Officials for the WBC have confirmed that newly crowned champion Timothy Bradley has been stripped of their title due to inactivity.
Bradley unified the WBO and WBC titles in January when he scored a technical decision win over Devon Alexander. Bradley was in talks earlier this year to face now WBA and IBF champion Amir Khan. In a widely criticized move, Bradley opted to hold out for more money. He is also in litigation to end his promotional contract with promoter Gary Shaw to explore possible opportunities to face Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao.
WBC president Jose Sulaiman declined to use the word “stripped,” instead opting to state Bradley will be a “champion in recess,” allowing the September 17 matchup between Erik Morales and Jorge Barrios to be for Bradley’s title. Morales is coming off a spirited decision loss to Marcos Maidana in April.
“The WBC has placed Timothy Bradley as champion in recess, not to hurt him, but because he has not defended his title in a timely manner,” Sulaiman told Ring Magazine. “He is involved in some legal matters, and we hear that he is planning on moving up in weight as well, and he has no schedule. We have been in communication, but we have not received his confirmation.”
At press time, Bradley nor his team have advised if they will contest the WBC’s verdict in court.
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