Why don’t you like Bradley?
Timothy Ray Bradley Jr, nicknamed “Desert Storm” is a 32 year old Californian professional boxer that is known for his fortitude and heart, but doesn’t seem to get the admiration that someone of his stature would normally acquire. He sports a record of 32W-1L-1D and 12KO’s, has fought some of the best in his division, and seems eager to get in the ring against anyone, so why isn’t he fan friendly? Why doesn’t he have a following that brings his name up on social media and forums when top fighters are debated?
The first fight I seen of Bradley’s was when he faced Kendal Holt in April of 2009. He won, but it seemed more because Holt wouldn’t let his hands go, than Bradley doing anything remarkable; other than getting off the mat after catching a counter left from Holt in the first round. Almost 4 months later, I watched him face Nate Campbell in December of the same year. I saw more from Bradley in those 3 rounds than I did in the entire Holt fight. Bradley showed his hunger as he dominated Campbell with constant offense until the fight was stopped because of a cut over Campbell’s left eye. Bradley was initially given a TKO victory, but it was later changed to a no contest once it was confirmed the cut was caused by a head-butt.
Bradley went on to defeat the likes of Lamont Peterson (27W-0L), Luis Carlos Abregu (29W-0L), and Devon Alexander (21W-0L). At this point, Bradley seems to be the next distinguished warrior as he seized other reigning prospects. The pinnacle of his career was when he landed a fight against Manny Pacquio in June of 2012, in a fight that few gave him a chance to win. The fight was far from what people thought it would be; Bradley refused to be another casualty of the boundless Pacquio and battled him back as frequently as he could. It seemed as if he merely put up a good fight and would get an A for effort, until he was crowned champion. Most of the world was utterly traumatized at the harsh decision, and during the time that should have been his claim to fame, he received an enormous volume of disgust from the sports realm.
Bradley had beaten the champ and taken his belt but instead of gaining acknowledgement as a star, he became a fraud that swindled the adored Philipino that had captured the soul of the boxing world. This is where Bradley’s escalation stopped… He waged war against Ruslan Provodnikov, which became fight of the year, and even though he won he still received no reverence as the true champ. I thought he won the belt on a bad decision but can’t comprehend why so many can’t get past it, and why they condemned him for the incompetence of the judges.
After fighting, and defeating Juan Manuel Marquez, he finally had the rematch against Pacquio that he so passionately wanted; this was the only way he could prove that he was the true victor of their first fight. At the end of the bout Pacquio’s hand was raised and it seemed as if the nightmare was over and things would get back to normal, but Bradley still has yet to get his flare back that he had in 2011.
I’m not sure why most people don’t admire Bradley as they do others with similar records and capabilities; could it be his persona? Was the gift decision he received against Pacquio one of the vilest in history?
I can see the talents Bradley retains and the craving to be great, but it seems he’ll have to go the extra mile to get where he should already be. I’m not saying I have Bradley in the top 5 of my P4P list, but he undeniably should be in the top 10. How he is behind the likes of Keith Thurman, Kell Brooks, or Gennady Golovkin is beyond me. Bradley is one of the finest fighters in the welterweight division, but politically isn’t the most likeable, for whatever reason, so he will remain succeeding to even the unproven. Hopefully he’ll win in extraordinary fashion against Brandon Rios tomorrow, and make steps to get back to where he was pre-Pacquio disaster.
