopkins on March 9. Go figure.

 

Abril_Rios

1. BRANDON RIOS SD 12 RICHARD ABRIL

Brandon Rios engaged in one of the best fights this year when he knocked out Mike Alvarado. But the fight before he was made to look like a club fighter by Richard Abril, who completely nullified the power and pressure of the rising star from Oxnard, California. Abril used his wiry frame and reach to repeatedly smack Rios with long jabs and right hands. Rios’s normally strong inside game was shut down through clinches and Abril using his shoulder to pick off shots. It literally looked at times like someone play-fighting with their younger brother. But with Rios being groomed by Top Rank to take over for Manny Pacquiao, the undefeated fighter wasn’t going to lose no matter how badly he got exposed. Judge Adelaide Byrd had the only correct scorecard, giving Abril the victory 117-111. The other two, Jerry Roth and Glenn Trowbridge, made a mockery of their profession with respective scores of 116-112 and 115-113. The only reason the outrage wasn’t worse is because this robbery took place in front of a limited pay-per-view audience.

Manny Pacquiao, citing conflicts with his “personal affairs,” has decided to forego his reserved November 10 boxing return at the MGM Grand for a December 1 date at a yet to be determined venue.

The news was confirmed by Pacquiao advisor Michael Koncz, who received an ok with Pacquiao promotor Top Rank for the new December 1 date.

“We’ve informed Top Rank that we can not go on Nov. 10,” Koncz told RING Magazine. ”So [Top Rank CEO] Bob Arum has moved the date now to Dec. 1, and he’s done that at our request due to conflicting schedules with the boxing and Manny’s personal affairs.”

Pacquiao is still only fielding three opponents for December 1: Timothy Bradley, Juan Manuel Marquez and Miguel Cotto.

“I met with Bob Arum in New York yesterday and had further discussions,” Koncz explained. “We talked about Bradley, Cotto and Marquez, but we have not selected an opponent. I will relay those discussions to Manny within the next day or two.”

Bradley, who defeated Pacquiao via a controversial split decision in June, has taunted Pacquiao in recent weeks, claiming his Top Rank stablemate is “scared” of a rematch. Marquez, despite reports earlier this week that he priced himself out of a fourth fight by requesting $10 million dollar purse, maintains that facing Pacquiao is his primary focus. Cotto, who has reserved a December1 date at Madison Square Garden, faces the possiblity of a pay-per-view head to head with Pacquiao should the two not come to terms. Earlier this year, Cotto opted to face Floyd Mayweather after Pacquiao demanded Cotto move back down from junior middleweight (154 pounds) to welterweight (147 pounds).

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First off, please, for the love of God, don’t let this turn into another night of dueling boxing cards! It seems like damn near every date starting next month has Top Rank, Golden Boy, Showtime and HBO forcing boxing fans to choose between cards: Ward-Dawson vs. Alexander-Bailey on September 8, Martinez-Chavez vs. Canelo-Lopez on September 15 and Mares-Moreno vs. Donaire-Nishioka on October 13 are just a few of the ones on the horizon.

The difference with the December 1 date would be competing pay-per-views between two of the sport’s top stars in Pacquiao and Cotto, something you have to hope neither network would consider doing. This lends me to believe that Pacquiao’s team is looking at Cotto as their top choice. For the chance to be in another big, lucrative pay-per-view and a shot a revenge, I’m sure Cotto will have no problems with a venue change from Madison Square Garden (Bob Arum has stated the tax implications in New York make the likelihood of Pacquiao fighting there very low).

If you were advising Pacquiao, who would be your pick for December 1?

With Manny Pacquiao not yet committed to an opponent for his November return, WBO welterweight titlist Timothy Bradley is considering a jump to the junior middleweight division to face Miguel Cotto.

Although his preferred non-Pacquiao opponent is Floyd Mayweather, Bradley views Miguel Cotto as the type of big money fight he wants to have for the remainder of his career.

“There is the possibility of a Cotto fight… you never know,” Bradley told boxingscene.com. “He’s a good fighter. I ran into him a couple of times. He’s very respectful. I respect him and he respects me. There are a lot of great fights out there. I just want to fight the best. No more tuneups, no more Casamayors… the best.”

Cotto is expected to return to the ring in December at Madison Square Garden. Should the fight materialize, Bradley states a move to junior middleweight would be a return to a weight he hasn’t seen since his amateur days.

“A lot of people don’t realize that in the amateurs I fought at 152 pounds and fought guys coming down from 185, 190 pounds to make 152 pounds. I fought against big guys… The sky is the limit for me. I definitely think I’m one of the best, top three Pound 4 Pound in the game.”

At press time, Manny Pacquiao is expected to meet with Bob Arum and decide his next opponent in early August.

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I can’t see this fight happening, but if it did I’d give Bradley major props. Not only would this be a fight he’d be favored to lose, it’d be one he’d very likely take a serious beating in. Mayweather, a bigger fighter than Tim at this stage, had to throw his best shots at Cotto just to get any type of breathing room. Bradley wouldn’t have the power to keep Cotto off him and would essentially have to pitch a boxing masterclass.

In the end, we’ll probably see Pacquiao-Bradley II come November. The storyline there is too hot to be ignored and I’m sure Pacquiao wants to avenge the controversial loss.

Newly crowned WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley has taken aim at his promoter Bob Arum, calling the Top Rank CEO a “liar” for claiming that Bradley admitted he lost a controversial decision win over Manny Pacquiao earlier this month.

In the immediate aftermath of the fight, Bob Arum told assembled media that Bradley told him “I couldn’t beat the guy” in reference to Pacquiao. Bradley vehemently denied the claim and made his first critical remarks of Arum since signing with Top Rank last year.

“What is Bob Arum’s favorite slogan? ‘I was lying yesterday, but I’m telling the truth today.’ Is that it?” Bradley told The Desert Sun. “I never told Bob that at all. He’s a liar and I will tell him that to his face.”

“I told Bob I did the best I can. I got injured. That was it. That’s all I said to Bob. I didn’t say, ‘Bob, I couldn’t beat that guy.’ I would never say that, because I thought I won the fight.”

Bradley, who hasn’t spoken with Arum since the bout, finds himself in a waiting game position as Arum has publicly mulled whether to move ahead with a November Bradley-Pacquiao rematch, or move forward with a fourth Pacquiao-Marquez bout, this time in Mexico.

That would leave Bradley, with an open fall date, with the remote possibility of facing Floyd Mayweather, who is currently serving a brief prison sentence for domestic abuse and coming off an entertaining May win over Miguel Cotto.

Although Bradley believes his lack of star power and Top Rank contract hurts the possibility of a Mayweather bout, he sees the fight as a gateway to silence the naysayers who question his credibility following the Pacquiao fight.

“He’s all about money, ‘Money’ Mayweather. If it doesn’t make money, it doesn’t make sense,” explained Bradley. “That would be his take: ‘What kind of fans are you going to bring to it, Bradley?’ Me having a small fan base, that would jeopardize me fighting him. But I’m all for it. I would love to face him because I feel he needs to learn too.”

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Bravo, Tim. Although count me in the camp of those who felt his lost to Pacquiao, it’s good to see him not letting his promoter attribute false statements to him and expressing his willingness to fight the next best available opponent this fall, which is Floyd Mayweather.

I’m 99.9% sure Bradley-Mayweather doesn’t happen since Top Rank locks their fighters up for long-term contracts (ask Pacquiao, Gamboa etc.), but what if it did? Just imagine if Bradley were to defeat the top two Pound 4 Pound fighters in the world in the span of a few months. And of course Mayweather would relish the opportunity to outclass someone who’s at the highest visibility of his career after “defeating” Pacquiao.

But let’s stop there. A cross-promotion of that magnitude between Top Rank and Golden Boy is all but a pipe dream at this point.

C.J. Ross and Duane Ford, the judges who awarded Timothy Bradley a controversial split decision win over Manny Pacquiao on June 9, have been called out by Top Rank CEO Bob Arum for miring one of the biggest pay-per-view fights of the year.

Arum, who plans to launch an “investigation” before moving forward with a proposed November 10 rematch, said a combination of Ross’ big fight inexperience and Ford’s age contributed to their scorecards, which both had Bradley defeating Pacquiao 115-113. The third judge, Jerry Roth, scored the bout 115-113 for Pacquiao.

“Here, the only argument was if it was 10-2 or 11-1. It was craziness,” said Arum during the post-fight press conference. “I think the real problem is, look at the three judges. They had a woman who never judged a title fight, an inexperienced woman. You had two experienced judges who were as old as me. You have to have younger people. If you’re older — and I know, I speak from experience — you can’t have the same attention span as a younger person.”

While Arum has had a good relationship with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), most notably backing their current drug testing protocol during strained negotiations with Floyd Mayweather, he believes the judge pool needs a complete overhaul governed by an independent entity.

“There has to be a professional association which has maybe 20-30 judges, like the NFL and you take it out of the hands of the state commission,” Arum explained. “These judges will work on a rotating basis as long as their scores are acceptable over a course of time. If you can pick around 40 judges from around the world and you assign them to the big fights, you would have professional officials like you do in the NBA and the NFL.”

At press time, the NSAC has confirmed an internal investigation into last Satuday’s fight will not be launched.

“This is a death knell for boxing, and I’m going to make a ton of money on the rematch.” Bob Arum

LAS VEGAS, NV — The decision was supposed to be a foregone conclusion as the scores were tallied following what most viewed as a dominant title defense for Manny Pacquiao over Timothy Bradley at the MGM Grand

Instead, a surprise controversial verdict may have permanently altered all hopes for the biggest proposed superfight in boxing history between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.

Timothy Bradley became the new WBO welterweight champion tonight by scores of 115-113, 113-115 and 115-113 to become the first man to “defeat” Pacquiao in seven years.

Bradley looked strong in the opening two minutes of the first round. He worked left hooks downstairs and kept Pacquaio honest with straight rights. But within the last 30 seconds, Pacquiao would land three straight lefts that got the challenger’s attention and ignited the crowd.

That punch would be a recurring theme throughout the night.

Pacquiao’s left would give him decisive edges in rounds two and three. In the latter stanza, Bradley tried to force exchanges which still favored Pacquiao’s speed and power. Bradley was wobbled and stunned in the fourth, but continued forcing wild exchanges to his detriment.

The fifth marked a turning point as Bradley began to fight off the backfoot and counter. Although Pacquiao taunted him with chest-pounding, Bradley maintained his composure and had a decent sixth where he finally avoided the straight left. The seventh featured both fighters going for broke in the last minute; Bradley found pay-dirt with his right hooks and Pacquiao returned the punishment in kind with straight lefts.

After a subdued eighth that saw Pacquiao at times smirking at Bradley’s punches, the champion got active again in the ninth. Pacquiao strafed Bradley with all facets of his left hand: uppercuts, crosses and hooks. Bradley showed a strong chin and had sporadic moments of his own with right hooks downstairs.

The championship rounds found Bradley doing better with his activity while Pacquiao landing the more effective blows. Pacquiao simply followed Bradley around in the 10th and picked up his pace in the 11th by re-establishing the left hand. The closing 12th was a clear Bradley round and one of the few most expected he’d receive on the scorecards.

The decision was met with loud and prolonged boos that drowned out much of Bradley’s post-fight interview. Bradley’s shocking win completely derails any chance for a Pacquiao-Mayweather matchup in the fall, as Top Rank CEO Bob Arum will likely pursue a Pacquiao-Bradley rematch in November.

“I thought I won the fight,” said Bradley. “I didn’t think he was as good as everybody says he is. I didn’t feel a lot of his power.”

“I do my best and I guess my best wasn’t good enough,” Pacquiao stated.  ”I’ve been watching the tapes of his fights. Tonight, he never hurt me. Most of his punches hit my arms. I don’t know what happened. I have no problem. I’ll be ready for the rematch.”

The victory gives Timothy Bradley his first title at welterweight.

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Anything to avoid a Mayweather match, huh Bob Arum? At this point, all conspiracy are welcome to try to explain this one. I gave Bradley about three rounds. How anyone can score this fight for him is baffling. When arguably the most popular fighter in the world can get screwed, you know all bets are off.

There’s no winners in this except Bob Arum, who’s smug statement in the face of this fiasco is pathetic but expected. Fans need to vote with their wallets and boycott the rematch. The fallout of this night will be felt for some time.

One thing’s for sure is that Las Vegas lived up to its Sin City nickname tonight.

As you can see from the above photo, Timothy Bradley is not lacking in confidence just a few days out from the biggest fight of his life against Manny Pacquiao. Bradley already has the date booked for the rematch as he expects to be the first man since Erik Morales in 2005 to get an official victory over the Pacman. Over the last week, more and more people have come around to giving Bradley a strong chance of winning. Are you one of them?

With a showdown against Timothy Bradley just weeks away, Manny Pacquiao is holding off on any verbal committment to a fourth Juan Manuel Marquez fight this fall.

While fans have been clamoring for a superfight with Floyd Mayweather, calls for another Marquez bout gained further credence last November after Pacquiao won an unpopular majority decision over his Mexican rival in Las Vegas. Top Rank CEO Bob Arum has confirmed his desire to hold the fourth bout this fall should Pacquiao defeat Timothy Bradley.

“Juan really understands how to fight southpaws. He’s a very smart man and an excellent fighter,” said Pacquiao in a recent blog entry. “His deliberate and patient style of fighting is a product that comes from experience and experience against great opposition. He’s a brilliant counterpuncher.”

“My trainer Freddie Roach has said many times that Juan is the only smart one out there; the only fighter who has figured me out.”

Marquez has been exploring possible summer fights against Erik Morales and Mercito Gesta. Even with those options, Marquez continues to express his one remaining boxing goal is a fourth Pacquiao fight.

“I know the fans want to see a fourth fight between us and I can understand why,” Pacquiao acknowledged. “Right now I can only focus on the task at hand and that’s defending my title against Timothy Bradley. Just because Bradley is moving up in weight doesn’t mean he is at a disadvantage, believe me I know. I’ve moved up in weight a few times myself. No one has ever beaten him — no one. Freddie and I have four weeks of very hard training to prepare for this fight. I cannot afford to be distracted by thinking of other fights.  That is a lesson experience has taught me.”

Pacquiao will defend his WBO welterweight title against Bradley on June 9. Once an opponent is determined, Marquez is expected to make his in-ring return on July 14.