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.
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 