Boxing News Thread
- Thread starter heyzel
- Start date
all the running made him look bad, I don't think it went well with the judges.
He should stick and move but he also shouldn't shy away from putting all his weight in his shots and stand his grand from time to time. He has the size and speed to do it and peterson's punches didn't really look like they were hurting him.
I don't know...I guess mix it up more is what I'm saying and less running.
He should stick and move but he also shouldn't shy away from putting all his weight in his shots and stand his grand from time to time. He has the size and speed to do it and peterson's punches didn't really look like they were hurting him.
I don't know...I guess mix it up more is what I'm saying and less running.
Saul Alvarez to fight Shane Mosley on Mayweather-Cotto undercard
By Michael Collins: WBC junior middleweight champion Saul Alvarez will be facing 40-year-old Shane Mosley on the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Miguel Cotto undercard on May 5th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Oscar De La Hoya, the president of Golden Boy Promotions, made the announcement moments ago on his twitter page the the Alvarez-Mosley fight is a done deal.
Mosley hasn't won a fight in over three years and a lot of boxing fans see him as 100% shot. It's a good pick for Alvarez in terms of getting a name, but a terrible one in terms of a competitive fight. Alvarez has been adding old names to his resume for the past several years with wins over 40-year-old Lovemore N'dou, 40-year-old Carlos Baldomir, Kermit Cintron, Ryan Rhodes, Matthew Hatton and Alfonso Gomez. Golden Boy hasn't been in any hurry in putting Alvarez in with contenders James Kirkland, Vanes Martirosyan or Erislandy Lara.
Mosley would have to be considered a slight step down from Cintron, Alvarez's last opponent. Mosley's last win was way back in January 2009 when he beat Antonio Margarito
By Michael Collins: WBC junior middleweight champion Saul Alvarez will be facing 40-year-old Shane Mosley on the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Miguel Cotto undercard on May 5th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Oscar De La Hoya, the president of Golden Boy Promotions, made the announcement moments ago on his twitter page the the Alvarez-Mosley fight is a done deal.
Mosley hasn't won a fight in over three years and a lot of boxing fans see him as 100% shot. It's a good pick for Alvarez in terms of getting a name, but a terrible one in terms of a competitive fight. Alvarez has been adding old names to his resume for the past several years with wins over 40-year-old Lovemore N'dou, 40-year-old Carlos Baldomir, Kermit Cintron, Ryan Rhodes, Matthew Hatton and Alfonso Gomez. Golden Boy hasn't been in any hurry in putting Alvarez in with contenders James Kirkland, Vanes Martirosyan or Erislandy Lara.
Mosley would have to be considered a slight step down from Cintron, Alvarez's last opponent. Mosley's last win was way back in January 2009 when he beat Antonio Margarito
An Open Letter To Robert “The Disappearing Ghost” Guerrero from Paulie Malignaggi
Dear Robert: For the past 3 months, you and your team have attempted to trick the media and boxing public into believing that you were on a short list to fight the best fighter in the world, Floyd Mayweather. You also called out every Golden Boy Promotions boxer you could between 135 to 147 pounds, proclaiming your health after shoulder surgery and your readiness to step into the ring in a big fight on May 5th. Every time you had a big bowel movement, your publicist sent an email blast about it.
Two days ago, you and I were offered to fight each other on May 5th as an important supporting pay-per-view bout on the Mayweather vs. Cotto blockbuster PPV. I am sure you will agree that Mayweather vs. Cotto will be the biggest pay-per-view show of the year and on the biggest platform imaginable at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and on HBO PPV. Millions of boxing fans will have the opportunity to finally see if you can back up your recent widespread chatter on the internet.
Robert, I accepted the challenge to fight you within 2 hours of being offered the fight. But I have been informed by our promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, that you have categorically refused to fight me. This news was absolutely shocking to me because I have seen you transform yourself from a cute, soft spoken, California kid to well, someone like me. I give you props for trying to wake up the old boxing farts with sound bites like telling Mayweather to “Step Up Punk” or telling Victor Ortiz 3 days ago that “if you’re really a true warrior, you’ll step in the ring with me.” But take it from an older and wiser Magic Man that has never needed to hide behind a publicist and has always backed up his words by stepping into the ring with the best fighters in the world, if you start talking the way you have been talking, you better be ready to accept whatever challenges come your way.
Robert, I know that you and your team have been present in the Arena for my past three fights and you have seen how good I have looked in dismantling my opponents. And maybe your advisors think that all the garlic in Gilroy won’t protect you should we fight on May 5th. But you need to find the Mexican warrior within yourself and back up your hot air by stepping into the ring on the day of pride and heritage for your people, Cinco De Mayo. Because if you think you deserve to fight the elite boxers in this world, you need to earn it with more than just a trigger happy publicist. You are a paper Champion that has never fought anyone in the Top 100 of boxing. Beating a geriatric Joel Casamayor or the Australian punching bag that is Michael Katsidis does not earn you the right to call out Floyd Mayweather, Amir Khan, and Victor Ortiz. Beating me on May 5th might get you one step closer to that honor.
So come on, Robert. Don’t become a big joke with the boxing world. Listen to your own words and step up punk. If you’re really a true warrior, and not just some internet loud mouth, you’ll step in the ring with me on May 5th. What are you afraid of? Coming off shoulder surgery? I have had more surgery on my hands than an aging Beverly Hills housewife. Are you for real or are you truly just a ghost with a good publicist?
Always,
The Magic Man
Dear Robert: For the past 3 months, you and your team have attempted to trick the media and boxing public into believing that you were on a short list to fight the best fighter in the world, Floyd Mayweather. You also called out every Golden Boy Promotions boxer you could between 135 to 147 pounds, proclaiming your health after shoulder surgery and your readiness to step into the ring in a big fight on May 5th. Every time you had a big bowel movement, your publicist sent an email blast about it.
Two days ago, you and I were offered to fight each other on May 5th as an important supporting pay-per-view bout on the Mayweather vs. Cotto blockbuster PPV. I am sure you will agree that Mayweather vs. Cotto will be the biggest pay-per-view show of the year and on the biggest platform imaginable at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and on HBO PPV. Millions of boxing fans will have the opportunity to finally see if you can back up your recent widespread chatter on the internet.
Robert, I accepted the challenge to fight you within 2 hours of being offered the fight. But I have been informed by our promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, that you have categorically refused to fight me. This news was absolutely shocking to me because I have seen you transform yourself from a cute, soft spoken, California kid to well, someone like me. I give you props for trying to wake up the old boxing farts with sound bites like telling Mayweather to “Step Up Punk” or telling Victor Ortiz 3 days ago that “if you’re really a true warrior, you’ll step in the ring with me.” But take it from an older and wiser Magic Man that has never needed to hide behind a publicist and has always backed up his words by stepping into the ring with the best fighters in the world, if you start talking the way you have been talking, you better be ready to accept whatever challenges come your way.
Robert, I know that you and your team have been present in the Arena for my past three fights and you have seen how good I have looked in dismantling my opponents. And maybe your advisors think that all the garlic in Gilroy won’t protect you should we fight on May 5th. But you need to find the Mexican warrior within yourself and back up your hot air by stepping into the ring on the day of pride and heritage for your people, Cinco De Mayo. Because if you think you deserve to fight the elite boxers in this world, you need to earn it with more than just a trigger happy publicist. You are a paper Champion that has never fought anyone in the Top 100 of boxing. Beating a geriatric Joel Casamayor or the Australian punching bag that is Michael Katsidis does not earn you the right to call out Floyd Mayweather, Amir Khan, and Victor Ortiz. Beating me on May 5th might get you one step closer to that honor.
So come on, Robert. Don’t become a big joke with the boxing world. Listen to your own words and step up punk. If you’re really a true warrior, and not just some internet loud mouth, you’ll step in the ring with me on May 5th. What are you afraid of? Coming off shoulder surgery? I have had more surgery on my hands than an aging Beverly Hills housewife. Are you for real or are you truly just a ghost with a good publicist?
Always,
The Magic Man
An Open Letter To Robert “The Disappearing Ghost” Guerrero from Paulie Malignaggi
Dear Robert: For the past 3 months, you and your team have attempted to trick the media and boxing public into believing that you were on a short list to fight the best fighter in the world, Floyd Mayweather. You also called out every Golden Boy Promotions boxer you could between 135 to 147 pounds, proclaiming your health after shoulder surgery and your readiness to step into the ring in a big fight on May 5th. Every time you had a big bowel movement, your publicist sent an email blast about it.
Two days ago, you and I were offered to fight each other on May 5th as an important supporting pay-per-view bout on the Mayweather vs. Cotto blockbuster PPV. I am sure you will agree that Mayweather vs. Cotto will be the biggest pay-per-view show of the year and on the biggest platform imaginable at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and on HBO PPV. Millions of boxing fans will have the opportunity to finally see if you can back up your recent widespread chatter on the internet.
Robert, I accepted the challenge to fight you within 2 hours of being offered the fight. But I have been informed by our promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, that you have categorically refused to fight me. This news was absolutely shocking to me because I have seen you transform yourself from a cute, soft spoken, California kid to well, someone like me. I give you props for trying to wake up the old boxing farts with sound bites like telling Mayweather to “Step Up Punk” or telling Victor Ortiz 3 days ago that “if you’re really a true warrior, you’ll step in the ring with me.” But take it from an older and wiser Magic Man that has never needed to hide behind a publicist and has always backed up his words by stepping into the ring with the best fighters in the world, if you start talking the way you have been talking, you better be ready to accept whatever challenges come your way.
Robert, I know that you and your team have been present in the Arena for my past three fights and you have seen how good I have looked in dismantling my opponents. And maybe your advisors think that all the garlic in Gilroy won’t protect you should we fight on May 5th. But you need to find the Mexican warrior within yourself and back up your hot air by stepping into the ring on the day of pride and heritage for your people, Cinco De Mayo. Because if you think you deserve to fight the elite boxers in this world, you need to earn it with more than just a trigger happy publicist. You are a paper Champion that has never fought anyone in the Top 100 of boxing. Beating a geriatric Joel Casamayor or the Australian punching bag that is Michael Katsidis does not earn you the right to call out Floyd Mayweather, Amir Khan, and Victor Ortiz. Beating me on May 5th might get you one step closer to that honor.
So come on, Robert. Don’t become a big joke with the boxing world. Listen to your own words and step up punk. If you’re really a true warrior, and not just some internet loud mouth, you’ll step in the ring with me on May 5th. What are you afraid of? Coming off shoulder surgery? I have had more surgery on my hands than an aging Beverly Hills housewife. Are you for real or are you truly just a ghost with a good publicist?
Always,
The Magic Man
Dear Robert: For the past 3 months, you and your team have attempted to trick the media and boxing public into believing that you were on a short list to fight the best fighter in the world, Floyd Mayweather. You also called out every Golden Boy Promotions boxer you could between 135 to 147 pounds, proclaiming your health after shoulder surgery and your readiness to step into the ring in a big fight on May 5th. Every time you had a big bowel movement, your publicist sent an email blast about it.
Two days ago, you and I were offered to fight each other on May 5th as an important supporting pay-per-view bout on the Mayweather vs. Cotto blockbuster PPV. I am sure you will agree that Mayweather vs. Cotto will be the biggest pay-per-view show of the year and on the biggest platform imaginable at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and on HBO PPV. Millions of boxing fans will have the opportunity to finally see if you can back up your recent widespread chatter on the internet.
Robert, I accepted the challenge to fight you within 2 hours of being offered the fight. But I have been informed by our promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, that you have categorically refused to fight me. This news was absolutely shocking to me because I have seen you transform yourself from a cute, soft spoken, California kid to well, someone like me. I give you props for trying to wake up the old boxing farts with sound bites like telling Mayweather to “Step Up Punk” or telling Victor Ortiz 3 days ago that “if you’re really a true warrior, you’ll step in the ring with me.” But take it from an older and wiser Magic Man that has never needed to hide behind a publicist and has always backed up his words by stepping into the ring with the best fighters in the world, if you start talking the way you have been talking, you better be ready to accept whatever challenges come your way.
Robert, I know that you and your team have been present in the Arena for my past three fights and you have seen how good I have looked in dismantling my opponents. And maybe your advisors think that all the garlic in Gilroy won’t protect you should we fight on May 5th. But you need to find the Mexican warrior within yourself and back up your hot air by stepping into the ring on the day of pride and heritage for your people, Cinco De Mayo. Because if you think you deserve to fight the elite boxers in this world, you need to earn it with more than just a trigger happy publicist. You are a paper Champion that has never fought anyone in the Top 100 of boxing. Beating a geriatric Joel Casamayor or the Australian punching bag that is Michael Katsidis does not earn you the right to call out Floyd Mayweather, Amir Khan, and Victor Ortiz. Beating me on May 5th might get you one step closer to that honor.
So come on, Robert. Don’t become a big joke with the boxing world. Listen to your own words and step up punk. If you’re really a true warrior, and not just some internet loud mouth, you’ll step in the ring with me on May 5th. What are you afraid of? Coming off shoulder surgery? I have had more surgery on my hands than an aging Beverly Hills housewife. Are you for real or are you truly just a ghost with a good publicist?
Always,
The Magic Man
Robert Guerrero fires back at Malignaggi!
February 10, 2012 - Robert Guerrero states, "Look at the facts Paulie, why did I turn you down? You're a tremendous puncher? NO! You make for fan friendly fights? NO! You are a HBO or Showtime approved fighter? NO! Fact is, Eric Gomez at Golden Boy said you wouldn't be approved to fight on a date that isn't a Pay Per View. So if our promoter can convince a network that you are worthy enough to be on your own date, then let's rumble. I got a Shark Tank waiting."
damn the ghost just ether paulie
February 10, 2012 - Robert Guerrero states, "Look at the facts Paulie, why did I turn you down? You're a tremendous puncher? NO! You make for fan friendly fights? NO! You are a HBO or Showtime approved fighter? NO! Fact is, Eric Gomez at Golden Boy said you wouldn't be approved to fight on a date that isn't a Pay Per View. So if our promoter can convince a network that you are worthy enough to be on your own date, then let's rumble. I got a Shark Tank waiting."
damn the ghost just ether paulie
Saul Alvarez will put 40-year-old Mosley out of his misery on May 5th
February 10th, 2012
By Allan Fox: Moments it was announced by ESPN2 that WBC junior middleweight champion Saul Alvarez (39-0-1, 29 KO’s) will be fighting 40-year-old Shane Mosley (46-7-1, 39 KO’s) on the Floyd Mayweather Jr. – Miguel Cotto undercard on May 5th.
All I can say is what a mismatch! I know Mosley is a fighter with a big name but the guy is no longer ranked in the top 15 in the junior middleweight division and I think he’s just playing out his string looking to get retirement money before he calls it a day. I don’t know if the 21-year-old Alvarez will knock him out, but I’m giving him a fair chance at accomplishing that. At the very least, I see Alvarez giving Mosley a bad one-sided beating and pretty much putting him out of his misery.
A loss here for Mosley would be his fourth in his last seven fights and you could really make an argument that Mosley should have five losses out of his last seven fights at that point because Mosley’s 12 round draw with Sergio Mora in 2010 was hardly a draw. Mosley got dominated in that fight and got a gift draw.
Golden Boy Promotions is obviously picking out Mosley to fight the young Alvarez because they badly need an opponent with a name to face Alvarez in the co-feature bout on the Mayweather-Cotto pay-per-view card on May 5th, and unfortunately there just aren’t any big named fighters at 154 that aren’t dangerous for Alvarez. If you put Alvarez in with a guy like James Kirkland, we could see Alvarez mowed down. Alvarez is a lot like Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in that he’s not a finished product and really shouldn’t be the WBC champion right now because he still needs to be protected by Golden Boy.
They obviously didn’t want to wait to start cashing in on his appeal to Mexican boxing fans, but they really should have because they’ve had to match Alvarez with almost exclusively mediocre opposition from the moment he captured the vacant World Boxing Council junior middleweight title against fringe WELTERWEIGHT contender Matthew Hatton. Since then, Golden Boy has matched Alvarez against the following fighters in easy title defenses: Ryan Rhodes, Alfonso Gomez and Kermit Cintron. Missing from those names are legitimate quality contenders Vanes Martirosyan, James Kirkland, Erislandy Lara, Paul Williams, Alfredo Angulo, Delvin Rodriguez, Carlos Molina, Demetrius Andrade, and Nobuhiro Ishida. One would hope that someday Alvarez will finally be matched up with guys like that. He can’t be protected forever by Golden Boy.
Mosley’s last win was against Antonio Margarito in January 2009. That’s shocking and what’s even more shocking is Mosley getting a title shot when he’s no longer even ranked in the top 15. That just seems wrong. I know he’s accomplished a lot in his career but when you fall out of the top 15, you should be handed title fights. Mosley’s last fight was for a title against WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao last May.
February 10th, 2012
By Allan Fox: Moments it was announced by ESPN2 that WBC junior middleweight champion Saul Alvarez (39-0-1, 29 KO’s) will be fighting 40-year-old Shane Mosley (46-7-1, 39 KO’s) on the Floyd Mayweather Jr. – Miguel Cotto undercard on May 5th.
All I can say is what a mismatch! I know Mosley is a fighter with a big name but the guy is no longer ranked in the top 15 in the junior middleweight division and I think he’s just playing out his string looking to get retirement money before he calls it a day. I don’t know if the 21-year-old Alvarez will knock him out, but I’m giving him a fair chance at accomplishing that. At the very least, I see Alvarez giving Mosley a bad one-sided beating and pretty much putting him out of his misery.
A loss here for Mosley would be his fourth in his last seven fights and you could really make an argument that Mosley should have five losses out of his last seven fights at that point because Mosley’s 12 round draw with Sergio Mora in 2010 was hardly a draw. Mosley got dominated in that fight and got a gift draw.
Golden Boy Promotions is obviously picking out Mosley to fight the young Alvarez because they badly need an opponent with a name to face Alvarez in the co-feature bout on the Mayweather-Cotto pay-per-view card on May 5th, and unfortunately there just aren’t any big named fighters at 154 that aren’t dangerous for Alvarez. If you put Alvarez in with a guy like James Kirkland, we could see Alvarez mowed down. Alvarez is a lot like Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in that he’s not a finished product and really shouldn’t be the WBC champion right now because he still needs to be protected by Golden Boy.
They obviously didn’t want to wait to start cashing in on his appeal to Mexican boxing fans, but they really should have because they’ve had to match Alvarez with almost exclusively mediocre opposition from the moment he captured the vacant World Boxing Council junior middleweight title against fringe WELTERWEIGHT contender Matthew Hatton. Since then, Golden Boy has matched Alvarez against the following fighters in easy title defenses: Ryan Rhodes, Alfonso Gomez and Kermit Cintron. Missing from those names are legitimate quality contenders Vanes Martirosyan, James Kirkland, Erislandy Lara, Paul Williams, Alfredo Angulo, Delvin Rodriguez, Carlos Molina, Demetrius Andrade, and Nobuhiro Ishida. One would hope that someday Alvarez will finally be matched up with guys like that. He can’t be protected forever by Golden Boy.
Mosley’s last win was against Antonio Margarito in January 2009. That’s shocking and what’s even more shocking is Mosley getting a title shot when he’s no longer even ranked in the top 15. That just seems wrong. I know he’s accomplished a lot in his career but when you fall out of the top 15, you should be handed title fights. Mosley’s last fight was for a title against WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao last May.
Sulaiman: Chavez Jr. has agreed to fight Sergio Martinez
February 10th, 2012
By Dan Ambrose: According to writer Ronnie Nathanielsz at Manila Standard, he was informed by WBC president Jose Sulaiman that WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has agreed to face WBC Diamond middleweight champion Sergio Martinez if he makes it past Matthew Macklin on March 17th.
Sulaiman said this to the manila standard: “Chavez called me up to let me know that he will fight Martinez.”
This sounds really good but it doesn’t have much meaning unless it’s from the 25-year-old Chavez’s promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank, because earlier this week he ruled out the idea of Chavez Jr. facing Sergio Martinez, saying he won’t be fighting Martinez for at least two or three fights until his matchmaker and trainer Freddie Roach agree to it, according to USA Today.
Arum likely won’t let Chavez Jr. fight Martinez next no matter what Chavez Jr. said to Sulaiman. Arum is the one calling the shots in terms of who Chavez Jr. is fighting, and he’s looking at #6 WBC ranked contender Andy Lee next. The WBC already said no to Antonio Margarito facing Chavez Jr. next, but that also means nothing. If Arum wants Margarito next, that’s who Chavez Jr. will be fighting. If the WBC plays hardball and insists that Chavez Jr. fight Martinez next, then Arum will just have Chavez Jr. vacate the title rather than taking a fight he doesn’t want his fighter to take.
At this point Martinez doesn’t care how he gets the WBC title back. He just wants the strap back. However, it’s still difficult to believe that the WBC will force Chavez Jr. and Arum to make the Martinez fight if Arum says no to it. The fight makes sense, but Arum feels Chavez Jr. isn’t ready for it, and who knows when he ever will be. Arum thought Chavez Jr. looked good in beating Marco Antonio Rubio last weekend. I don’t agree with him and it doesn’t like HBO agrees with him either, because they were bored by the Chavez Jr. vs. Rubio fight.
February 10th, 2012
By Dan Ambrose: According to writer Ronnie Nathanielsz at Manila Standard, he was informed by WBC president Jose Sulaiman that WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has agreed to face WBC Diamond middleweight champion Sergio Martinez if he makes it past Matthew Macklin on March 17th.
Sulaiman said this to the manila standard: “Chavez called me up to let me know that he will fight Martinez.”
This sounds really good but it doesn’t have much meaning unless it’s from the 25-year-old Chavez’s promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank, because earlier this week he ruled out the idea of Chavez Jr. facing Sergio Martinez, saying he won’t be fighting Martinez for at least two or three fights until his matchmaker and trainer Freddie Roach agree to it, according to USA Today.
Arum likely won’t let Chavez Jr. fight Martinez next no matter what Chavez Jr. said to Sulaiman. Arum is the one calling the shots in terms of who Chavez Jr. is fighting, and he’s looking at #6 WBC ranked contender Andy Lee next. The WBC already said no to Antonio Margarito facing Chavez Jr. next, but that also means nothing. If Arum wants Margarito next, that’s who Chavez Jr. will be fighting. If the WBC plays hardball and insists that Chavez Jr. fight Martinez next, then Arum will just have Chavez Jr. vacate the title rather than taking a fight he doesn’t want his fighter to take.
At this point Martinez doesn’t care how he gets the WBC title back. He just wants the strap back. However, it’s still difficult to believe that the WBC will force Chavez Jr. and Arum to make the Martinez fight if Arum says no to it. The fight makes sense, but Arum feels Chavez Jr. isn’t ready for it, and who knows when he ever will be. Arum thought Chavez Jr. looked good in beating Marco Antonio Rubio last weekend. I don’t agree with him and it doesn’t like HBO agrees with him either, because they were bored by the Chavez Jr. vs. Rubio fight.
BRADLEY SAYS WEIGHT LIMIT FOR PACQUIAO FIGHT TO BE 147
By John McCormick
JM: I heard the news yesterday about you signing the contract to fight Manny Pacquiao on June 9th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Do you know if Manny has signed the contract yet and if the fight is official?
Timothy Bradley: “I believe he signed the contract and it is official.”
JM: Is the fight going to be fought at 147 pounds or a catch-weight?
Timothy Bradley: “The fight is going to be at 147 pounds.”
JM: I’ve recently heard [Pacquaio's trainer] Freddie Roach state that he is worried about Pacquiao’s motivation to train hard for a fight with you. He feels that Pacquiao won’t be as motivated to fight you as he was against Juan Manuel Marquez and his other recent opponents. How do you feel about that?
TB: “That is good. I don’t want him to be motivated. I want them to take me lightly. I have been in this position before many times throughout my career. He will get motivated, especially as the fight gets closer and closer. Once he gets to see me in the press tours and stuff like that, he will see how I look. He better train hard for me. Freddie Roach is just trying to get into my head, and everyone else’s head. That is what Freddie Roach does, he plays mind games. I just want to let Freddie know that stuff doesn’t work over here with me.”
JM: You are known as a versatile fighter. You can fight on the inside, box, counterpunch, etc. Which of those styles are you looking to implement most in your game plan against Pacquiao?
TB: “All of the above.”
JM: Do you have a prediction for the Pacquiao fight?
TB: “The fans are not going to want to see a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight after this fight. They are going to want to see Timothy Bradley and Manny Pacquiao go at it again. I think I am a lot stronger than he is. He started off at 110 pounds or whatever and did what he did to get bigger. He pumped iron or whatever, he got bigger. Since I was 16 years old I have been 150 pounds. I walk around 160 or 165 pounds. He does have bigger legs though. His calves are bigger than my head. Other than that, I am the naturally bigger guy. I am going to give him something that he has never seen before and I will rise to the occasion.”
JM: I am sure you know that Pacquiao has been accused of using illegal performance enhancing drugs [Pacquiao has denied all such charges and sued to clear his name]. Floyd Mayweather and his family have flat-out said, or at least hinted that Pacquiao’s accomplishments in the ring are so unbelievable that they must be unnatural. What are your thoughts on that subject?
TB: “I don’t even know to be honest with you. There has been a lot of speculation and talk all throughout the boxing media that Manny Pacquiao has used performance enhancing drugs but I don’t know. I have no idea. As far as the testing goes, I am all for that. I think that there is a lot of athletes out there that are dirty and that use steroids to try and get an edge. I think it is very important that boxing looks into these tests. At least for championship fights at this level it is very important to have blood testing.”
JM: Do you plan on having a longer training camp for this fight compared to your training camps in the past?
TB: “I am always in shape. Once I get in the gym it won’t take long for me to get sharp. I am going to just stick to what I do. I might go an extra week or two just to make sure I have everything down and ready. It is definitely going to be a hard fought fight and I am prepared to throw 1000 punches if I have to. I will have to step it up. I am going to have a meeting with my team and I will tell them what I think, and they will tell me what they think. They are all watching film right now.”
JM: Any closing thoughts for the fans?
TB: “I always bring my best. I will always bring my best and do my best. This is fight that boxing fans need to see. You will get a chance to see Timothy Bradley beating the best fighter in the world, Manny Pacquiao. I would like to thank all my fans out there for their support. I’m looking forward to June 9th.”
By John McCormick
JM: I heard the news yesterday about you signing the contract to fight Manny Pacquiao on June 9th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Do you know if Manny has signed the contract yet and if the fight is official?
Timothy Bradley: “I believe he signed the contract and it is official.”
JM: Is the fight going to be fought at 147 pounds or a catch-weight?
Timothy Bradley: “The fight is going to be at 147 pounds.”
JM: I’ve recently heard [Pacquaio's trainer] Freddie Roach state that he is worried about Pacquiao’s motivation to train hard for a fight with you. He feels that Pacquiao won’t be as motivated to fight you as he was against Juan Manuel Marquez and his other recent opponents. How do you feel about that?
TB: “That is good. I don’t want him to be motivated. I want them to take me lightly. I have been in this position before many times throughout my career. He will get motivated, especially as the fight gets closer and closer. Once he gets to see me in the press tours and stuff like that, he will see how I look. He better train hard for me. Freddie Roach is just trying to get into my head, and everyone else’s head. That is what Freddie Roach does, he plays mind games. I just want to let Freddie know that stuff doesn’t work over here with me.”
JM: You are known as a versatile fighter. You can fight on the inside, box, counterpunch, etc. Which of those styles are you looking to implement most in your game plan against Pacquiao?
TB: “All of the above.”
JM: Do you have a prediction for the Pacquiao fight?
TB: “The fans are not going to want to see a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight after this fight. They are going to want to see Timothy Bradley and Manny Pacquiao go at it again. I think I am a lot stronger than he is. He started off at 110 pounds or whatever and did what he did to get bigger. He pumped iron or whatever, he got bigger. Since I was 16 years old I have been 150 pounds. I walk around 160 or 165 pounds. He does have bigger legs though. His calves are bigger than my head. Other than that, I am the naturally bigger guy. I am going to give him something that he has never seen before and I will rise to the occasion.”
JM: I am sure you know that Pacquiao has been accused of using illegal performance enhancing drugs [Pacquiao has denied all such charges and sued to clear his name]. Floyd Mayweather and his family have flat-out said, or at least hinted that Pacquiao’s accomplishments in the ring are so unbelievable that they must be unnatural. What are your thoughts on that subject?
TB: “I don’t even know to be honest with you. There has been a lot of speculation and talk all throughout the boxing media that Manny Pacquiao has used performance enhancing drugs but I don’t know. I have no idea. As far as the testing goes, I am all for that. I think that there is a lot of athletes out there that are dirty and that use steroids to try and get an edge. I think it is very important that boxing looks into these tests. At least for championship fights at this level it is very important to have blood testing.”
JM: Do you plan on having a longer training camp for this fight compared to your training camps in the past?
TB: “I am always in shape. Once I get in the gym it won’t take long for me to get sharp. I am going to just stick to what I do. I might go an extra week or two just to make sure I have everything down and ready. It is definitely going to be a hard fought fight and I am prepared to throw 1000 punches if I have to. I will have to step it up. I am going to have a meeting with my team and I will tell them what I think, and they will tell me what they think. They are all watching film right now.”
JM: Any closing thoughts for the fans?
TB: “I always bring my best. I will always bring my best and do my best. This is fight that boxing fans need to see. You will get a chance to see Timothy Bradley beating the best fighter in the world, Manny Pacquiao. I would like to thank all my fans out there for their support. I’m looking forward to June 9th.”
LAMONT PETERSON TALKS ABOUT AGREEING TO A REMATCH WITH AMIR KHAN
By John McCormick
JM: It was announced yesterday that you decided to give Amir Khan a rematch. It will take place on May 19th. After the first fight [Peterson won by split decision], it seemed as if you had many options to choose from in regards to your next opponent. What was the deciding factor in picking the rematch with Khan for your next fight?
Lamont Peterson: “The main reason I chose Khan was because as soon as I beat him and got out of the ring, I wanted to fight him again. All of the other names like Juan Manuel Marquez were fights that I was willing to take but the entire time, I had Khan’s name in the back of my head. It wasn’t because I felt as if I had to because Khan has been talking trash or that the WBA ordered the rematch. It was something that I wanted to.”
JM: If you do get a win in the rematch with Khan on May 19th, would Juan Manuel Marquez be your next option?
LP: “Definitely. I would love for that to be my next fight but we’ll see. Marquez is a great fighter and will go down as a legendary fighter. I would love to get into the ring with him after Khan.”
JM: A lot of fans and critics felt Khan didn’t get a fair shake in Washington D.C. [The referee, who like Peterson was from Washington D.C., deducted two points from Khan;s score, which tipped the scorecards in Peterson's favor]. The rematch is set to take place in Las Vegas. Do you feel as if you’re going to get a fair shake in Las Vegas after all of the controversy surrounding the first fight?
LP: “I think everything should be ok. I wouldn’t say that I am worried. There was no cheating going on in D.C. but Khan has been complaining that there was cheating going on. What I am uncomfortable about is that if Khan and his team really felt cheating went on in D.C., will they turn around and try to cheat in the rematch? It’s like if you smack me in the face, I am going to smack you back. I hope that no cheating will be going on and that everything will be good.”
JM: Have you watched the first fight again? Anything that you are looking to improve in the rematch?
LP: “Yeah, I saw a few things wrong with the original game plan and all that. Not that much though. For the most part my game plan will stay the same, and if I have to make adjustments I will. In the first fight, the original game plan wasn’t working so I adjusted and my second game plan worked. I will bring all three of those same game plans with me into this fight just in case. I think I will use the second game plan that I went with in the first fight, which was to pressure him. I need to move my head more, jab more and little things like that but for the most part it will be the same thing.”
JM: Right now, the only loss on your professional record is to Timothy Bradley who just signed to fight Manny Pacquiao in June. What do you think of Bradley’s chances against Pacquiao?
LP: “Tim has a great chance. A lot of people don’t give him a lot of credit. They say that they don’t like the way he fights but at the end of the day he can fight. He has a difficult style to deal with and Pacquiao will realize that when he gets into the ring with him. I want to say that I am almost sure that he will win. The only thing that is holding me back is that Pacquiao punches so hard, and maybe he can catch Tim and knock him out. For the most part I see Tim winning the fight.”
JM: Do you have a prediction for the rematch with Khan on May 19th?
LP: “I want to predict a knockout but I would say a more decisive win for me this time. I haven’t had any rematches as a pro, but in the amateurs every time I had a rematch I won a lot more decisively. I am always a lot better the second time around. I’ll be ready to go twelve rounds but I think there is a good chance that I will knock him out.”
JM: Any closing thoughts for the fans?
LP: “If you think the first fight was good this one will be better. If you don’t think I won the first fight, you are entitled to your opinion but I’ll make sure that I will win this one and change the minds of Khan fans on who won that first fight in D.C.”
By John McCormick
JM: It was announced yesterday that you decided to give Amir Khan a rematch. It will take place on May 19th. After the first fight [Peterson won by split decision], it seemed as if you had many options to choose from in regards to your next opponent. What was the deciding factor in picking the rematch with Khan for your next fight?
Lamont Peterson: “The main reason I chose Khan was because as soon as I beat him and got out of the ring, I wanted to fight him again. All of the other names like Juan Manuel Marquez were fights that I was willing to take but the entire time, I had Khan’s name in the back of my head. It wasn’t because I felt as if I had to because Khan has been talking trash or that the WBA ordered the rematch. It was something that I wanted to.”
JM: If you do get a win in the rematch with Khan on May 19th, would Juan Manuel Marquez be your next option?
LP: “Definitely. I would love for that to be my next fight but we’ll see. Marquez is a great fighter and will go down as a legendary fighter. I would love to get into the ring with him after Khan.”
JM: A lot of fans and critics felt Khan didn’t get a fair shake in Washington D.C. [The referee, who like Peterson was from Washington D.C., deducted two points from Khan;s score, which tipped the scorecards in Peterson's favor]. The rematch is set to take place in Las Vegas. Do you feel as if you’re going to get a fair shake in Las Vegas after all of the controversy surrounding the first fight?
LP: “I think everything should be ok. I wouldn’t say that I am worried. There was no cheating going on in D.C. but Khan has been complaining that there was cheating going on. What I am uncomfortable about is that if Khan and his team really felt cheating went on in D.C., will they turn around and try to cheat in the rematch? It’s like if you smack me in the face, I am going to smack you back. I hope that no cheating will be going on and that everything will be good.”
JM: Have you watched the first fight again? Anything that you are looking to improve in the rematch?
LP: “Yeah, I saw a few things wrong with the original game plan and all that. Not that much though. For the most part my game plan will stay the same, and if I have to make adjustments I will. In the first fight, the original game plan wasn’t working so I adjusted and my second game plan worked. I will bring all three of those same game plans with me into this fight just in case. I think I will use the second game plan that I went with in the first fight, which was to pressure him. I need to move my head more, jab more and little things like that but for the most part it will be the same thing.”
JM: Right now, the only loss on your professional record is to Timothy Bradley who just signed to fight Manny Pacquiao in June. What do you think of Bradley’s chances against Pacquiao?
LP: “Tim has a great chance. A lot of people don’t give him a lot of credit. They say that they don’t like the way he fights but at the end of the day he can fight. He has a difficult style to deal with and Pacquiao will realize that when he gets into the ring with him. I want to say that I am almost sure that he will win. The only thing that is holding me back is that Pacquiao punches so hard, and maybe he can catch Tim and knock him out. For the most part I see Tim winning the fight.”
JM: Do you have a prediction for the rematch with Khan on May 19th?
LP: “I want to predict a knockout but I would say a more decisive win for me this time. I haven’t had any rematches as a pro, but in the amateurs every time I had a rematch I won a lot more decisively. I am always a lot better the second time around. I’ll be ready to go twelve rounds but I think there is a good chance that I will knock him out.”
JM: Any closing thoughts for the fans?
LP: “If you think the first fight was good this one will be better. If you don’t think I won the first fight, you are entitled to your opinion but I’ll make sure that I will win this one and change the minds of Khan fans on who won that first fight in D.C.”
Bute: I’m ready to fight Froch even in the UK
February 13th, 2012
By Scott Gilfoid: Carl Froch (28-2, 20 KO’s) should be very afraid right about now, because IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute (30-0, 24 KO’s) doesn’t care if he has to go all the way to the UK to spank Froch in front of his own people on national television.
Bute said on his twitter today “Leaving for training camp today. Just told Jean Bedard [Bute's promoter] I am ready to fight Carl Froch, even in England. let’s get this done.”
Uh oh, it looks like Froch is deep trouble now, because Bute simply won’t be denied. He sees a wounded animal in Froch and he wants to pick him off and go for the kill. Froch’s excuses about how he can’t make the fight because he only wants to fight in the UK won’t fly now.
Bute wants to pick off Froch and tear him apart. It’s probably going to be a brutal beating. I’d hate to be Froch getting whipped by Bute in front of all those angry Brits in Nottingham. They’re not going to like see Froch bet beaten. I just hope they don’t start throwing stuff like the Argentinian fans did recently. We must be civil. There’s still a chance to back out of the fight for Froch, but he’s going to need to come up with a doozy of an excuse otherwise he’s going look like a complete coward of the first order. I think the old back injury excuse might work in this case. Froch needs to pull that one out of the old bag of tricks and then basically wait Bute out until he’s got a fight signed with someone else. But honestly, this is a bad fight for Froch because Bute will hand Froch yet another loss and likely knock him plum out of the top 15 in doing so.
Froch has already lost two out of his last five fights and you can really call it three out of his last five if you count his controversial win over American talent Andre Dirrell among the losses. But if Froch gets spanked by Bute, things are going to be looking mighty bleak for Froch’s career. You can lose one or two fights, but after that you’re heading for journeyman’s status.
February 13th, 2012
By Scott Gilfoid: Carl Froch (28-2, 20 KO’s) should be very afraid right about now, because IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute (30-0, 24 KO’s) doesn’t care if he has to go all the way to the UK to spank Froch in front of his own people on national television.
Bute said on his twitter today “Leaving for training camp today. Just told Jean Bedard [Bute's promoter] I am ready to fight Carl Froch, even in England. let’s get this done.”
Uh oh, it looks like Froch is deep trouble now, because Bute simply won’t be denied. He sees a wounded animal in Froch and he wants to pick him off and go for the kill. Froch’s excuses about how he can’t make the fight because he only wants to fight in the UK won’t fly now.
Bute wants to pick off Froch and tear him apart. It’s probably going to be a brutal beating. I’d hate to be Froch getting whipped by Bute in front of all those angry Brits in Nottingham. They’re not going to like see Froch bet beaten. I just hope they don’t start throwing stuff like the Argentinian fans did recently. We must be civil. There’s still a chance to back out of the fight for Froch, but he’s going to need to come up with a doozy of an excuse otherwise he’s going look like a complete coward of the first order. I think the old back injury excuse might work in this case. Froch needs to pull that one out of the old bag of tricks and then basically wait Bute out until he’s got a fight signed with someone else. But honestly, this is a bad fight for Froch because Bute will hand Froch yet another loss and likely knock him plum out of the top 15 in doing so.
Froch has already lost two out of his last five fights and you can really call it three out of his last five if you count his controversial win over American talent Andre Dirrell among the losses. But if Froch gets spanked by Bute, things are going to be looking mighty bleak for Froch’s career. You can lose one or two fights, but after that you’re heading for journeyman’s status.
Bute: I’m ready to fight Froch even in the UK
February 13th, 2012
By Scott Gilfoid: Carl Froch (28-2, 20 KO’s) should be very afraid right about now, because IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute (30-0, 24 KO’s) doesn’t care if he has to go all the way to the UK to spank Froch in front of his own people on national television.
Bute said on his twitter today “Leaving for training camp today. Just told Jean Bedard [Bute's promoter] I am ready to fight Carl Froch, even in England. let’s get this done.”
Uh oh, it looks like Froch is deep trouble now, because Bute simply won’t be denied. He sees a wounded animal in Froch and he wants to pick him off and go for the kill. Froch’s excuses about how he can’t make the fight because he only wants to fight in the UK won’t fly now.
Bute wants to pick off Froch and tear him apart. It’s probably going to be a brutal beating. I’d hate to be Froch getting whipped by Bute in front of all those angry Brits in Nottingham. They’re not going to like see Froch bet beaten. I just hope they don’t start throwing stuff like the Argentinian fans did recently. We must be civil. There’s still a chance to back out of the fight for Froch, but he’s going to need to come up with a doozy of an excuse otherwise he’s going look like a complete coward of the first order. I think the old back injury excuse might work in this case. Froch needs to pull that one out of the old bag of tricks and then basically wait Bute out until he’s got a fight signed with someone else. But honestly, this is a bad fight for Froch because Bute will hand Froch yet another loss and likely knock him plum out of the top 15 in doing so.
Froch has already lost two out of his last five fights and you can really call it three out of his last five if you count his controversial win over American talent Andre Dirrell among the losses. But if Froch gets spanked by Bute, things are going to be looking mighty bleak for Froch’s career. You can lose one or two fights, but after that you’re heading for journeyman’s status.
February 13th, 2012
By Scott Gilfoid: Carl Froch (28-2, 20 KO’s) should be very afraid right about now, because IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute (30-0, 24 KO’s) doesn’t care if he has to go all the way to the UK to spank Froch in front of his own people on national television.
Bute said on his twitter today “Leaving for training camp today. Just told Jean Bedard [Bute's promoter] I am ready to fight Carl Froch, even in England. let’s get this done.”
Uh oh, it looks like Froch is deep trouble now, because Bute simply won’t be denied. He sees a wounded animal in Froch and he wants to pick him off and go for the kill. Froch’s excuses about how he can’t make the fight because he only wants to fight in the UK won’t fly now.
Bute wants to pick off Froch and tear him apart. It’s probably going to be a brutal beating. I’d hate to be Froch getting whipped by Bute in front of all those angry Brits in Nottingham. They’re not going to like see Froch bet beaten. I just hope they don’t start throwing stuff like the Argentinian fans did recently. We must be civil. There’s still a chance to back out of the fight for Froch, but he’s going to need to come up with a doozy of an excuse otherwise he’s going look like a complete coward of the first order. I think the old back injury excuse might work in this case. Froch needs to pull that one out of the old bag of tricks and then basically wait Bute out until he’s got a fight signed with someone else. But honestly, this is a bad fight for Froch because Bute will hand Froch yet another loss and likely knock him plum out of the top 15 in doing so.
Froch has already lost two out of his last five fights and you can really call it three out of his last five if you count his controversial win over American talent Andre Dirrell among the losses. But if Froch gets spanked by Bute, things are going to be looking mighty bleak for Froch’s career. You can lose one or two fights, but after that you’re heading for journeyman’s status.
Mayweather Sr: Cotto will give little Floyd a better fight than Pacquiao
February 13th, 2012
By Chris Williams: Floyd Mayweather Sr. believes that WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto will ultimately give his son Floyd Mayweather Jr. a tougher time than what Manny Pacquiao would, according to fighthype.com.
Floyd Sr. told Fighthype.com “Cotto will be a better fight for Floyd than Pacquiao if Pacquiao not on anything. Cotto never lays down and that’s what makes him good.”
That’s funny. But I do agree that Cotto is a better opponent for Mayweather Jr. as in a tougher opponent than Pacquiao. I don’t care that Pacquiao at one time beat a weight drained Cotto during the prime of Pacquiao’s career in 2009. Cotto is better now than he was then due to the improvements made in his game by trainer Emanuel Steward and his new Cuban trainer. Cotto is also a lot stronger now than he was when he fought Pacquiao at a catchweight of 145.
That was an insane thing for Cotto to agree to because he’s probably been a junior middleweight in size for the past four years, and all he did by agreeing to fight Pacquiao at 145, was weaken himself to the point where Pacquiao could actually beat him. Cotto is a lot stronger now and has many ways he can beat his opponents. He adapts and gets better from round to round, and is very difficult to beat because of the changes he makes. Cotto listens to the instructions told to him by his trainer and is able to carry them out.
This makes Cotto very dangerous he’s so naturally strong at this weight. Pacquiao is much less skilled and is completely wild. His trainer Freddie Roach has looked overwhelmed in recent fights with his fighters Amir Khan, Jorge Linares and Pacquiao looking poor. Roach is predictable in the advice he gives and I can’t see him giving Pacquiao any advice that would improve his chances against Mayweather once he starts struggling against him.
February 13th, 2012
By Chris Williams: Floyd Mayweather Sr. believes that WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto will ultimately give his son Floyd Mayweather Jr. a tougher time than what Manny Pacquiao would, according to fighthype.com.
Floyd Sr. told Fighthype.com “Cotto will be a better fight for Floyd than Pacquiao if Pacquiao not on anything. Cotto never lays down and that’s what makes him good.”
That’s funny. But I do agree that Cotto is a better opponent for Mayweather Jr. as in a tougher opponent than Pacquiao. I don’t care that Pacquiao at one time beat a weight drained Cotto during the prime of Pacquiao’s career in 2009. Cotto is better now than he was then due to the improvements made in his game by trainer Emanuel Steward and his new Cuban trainer. Cotto is also a lot stronger now than he was when he fought Pacquiao at a catchweight of 145.
That was an insane thing for Cotto to agree to because he’s probably been a junior middleweight in size for the past four years, and all he did by agreeing to fight Pacquiao at 145, was weaken himself to the point where Pacquiao could actually beat him. Cotto is a lot stronger now and has many ways he can beat his opponents. He adapts and gets better from round to round, and is very difficult to beat because of the changes he makes. Cotto listens to the instructions told to him by his trainer and is able to carry them out.
This makes Cotto very dangerous he’s so naturally strong at this weight. Pacquiao is much less skilled and is completely wild. His trainer Freddie Roach has looked overwhelmed in recent fights with his fighters Amir Khan, Jorge Linares and Pacquiao looking poor. Roach is predictable in the advice he gives and I can’t see him giving Pacquiao any advice that would improve his chances against Mayweather once he starts struggling against him.
Fernando Montiel vs. Angky Angkota on March 3rd
February 14th, 2012
By Jason Kim: Former three division world champion Fernando Montiel (46-4-2, 36 KO’s) will be fighting Angky Angkota (25-6, 14 KO’s) for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) International Silver super bantamweight title on March 3rd.
Montiel, 32, lost his last fight to Victor Terrazas by a 12 round unanimous decision last November. That was kind of a shock for Montiel #7 WBC, #8 WBC, as he was expected to win that fight. However, it gave a pretty clear indication that Montiel is barking up the wrong tree by trying to fight at super bantamweight when his best weights were flyweight and super flyweight.
Since he moved up to bantamweight and now super bantamweight, Montiel’s luck hasn’t been as good. He did a good job of stopping WBC bantamweight champion Hozumi Hasegawa in the fourth round in April 2010. However, after defending it once in beating Rafael Concepcion by a 3rd round TKO in July 2010, Montiel was stopped by Nonito Donaire in the 2nd round last year in February.
Montiel then came back with a couple of wins over Nehomar Cermano and Alvaro Perez, but then was beaten by Terrazas last November. Montiel has lowered his sights with his fight against Angkota on March 3rd, and is going after this minor title to bide time while Montiel tries to get a title fight against one of the super bantamweight champions.
Montiel wants to fight Donaire again, but the chances of that happening are zero, because Montiel brings nothing to the table due to how easily Donaire beat him last year. And the loss to Terrazas makes it even harder for Montiel to get the rematch.
Montiel really should consider moving back down to super flyweight because he’s so much better at that weight than he is at bantamweight and super bantamweight, but it’s unlikely that Montiel will do that because the money fights are at bantamweight and super bantamweight right now. If Montiel could somehow work his way to featherweight, he’d do even better but that’s highly unlikely because he’s struggling at super bantamweight
February 14th, 2012
By Jason Kim: Former three division world champion Fernando Montiel (46-4-2, 36 KO’s) will be fighting Angky Angkota (25-6, 14 KO’s) for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) International Silver super bantamweight title on March 3rd.
Montiel, 32, lost his last fight to Victor Terrazas by a 12 round unanimous decision last November. That was kind of a shock for Montiel #7 WBC, #8 WBC, as he was expected to win that fight. However, it gave a pretty clear indication that Montiel is barking up the wrong tree by trying to fight at super bantamweight when his best weights were flyweight and super flyweight.
Since he moved up to bantamweight and now super bantamweight, Montiel’s luck hasn’t been as good. He did a good job of stopping WBC bantamweight champion Hozumi Hasegawa in the fourth round in April 2010. However, after defending it once in beating Rafael Concepcion by a 3rd round TKO in July 2010, Montiel was stopped by Nonito Donaire in the 2nd round last year in February.
Montiel then came back with a couple of wins over Nehomar Cermano and Alvaro Perez, but then was beaten by Terrazas last November. Montiel has lowered his sights with his fight against Angkota on March 3rd, and is going after this minor title to bide time while Montiel tries to get a title fight against one of the super bantamweight champions.
Montiel wants to fight Donaire again, but the chances of that happening are zero, because Montiel brings nothing to the table due to how easily Donaire beat him last year. And the loss to Terrazas makes it even harder for Montiel to get the rematch.
Montiel really should consider moving back down to super flyweight because he’s so much better at that weight than he is at bantamweight and super bantamweight, but it’s unlikely that Montiel will do that because the money fights are at bantamweight and super bantamweight right now. If Montiel could somehow work his way to featherweight, he’d do even better but that’s highly unlikely because he’s struggling at super bantamweight
Timothy Bradley: “I think I’ll be able to match up with Pacquiao speed for speed and punch for punch”
by Geoffrey Ciani (Exclusive Interview by Jenna J & Geoffrey Ciani) - The most recent edition of On the Ropes Boxing Radio featured an exclusive interview with WBO junior welterweight champion Timothy Bradley (28-0, 12 KOs) who is scheduled to face WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KOs)on June 9. Bradley spoke about his upcoming fight with Pacquiao and also shared opinions on other current boxing news, including his views on the upcoming fight between Floyd Mayweather Junior and Miguel Cotto, as well as the rematch between Lamont Peterson and Amir Khan. Here is a complete transcript from that interview:
JENNA J: Okay Geoff, well let’s move things over to our final guest of this week’s show and he’s involved in one of the biggest fights coming up this year. We are joined once again by the WBO light welterweight champion of the world Timothy Bradley. How’s everything going today Tim?
TIMOTHY BRADLEY: Oh you know everything is going well. Everything is lovely right now and I’m excited.
JENNA: Alright, well that’s the big news out there, something that’s getting the fans excited. You’ll be facing off against Manny Pacquiao on June 9 at the MGM Grand. How do you feel about getting this opportunity?
BRADLEY: You know what? This is a long time dream of mine. It’s been a long time coming. Eighteen years of my life I’ve prepared for this moment. I seized the moment over in England. I definitely want to seize this moment as well. I’m getting a crack at one of the best fighters pound-for-pound in the game. I’m very excited! I definitely want to thank Manny Pacquiao for challenging me; and my manager, manager of the year Cameron Dunkin; my wife; and Team Bradley, and especially Top Rank for making this happen. So I’m very excited and I’m ready to shock the world.
JENNA: Alright. Well you know Tim you took a lot of criticism over the last year because of your decision not to fight Amir Khan. But now that this move has paid off in less than a year and now that you are getting the fight that you want, a big money fight, a big high profile fight against Manny Pacquiao, how does it feel that that all worked out for you?
BRADLEY: You know what? We set out. We had a plan. I had a dream. You know I did take a lot of heat in the media, and you know like I always said I was going to get the last laugh at the end. I’ve always known that. I’ve always felt that way. I’ll get the last laugh now. Everything that everybody said about me in the past, hey check this out! I’m fighting Manny Pacquiao. It makes me feel good that the plan actually worked out. Cameron Dunkin man, Cameron Dunkin made this happen. He’s just a great manager, man. I really appreciate him for that, including my wife for just keeping me focused on the plan. It was tough because I was hearing all this criticism, and I was like, “Man just let me go in and beat this guy up already!”, and she was like, “No, no, no!” So I’m just very happy. I’m very happy to get this shot.
JENNA: You know Tim, with all the talk that was going around before you got this shot, whether it was Mayweather-Pacquiao or Pacquiao vs. Peterson, did you have any doubts yourself that you’d get this opportunity?
BRADLEY: You know I did. I did have some doubts. You know I’m not going to lie. I was sitting and watching guys fight in December and then seeing them get dates in like early March. I’m just like, “Dude, I just fought in November, where’s my date at?” I just wanted to fight. Whether it was with Manny Pacquiao or not, I just want to fight. So like stop holding up things, I was very impatient. But me being patient definitely helped out. My wife definitely helped me stay patient, and she’s like, “Just look at the overall picture. Just look at the overall picture. Just wait. Just wait. Just wait”. You know. You never know what’s going to happen. Boxing changes day in and day out. So by the minute something can change. So I just believed in what she said. I believed in my manager. He was going to get it done and it ended up happening. You know I heard that Marquez was in the mix as well. I said, “Okay, I don’t know if anyone wants to see that rematch again. It’s going to be the same thing over and over”. Then Freddie Roach came out and said that he wants to part of Juan Manuel Marquez anymore unless they have to do it again sometime later in the year or next year or something like that. Freddie was saying he was sick of rematches, so I was just like, “Great, now Cotto might be out”. Cotto didn’t want to squeeze back down to 147, although I thought that would have been a great matchup again because boxing is a business. At the end of the day, if that was going to be the fight that was going to be the fight. I was just saying, “When am I going to fight?” Then everything just played out right. Lamont Peterson, I already beat him, so that wouldn’t make any sense for him to fight him. So through process of elimination I thought I was that guy that they were looking for. I said you know what? I’m that guy that they’re looking for. You know Floyd was talking okay in the beginning, and then he started talking stupid. “50-50, no—I want 70-30”. I’m just like, “Dude, you’re crazy! That’s not going to happen and it’s not going to happen in May, either”. So that’s when I felt I was going to get it.
JENNA: Alright well Tim let’s talk about the challenge that you have in front of you. Many people consider Manny Pacquiao the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Do you consider him that?
BRADLEY: No. No, I think he’s one of the best fighters give or take. Depending on where you have him or where you rank him at one or two, I think Floyd Mayweather is the best fighter pound-for-pound in the game right now as we speak. So you know, I think that Manny Pacquiao is a tremendous fighter. You know he has proven himself over and over and over, fighting trilogies, and fighting rematches with guys like Barrera and Morales and Marquez, which is always a great matchup with him, and beating these guys like De La Hoya and Shane. He has a long list of fights, but in that long list he hasn’t fought someone that’s hungry and young and just as energetic as he is. He hasn’t fought a guy that loves to mix it up and can box as well if he needs to, someone that doesn’t really get hit too much during a fight, someone that’s very elusive and smart. I feel he hasn’t seen that type of fighter in a long time. A lot of the guys he’s been facing, yeah they do have names, they’ve been around for awhile, but they’re past their primes. You know I’m right in my prime, so I think that I will definitely give him a great matchup on June 9.
JENNA: People say Tim that the blueprint to beat Manny Pacquiao is out there, that Juan Manuel Marquez wrote that blueprint, that you just have to turn him and put him on his back foot and he’s not effective. Do you see that and do you think that’s the type of game plan you’re going to follow to beat him on June 9?
BRADLEY: I mean of course you got to look at fighters that definitely gave him problems in there and see what they’re doing and seeing if he can make those type of adjustments. You know Marquez himself has a very unique style. He looks like he’s very easy to hit, but he’s very hard and very clever. I mean he’s a very strong fighter, so him and Manny Pacquiao, Marquez fought him three times already so it’s always going to be a tough matchup. The first matchup was a great fight. You know Marquez made the adjustments and came back in the fight and put up a heck of a fight. I feel that I’m definitely watching the tape. I’m definitely going to try and use some of his tactics that he used in the fight to help me with my game plan, but then again I also want to throw a little bit of me in there, and take chances, and make a fight out of it sometimes. I’m thinking about all of the above—fight a little bit, brawl a little bit, box a little bit, and just kind of mix it up in there and try to outthink Manny Pacquiao.
JENNA: Okay! Well Tim, I’m also on the line with my Co-Host Geoff Ciani.
GEOFFREY CIANI: Hey Tim, it’s a great pleasure to have you back on the show.
BRADLEY: Oh absolutely man, as always thank you.
CIANI: Building on what you said, I notice a lot of people that are kind of counting you out at the offset of this are saying that the reason you won’t match up as well against Pacquiao is because a guy like Marquez was a counterpuncher whereas you’re more of an aggressive pressure type fighter. Do you think these people are underestimating your versatility that are counting you out in that regard?
BRADLEY: Yeah. You know in my last couple of fights, I’ve been fighting guys that are basically pressure, I disrupt their rhythm and I can just basically take it to them and win the match. So you know styles make fights. I know that I can’t just do that with Manny Pacquiao, because he’s a tremendous counterpuncher, he hits hard, he’s very fast, he’s very elusive in his own way with his feet, and he sets up a lot of punches with his feet and feints. So I think that a lot of people are counting me out already because they are saying that Bradley doesn’t have the power to hurt Manny Pacquiao, or at 147 he’s a smaller guy. They’re making these opinions about me, but they really don’t know where I come from. They really don’t know my background. At 16 years old I wasn’t at 116 pounds. I was 152 pounds fighting in the amateurs fighting guys 6’, 5’11”, 6’1”. You know. So naturally I feel I’m the bigger guy. I mean this guy, he grew to this weight. I’ve been at 150-something pounds since I was 16 years old and I’m 28 now. So you know I squeeze down to 140 to make that weight. 147 is pretty much my natural weight, so I’m a lot stronger at 147 pounds. A lot of people say the power. Manny Pacquiao, yeah he does have tremendous power, but I don’t see him as a one-punch knockout guy. I think he’s more of a busy fighter. He can catch you with a shot and hurt you, but it’s mainly just catching you and kind of like overwhelming you with punches. You know that third shot will hurt and catch you off guard. That third shot will hurt you, because he throws punches at weird angles. So I don’t see him as a one-punch knockout guy. I honestly don’t. You know people can count me out. It really doesn’t bother me, man. I like to be the underdog, anyway.
CIANI: Well on the flipside, a lot of the people that are picking you as a live underdog and somebody that could play the role of a spoiler in a potential Pacquiao-Mayweather fight, those peoplare pointing out that you’re a young, hungry, determined, undefeated fighter and a lot of people are saying that Pacquiao has slipped a little bit in his last two fights with Mosley, where he showed some vulnerabilities even though he dominated the fight, and of course with Marquez. Do you think the timing is right where you’re on your way up and Pacquiao could be on the slide a little bit?
BRADLEY: Absolutely! Absolutely! You know that kind of like to me is going to get to him too, because what’s going to happen is that now, the fact that Manny hasn’t been looking well, now he’s going to train extremely hard to look well. So like whatever he did in the past, he’s going to eliminate on whatever he was doing wrong in training camp. Now he’s going to be really focused on this, because in his last two performances he hasn’t looked that impressive. You know he hasn’t knocked anybody out in his last couple of performances. So he’s definitely going to be hungrier in this fight, and he’s definitely going to train harder. I think that Freddie Roach said he feels like he’s going to have a hard time getting him motivated. I don’t think so! I think that he has a lot to prove to his boxing fans and the boxing world, and he has a young hungry guy like myself that’s unwilling to take no for an answer. You know granted or not, to me I feel that if Manny Pacquiao doesn’t hurt me in any way I’m definitely going to be in the fight. That’s all it’s going to boil down to at the end of the day. Skill for skill, I can match up with anybody in the game. That’s how I feel. I can match up with anybody because I can make adjustments in there. But as far as the power, if I can take his shot I’m in there, man. I’m in there, and I’ll know from the first round.
CIANI: Tim changing things up, you brought up the name Floyd Mayweather a couple of times. I just wanted to get your views on his fight with Miguel Cotto, Floyd returning to 154, and just your general views and how you think that might play out?
BRADLEY: You know I think Floyd is going to just pot-shot Cotto all night, man! I think Cotto is a little bit too slow for Floyd. I think that Cotto will put up a little bit of a fight in the beginning, but I think Floyd will definitely step to him towards the middle of the fight, make him miss and make him pay, and bust Cotto up a little bit, and probably end up stopping him probably in the later rounds just from taking too much punishment.
CIANI: And I also wanted to get your view, former opponent Lamont Peterson looks like he’s going to be facing Khan again. Do you think Amir can avenge the surprise upset loss he suffered at the hands of Peterson?
BRADLEY: No. I don’t think Amir is going to win that fight. I think that psychologically Amir is definitely going to be hungry to redeem himself, but I don’t think he’s going to change as a fighter. I think he’s pretty much set in stone. He’s going to fight the game plan he fought last time. He’s going to try to definitely not get in the mix with Peterson, but Peterson is just like, even in my fight, man he’s just so clever at slipping in, and slipping out, and getting to you and getting to your body. Peterson I think right off the start, he’s going to step right to Khan and take it to him right from the gate. So I’m thinking Peterson is going to win another split decision victory in Vegas over Khan.
JENNA: Okay well Tim, let’s talk about the position that you’re in right now. Because you’re moving up to 147 your 140 pound belt is not on the line. Do you see yourself in kind of a win-win situation: win because you’re getting the biggest fight of your life right now, and even if somehow it does not go your way, you’re still the 140 pound champion who’s going to get more recognition than ever from fighting Pacquiao?
BRADLEY: Absolutely! Absolutely! I think it’s a win-win all the way around the board. A lot of fight fans are definitely going to tune into this fight. I think that me being the 140 pound champion moving up to 147, yes I’m able to keep my title at 140 and win or lose I still can drop back down and face the best that 140 has to offer. But you know I’m looking to be victorious in this fight! I definitely am, and I’m so confident that I can win this fight. So after the result then I’ll be able to make my decision if I want to go back down. I may possibly stay up and face somebody else at 147 if I feel comfortable in there. So I mean there are a lot of options out there that I’ll be able to do after this fight, so I’m very happy for this opportunity.
JENNA: Now you mentioned possibly staying at 147. If you beat Pacquiao is there in fact a rematch where you have to face him again right in the next fight?
BRADLEY: You know what? I believe no. There isn’t a rematch clause. No. There is no rematch clause, but I am sure if I beat Pacquiao there will be probably an immediate rematch.
JENNA: Okay! Well let’s go back to your fight and my last two questions for you here. That fight with Manny Pacquiao—what do you think is going to be your single biggest advantage over him when you meet him on June 9?
BRADLEY: I think my durability. I think that I’m going to be durable. You know I want to say Margarito was very durable but very hittable. I think I’m that I’m elusive enough to elude a lot of his punches and make him pay, and I have very good conditioning. I’m very disciplined in staying conditioned and being in the best shape I possibly can. So you know I think I’ll be able to match up with Pacquiao speed for speed and punch for punch. I’m thinking a high output over a guy that punches in this fight. I think that’s the variable where we’re probably going to reach in this fight, over 1,000 punches over 12 rounds.
JENNA: Okay now you mentioned too before that you’re going to make it a tough fight for Pacquiao. Do you think the biggest key to victory for you is to make Manny Pacquiao uncomfortable and make it a type of situation that he’s not quite used to in recent matches?
BRADLEY: Yeah. You know what? I’m definitely trying to make him uncomfortable. I’m definitely trying to do everything I can to win the fight. You know I really don’t know. I mean I watched film on him. I see things that he does well. He see things that he does okay. I see things where I can make him pay. Now it just boils down to getting in the ring, and actually going to the gym, and actually perfecting the game plan, and actually getting out there, and actually doing it. You know I’ve done it in the past. This isn’t anything different in this fight and I’m looking to win. Hands down, I’m looking to win! Yeah the money is great, the whole scene, the whole exposure and all of that. Yeah that’s great, but at the end the biggest benefit is beating him, and that’s what I’m looking forward to doing. That’s it. That’s pretty much it.
JENNA: Okay! Well finally Tim, you have a lot of fans out there, and you have a lot of people who will be seeing you for the first time when you do get in there with Manny Pacquiao. Is there anything you want to say to them and what they have to look forward to for June 9?
BRADLEY: You know what? You’re going to witness an upset man, the upset of the year. Tim Bradley will be victorious after twelve rounds. Like I always say in all my fights, I’ll be victorious in this fight as well. I’m very confident, I’m very hungry, and I’m definitely going to train very hard, and definitely try to silence all my critics after this fight. I appreciate all my fans out there. Definitely hit me up on Twitter and Facebook — timbradleyjr.com and @timbradleyjr at Twitter. And check out my website, timothybradleyjr.com. That’s my website. So check it out. Get your apparel. If you’re coming out to the fight you can get your apparel online on my website. You can come in with your Tim Bradley logo, your hat and your shirt, and we’re going to have some cool things going to the fans here shortly. I’ll announce them on Twitter or on Facebook.
JENNA: Okay! Well Tim, it’s been a pleasure having you once again return to On the Ropes. I thank you for your time and wish you all the best for that big fight with Manny Pacquiao June 9.
BRADLEY: Absolutely! Well I appreciate you guys and it’s always a pleasure.
by Geoffrey Ciani (Exclusive Interview by Jenna J & Geoffrey Ciani) - The most recent edition of On the Ropes Boxing Radio featured an exclusive interview with WBO junior welterweight champion Timothy Bradley (28-0, 12 KOs) who is scheduled to face WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KOs)on June 9. Bradley spoke about his upcoming fight with Pacquiao and also shared opinions on other current boxing news, including his views on the upcoming fight between Floyd Mayweather Junior and Miguel Cotto, as well as the rematch between Lamont Peterson and Amir Khan. Here is a complete transcript from that interview:
JENNA J: Okay Geoff, well let’s move things over to our final guest of this week’s show and he’s involved in one of the biggest fights coming up this year. We are joined once again by the WBO light welterweight champion of the world Timothy Bradley. How’s everything going today Tim?
TIMOTHY BRADLEY: Oh you know everything is going well. Everything is lovely right now and I’m excited.
JENNA: Alright, well that’s the big news out there, something that’s getting the fans excited. You’ll be facing off against Manny Pacquiao on June 9 at the MGM Grand. How do you feel about getting this opportunity?
BRADLEY: You know what? This is a long time dream of mine. It’s been a long time coming. Eighteen years of my life I’ve prepared for this moment. I seized the moment over in England. I definitely want to seize this moment as well. I’m getting a crack at one of the best fighters pound-for-pound in the game. I’m very excited! I definitely want to thank Manny Pacquiao for challenging me; and my manager, manager of the year Cameron Dunkin; my wife; and Team Bradley, and especially Top Rank for making this happen. So I’m very excited and I’m ready to shock the world.
JENNA: Alright. Well you know Tim you took a lot of criticism over the last year because of your decision not to fight Amir Khan. But now that this move has paid off in less than a year and now that you are getting the fight that you want, a big money fight, a big high profile fight against Manny Pacquiao, how does it feel that that all worked out for you?
BRADLEY: You know what? We set out. We had a plan. I had a dream. You know I did take a lot of heat in the media, and you know like I always said I was going to get the last laugh at the end. I’ve always known that. I’ve always felt that way. I’ll get the last laugh now. Everything that everybody said about me in the past, hey check this out! I’m fighting Manny Pacquiao. It makes me feel good that the plan actually worked out. Cameron Dunkin man, Cameron Dunkin made this happen. He’s just a great manager, man. I really appreciate him for that, including my wife for just keeping me focused on the plan. It was tough because I was hearing all this criticism, and I was like, “Man just let me go in and beat this guy up already!”, and she was like, “No, no, no!” So I’m just very happy. I’m very happy to get this shot.
JENNA: You know Tim, with all the talk that was going around before you got this shot, whether it was Mayweather-Pacquiao or Pacquiao vs. Peterson, did you have any doubts yourself that you’d get this opportunity?
BRADLEY: You know I did. I did have some doubts. You know I’m not going to lie. I was sitting and watching guys fight in December and then seeing them get dates in like early March. I’m just like, “Dude, I just fought in November, where’s my date at?” I just wanted to fight. Whether it was with Manny Pacquiao or not, I just want to fight. So like stop holding up things, I was very impatient. But me being patient definitely helped out. My wife definitely helped me stay patient, and she’s like, “Just look at the overall picture. Just look at the overall picture. Just wait. Just wait. Just wait”. You know. You never know what’s going to happen. Boxing changes day in and day out. So by the minute something can change. So I just believed in what she said. I believed in my manager. He was going to get it done and it ended up happening. You know I heard that Marquez was in the mix as well. I said, “Okay, I don’t know if anyone wants to see that rematch again. It’s going to be the same thing over and over”. Then Freddie Roach came out and said that he wants to part of Juan Manuel Marquez anymore unless they have to do it again sometime later in the year or next year or something like that. Freddie was saying he was sick of rematches, so I was just like, “Great, now Cotto might be out”. Cotto didn’t want to squeeze back down to 147, although I thought that would have been a great matchup again because boxing is a business. At the end of the day, if that was going to be the fight that was going to be the fight. I was just saying, “When am I going to fight?” Then everything just played out right. Lamont Peterson, I already beat him, so that wouldn’t make any sense for him to fight him. So through process of elimination I thought I was that guy that they were looking for. I said you know what? I’m that guy that they’re looking for. You know Floyd was talking okay in the beginning, and then he started talking stupid. “50-50, no—I want 70-30”. I’m just like, “Dude, you’re crazy! That’s not going to happen and it’s not going to happen in May, either”. So that’s when I felt I was going to get it.
JENNA: Alright well Tim let’s talk about the challenge that you have in front of you. Many people consider Manny Pacquiao the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Do you consider him that?
BRADLEY: No. No, I think he’s one of the best fighters give or take. Depending on where you have him or where you rank him at one or two, I think Floyd Mayweather is the best fighter pound-for-pound in the game right now as we speak. So you know, I think that Manny Pacquiao is a tremendous fighter. You know he has proven himself over and over and over, fighting trilogies, and fighting rematches with guys like Barrera and Morales and Marquez, which is always a great matchup with him, and beating these guys like De La Hoya and Shane. He has a long list of fights, but in that long list he hasn’t fought someone that’s hungry and young and just as energetic as he is. He hasn’t fought a guy that loves to mix it up and can box as well if he needs to, someone that doesn’t really get hit too much during a fight, someone that’s very elusive and smart. I feel he hasn’t seen that type of fighter in a long time. A lot of the guys he’s been facing, yeah they do have names, they’ve been around for awhile, but they’re past their primes. You know I’m right in my prime, so I think that I will definitely give him a great matchup on June 9.
JENNA: People say Tim that the blueprint to beat Manny Pacquiao is out there, that Juan Manuel Marquez wrote that blueprint, that you just have to turn him and put him on his back foot and he’s not effective. Do you see that and do you think that’s the type of game plan you’re going to follow to beat him on June 9?
BRADLEY: I mean of course you got to look at fighters that definitely gave him problems in there and see what they’re doing and seeing if he can make those type of adjustments. You know Marquez himself has a very unique style. He looks like he’s very easy to hit, but he’s very hard and very clever. I mean he’s a very strong fighter, so him and Manny Pacquiao, Marquez fought him three times already so it’s always going to be a tough matchup. The first matchup was a great fight. You know Marquez made the adjustments and came back in the fight and put up a heck of a fight. I feel that I’m definitely watching the tape. I’m definitely going to try and use some of his tactics that he used in the fight to help me with my game plan, but then again I also want to throw a little bit of me in there, and take chances, and make a fight out of it sometimes. I’m thinking about all of the above—fight a little bit, brawl a little bit, box a little bit, and just kind of mix it up in there and try to outthink Manny Pacquiao.
JENNA: Okay! Well Tim, I’m also on the line with my Co-Host Geoff Ciani.
GEOFFREY CIANI: Hey Tim, it’s a great pleasure to have you back on the show.
BRADLEY: Oh absolutely man, as always thank you.
CIANI: Building on what you said, I notice a lot of people that are kind of counting you out at the offset of this are saying that the reason you won’t match up as well against Pacquiao is because a guy like Marquez was a counterpuncher whereas you’re more of an aggressive pressure type fighter. Do you think these people are underestimating your versatility that are counting you out in that regard?
BRADLEY: Yeah. You know in my last couple of fights, I’ve been fighting guys that are basically pressure, I disrupt their rhythm and I can just basically take it to them and win the match. So you know styles make fights. I know that I can’t just do that with Manny Pacquiao, because he’s a tremendous counterpuncher, he hits hard, he’s very fast, he’s very elusive in his own way with his feet, and he sets up a lot of punches with his feet and feints. So I think that a lot of people are counting me out already because they are saying that Bradley doesn’t have the power to hurt Manny Pacquiao, or at 147 he’s a smaller guy. They’re making these opinions about me, but they really don’t know where I come from. They really don’t know my background. At 16 years old I wasn’t at 116 pounds. I was 152 pounds fighting in the amateurs fighting guys 6’, 5’11”, 6’1”. You know. So naturally I feel I’m the bigger guy. I mean this guy, he grew to this weight. I’ve been at 150-something pounds since I was 16 years old and I’m 28 now. So you know I squeeze down to 140 to make that weight. 147 is pretty much my natural weight, so I’m a lot stronger at 147 pounds. A lot of people say the power. Manny Pacquiao, yeah he does have tremendous power, but I don’t see him as a one-punch knockout guy. I think he’s more of a busy fighter. He can catch you with a shot and hurt you, but it’s mainly just catching you and kind of like overwhelming you with punches. You know that third shot will hurt and catch you off guard. That third shot will hurt you, because he throws punches at weird angles. So I don’t see him as a one-punch knockout guy. I honestly don’t. You know people can count me out. It really doesn’t bother me, man. I like to be the underdog, anyway.
CIANI: Well on the flipside, a lot of the people that are picking you as a live underdog and somebody that could play the role of a spoiler in a potential Pacquiao-Mayweather fight, those peoplare pointing out that you’re a young, hungry, determined, undefeated fighter and a lot of people are saying that Pacquiao has slipped a little bit in his last two fights with Mosley, where he showed some vulnerabilities even though he dominated the fight, and of course with Marquez. Do you think the timing is right where you’re on your way up and Pacquiao could be on the slide a little bit?
BRADLEY: Absolutely! Absolutely! You know that kind of like to me is going to get to him too, because what’s going to happen is that now, the fact that Manny hasn’t been looking well, now he’s going to train extremely hard to look well. So like whatever he did in the past, he’s going to eliminate on whatever he was doing wrong in training camp. Now he’s going to be really focused on this, because in his last two performances he hasn’t looked that impressive. You know he hasn’t knocked anybody out in his last couple of performances. So he’s definitely going to be hungrier in this fight, and he’s definitely going to train harder. I think that Freddie Roach said he feels like he’s going to have a hard time getting him motivated. I don’t think so! I think that he has a lot to prove to his boxing fans and the boxing world, and he has a young hungry guy like myself that’s unwilling to take no for an answer. You know granted or not, to me I feel that if Manny Pacquiao doesn’t hurt me in any way I’m definitely going to be in the fight. That’s all it’s going to boil down to at the end of the day. Skill for skill, I can match up with anybody in the game. That’s how I feel. I can match up with anybody because I can make adjustments in there. But as far as the power, if I can take his shot I’m in there, man. I’m in there, and I’ll know from the first round.
CIANI: Tim changing things up, you brought up the name Floyd Mayweather a couple of times. I just wanted to get your views on his fight with Miguel Cotto, Floyd returning to 154, and just your general views and how you think that might play out?
BRADLEY: You know I think Floyd is going to just pot-shot Cotto all night, man! I think Cotto is a little bit too slow for Floyd. I think that Cotto will put up a little bit of a fight in the beginning, but I think Floyd will definitely step to him towards the middle of the fight, make him miss and make him pay, and bust Cotto up a little bit, and probably end up stopping him probably in the later rounds just from taking too much punishment.
CIANI: And I also wanted to get your view, former opponent Lamont Peterson looks like he’s going to be facing Khan again. Do you think Amir can avenge the surprise upset loss he suffered at the hands of Peterson?
BRADLEY: No. I don’t think Amir is going to win that fight. I think that psychologically Amir is definitely going to be hungry to redeem himself, but I don’t think he’s going to change as a fighter. I think he’s pretty much set in stone. He’s going to fight the game plan he fought last time. He’s going to try to definitely not get in the mix with Peterson, but Peterson is just like, even in my fight, man he’s just so clever at slipping in, and slipping out, and getting to you and getting to your body. Peterson I think right off the start, he’s going to step right to Khan and take it to him right from the gate. So I’m thinking Peterson is going to win another split decision victory in Vegas over Khan.
JENNA: Okay well Tim, let’s talk about the position that you’re in right now. Because you’re moving up to 147 your 140 pound belt is not on the line. Do you see yourself in kind of a win-win situation: win because you’re getting the biggest fight of your life right now, and even if somehow it does not go your way, you’re still the 140 pound champion who’s going to get more recognition than ever from fighting Pacquiao?
BRADLEY: Absolutely! Absolutely! I think it’s a win-win all the way around the board. A lot of fight fans are definitely going to tune into this fight. I think that me being the 140 pound champion moving up to 147, yes I’m able to keep my title at 140 and win or lose I still can drop back down and face the best that 140 has to offer. But you know I’m looking to be victorious in this fight! I definitely am, and I’m so confident that I can win this fight. So after the result then I’ll be able to make my decision if I want to go back down. I may possibly stay up and face somebody else at 147 if I feel comfortable in there. So I mean there are a lot of options out there that I’ll be able to do after this fight, so I’m very happy for this opportunity.
JENNA: Now you mentioned possibly staying at 147. If you beat Pacquiao is there in fact a rematch where you have to face him again right in the next fight?
BRADLEY: You know what? I believe no. There isn’t a rematch clause. No. There is no rematch clause, but I am sure if I beat Pacquiao there will be probably an immediate rematch.
JENNA: Okay! Well let’s go back to your fight and my last two questions for you here. That fight with Manny Pacquiao—what do you think is going to be your single biggest advantage over him when you meet him on June 9?
BRADLEY: I think my durability. I think that I’m going to be durable. You know I want to say Margarito was very durable but very hittable. I think I’m that I’m elusive enough to elude a lot of his punches and make him pay, and I have very good conditioning. I’m very disciplined in staying conditioned and being in the best shape I possibly can. So you know I think I’ll be able to match up with Pacquiao speed for speed and punch for punch. I’m thinking a high output over a guy that punches in this fight. I think that’s the variable where we’re probably going to reach in this fight, over 1,000 punches over 12 rounds.
JENNA: Okay now you mentioned too before that you’re going to make it a tough fight for Pacquiao. Do you think the biggest key to victory for you is to make Manny Pacquiao uncomfortable and make it a type of situation that he’s not quite used to in recent matches?
BRADLEY: Yeah. You know what? I’m definitely trying to make him uncomfortable. I’m definitely trying to do everything I can to win the fight. You know I really don’t know. I mean I watched film on him. I see things that he does well. He see things that he does okay. I see things where I can make him pay. Now it just boils down to getting in the ring, and actually going to the gym, and actually perfecting the game plan, and actually getting out there, and actually doing it. You know I’ve done it in the past. This isn’t anything different in this fight and I’m looking to win. Hands down, I’m looking to win! Yeah the money is great, the whole scene, the whole exposure and all of that. Yeah that’s great, but at the end the biggest benefit is beating him, and that’s what I’m looking forward to doing. That’s it. That’s pretty much it.
JENNA: Okay! Well finally Tim, you have a lot of fans out there, and you have a lot of people who will be seeing you for the first time when you do get in there with Manny Pacquiao. Is there anything you want to say to them and what they have to look forward to for June 9?
BRADLEY: You know what? You’re going to witness an upset man, the upset of the year. Tim Bradley will be victorious after twelve rounds. Like I always say in all my fights, I’ll be victorious in this fight as well. I’m very confident, I’m very hungry, and I’m definitely going to train very hard, and definitely try to silence all my critics after this fight. I appreciate all my fans out there. Definitely hit me up on Twitter and Facebook — timbradleyjr.com and @timbradleyjr at Twitter. And check out my website, timothybradleyjr.com. That’s my website. So check it out. Get your apparel. If you’re coming out to the fight you can get your apparel online on my website. You can come in with your Tim Bradley logo, your hat and your shirt, and we’re going to have some cool things going to the fans here shortly. I’ll announce them on Twitter or on Facebook.
JENNA: Okay! Well Tim, it’s been a pleasure having you once again return to On the Ropes. I thank you for your time and wish you all the best for that big fight with Manny Pacquiao June 9.
BRADLEY: Absolutely! Well I appreciate you guys and it’s always a pleasure.