Timothy Bradley

140 is a stacked division right now.  Tons of tremendously talented fighters--Amir Khan, Marcos Maidana, Devon Alexander, Zab Judah, and Andriy Kotelnik to name just a few--have kept this weight class bubbling with excitement.  The talent is astronomical and the competition is fierce.

One belt-holder in particular stands out among the rest, though: the Desert Storm Timothy Bradley.

Timothy Bradley hails from Palm Springs, California.  He is 5'6", with a reach of 69".  Currently the WBC and WBO titlist at 140 lbs, Bradley is undefeated, with 27 wins and 1 no contest.

Bradley's an all-around great fighter.  He's fast, strong, smart, and can take a punch.  His stand-out trait, though, is his work ethic, paralleled by none in the present day sport of boxing.

While his speed and other skills are often matched and even trumped by those of his opponents, his ability to outwork the others wins him fights.  In his first unification bout, against the bad Kendall Holt, Bradley suffered a brutal knockdown in the first round.  He absorbed a left hook that could break jaws.  Like a true champion, Bradley got up immediately and for the rest of the fight out-worked his opponent.

His training camps are intensive, even by typical championship standards.

Suprisingly a rarity among the top fighters today, he loves his job.  He loves to fight and will take on anybody.  He fears no one.  After his bout with Luis Abregu in July of 2010, he famously called out the best of the 140 division.

All this aside, he's taken some heat lately.  His last bout, a highly anticipated unification bout against Devon Alexander, proved to be far from exciting for many spectators, and ended early as the result a headbutt in the 10th round.  It was Bradley's fifth consecutive fight in which his opponent suffered from an accidental headbutt.

Furthermore, another highly anticipated unification bout between Amir Khan and Timothy Bradley has been in jeopardy as Bradley still has yet to sign the contract, which has been waiting since Khan beat McCloskey in middle April.

I would like to address these criticisms as well as share my own opinions of Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley.

JD's Take on Timothy Bradley:


First of all, accidental headbutts are a sad fact of life.  Some styles are more conducive to accidental headbutts than others, as is the case with Bradley's, and, more famously, Evander Holyfield's.  Though this can be disappointing, it is not the fault of the fighters themselves.

Secondly, I found Bradley vs. Alexander to be an entertaining fight.  Both men brought their best, and both were throwing big punches.  While it never became the war most people anticipated, that doesn't mean it was a boring fight.  And, in general, Bradley's fights are captivating, as he keeps busy in the ring.  As I said, he loves his job; he loves fighting.

As for the impending fight with Khan, there are a few possibilities as to why Bradley may be hesitating to sign the contract.  For one, there's the possibility of fighting Pacquiao in November.  Bob Arum said after the Pacquiao-Mosley fight that he was one of the potential opponents for Pacquiao.  Odds are that Juan Manuel Marquez will be getting that fight, so maybe after that becomes official Timothy Bradley will sign the contract with Amir Khan. He may not want to face Khan this summer if he then has to go on to face pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao in November.

Also, there's been talk of Bradley switching promoters, which tends to complicates things.

Or, he may simply want the rivalry between him and Amir Khan to heat up with time as the two continue beating up on others.  This has been a tried and true promotional technique in all sports.

Ultimately, who knows?  What we do know is that this man fears no one; he called out Amir Khan first.  I doubt he would challenge Khan if he didn't genuinely want to fight him.  Perhaps other boxers would do something like this, but not Bradley.

The reason why I like Timothy Bradley so much is because of his attitude towards the sport.  He works his ass off consistently and will fight anybody.  His success has not affected his determination in the slightest.  While I don't believe he'll stay undefeated forever, I think he could give anybody near his weight--including Pacquiao and Mayweather--a run for their money, and a good one at that, simply because of his work ethic.

Long live Timothy Bradley.

-JD