As you peruse the upcoming boxing schedule, you’ll see a host of fights being made in the junior welterweight division. Fights involving the likes of Amir Khan, Devon Alexander, Marcos Maidana, Victor Ortiz, Nate Campbell, Juan Urango and Victor Cayo loom. But there’s one notable omission. That’s Tim Bradley, who not only holds the WBO version of the title, but is the consensus choice as the game’s best 140-pounder.
It seems that everyone is running into “The Desert Storm”-shelter. Bradley, who hails from Palm Springs, California, is willing, ready and able to face any junior welterweight on the planet.. The problem is that the feelings don’t seem to be mutual.
"There’s maybe one or two that maybe will step up and fight me, eventually," Bradley, 25-0 (11) with one no-contest, told Maxboxing on Monday afternoon. The bottom line is very simple; Bradley is on the wrong network (Showtime) and not affiliated with Golden Boy Promotions.
His promoter, Gary Shaw says, "I can’t blame HBO because he’s been fighting on Showtime. So therefore why would they push him? But I believe in making the best fights, that’s why I made [Antonio] DeMarco and [Edwin] Valero and went to Mexico. This thing where you’re going to protect Maidana and you’re going to protect Khan and you’re going to protect Victor Ortiz…shame on HBO for putting on fights with protected fighters and shame on Golden Boy for not putting on real fights and making champions fight champions."
It seems that HBO now has a quid pro quo stance on protecting Khan, as the word around the industry is that they told Maidana and Cayo (who are slated to face each other on “Boxing After Dark” on March 27th) that in exchange for appearing on the network, they must not enforce their WBA mandatory position against Khan for at least one year..
To be fair, the fights on HBO (from Maidana-Cayo, Alexander-Urango and Ortiz-Campbell) are pretty good fights on paper. But it’s clear that everyone was staying clear of Bradley, who may have taken the mantle of the sport’s most avoided fighter from one Paul Williams. "100-percent, he had the reign, he’s not that anymore," Shaw agreed. "But it’s just wrong. If you’re going to be the interim champion, you want to fight the champion. Why are you going to be the interim champion? You’re nothing."
But there does seem to be an individual who will be more than willing to fight Bradley.
"I got word today that Edwin Valero wants to step up and face me," said a hopeful Bradley. "Man, I mean, I raise my hat off to Valero; he looked impressive against DeMarco. I would love to fight Valero at 140-pounds if he wants to come up and see me. Let’s do it. But all the rest of the guys, I mean, I don’t know. Everybody is taking all these other fighters. Seems like nobody wants to be number one. So right now, I’m sitting at the number one spot and anyone who wants to be number one, has to come through me."
So would Bradley welcome a fight with the hard-punching Venezuelan?
"Let’s do it! Let’s do it!" he states emphatically. "I ain’t got no problems with facing Valero. I’m willing to fight the best fighters in the world. Valero, to me, is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. He’s got 27 wins, he’s undefeated, 27 knockouts. I mean, this guy is impressive, man, and these are the type of fights that I love and that I’m eager to have and want to fight. These fights are good for boxing. That’s what I want."
And what does Bob Arum- whose company, Top Rank, represents Valero- have to say about all this? Good news, he’s not telling any of us schmucks to go “F” ourselves.
"Yup, he’ll fight Bradley. He’ll fight any of these second-rate guys in this Golden Boy tournament at 140. He’ll beat anybody and beat the hell outta any guy," said the veteran promoter on Monday from his offices in Las Vegas. "He’s ready to fight Tim Bradley. He’s ready to fight anybody.. This motherf**ker is not afraid of any fighter."
Shaw, who promoted this past weekend’s bout that saw Valero successfully defend his WBC lightweight belt against DeMarco, was approached almost immediately about this potential fight in Monterrey, Mexico.
"Right after the fight, Fernando Beltran (whose company, Zanfer, shares Valero with Top Rank) came over to me, he said to me as I’m walking into DeMarco’s lockerroom, ’Would you consider fighting Valero at 140?’ I said, ’Yes, absolutely, but I need to talk to Timothy and Cameron Dunkin, the manager.’ That’s what I said to him. Then I’m reading and hearing from everybody that Bob’s trying to sell Valero and Bradley,” vented Shaw. “Well, number one, Timmy’s the champion and he belongs to Gary Shaw Productions, so I don’t know where Bob is going or where his thinking is. But he’s sure not the promoter of the fight; I’m the promoter of the champion. That’s number one.
"Number two, Valero is the WBC 135-pound champion; Tim Bradley is the WBO 140-pound champion. If he wants to fight, we have a fight- you can print that thought- but it’s going to be a fight for the WBO championship. So I gotta see if he can get rated at 140. I would assume the WBO would rate him at 140. He’s certainly qualified to be rated by anybody’s standards. So yes, if they want a fight, they got a fight."
There are other issues regarding Valero, first is just how quickly he will heal from the nasty gash he suffered on the right side of his face from an accidental elbow from DeMarco in the second round of their fight.
"That’s a pretty nasty cut. They say the end of June, beginning of July. I don’t know. He’s going to a plastic surgeon in Venezuela this week. We’ll see. I don’t think it takes that long for a cut like that, in that place to heal. I think it heals quicker than a cut under the eye," said Dr. Arum.
As for the issue of Valero’s visa and his ability to fight in the States, that point may be rendered moot.
Shaw, stating his case as to why he is the most fan-friendly promoter in the world, said, "I’ll do the fight in Mexico. If Valero can’t get in the United States, we will do the fight in Mexico. I will try to make it in Monterrey again. The people were wonderful to work with; the arena was first class. And hopefully, if Bob can come to terms, I’m going to start negotiating with him tomorrow (Tuesday, as of this writing) and you’ll see that fight on the first Saturday in June on Showtime."
Bradley-Valero would be one of the most intriguing match-ups of 2010. A battle between thunder and lightning. The devastating puncher (Valero) facing the athletic, hard-nosed boxer. Two fighters who, in many respects, need each other at this particular time.
Through it all, Bradley learned once and for all that boxing, at the highest levels, is much more about commerce than competition.
"Everyone is pretty much avoiding me right now at this point in my career. It’s sad to see that in boxing. In any other sport, you get to the elite level, you face the elite players. But in boxing, this is a business," he points out. "I understand that. It’s about the money; when you get to the elite level, it’s just not about making fights just because fans want to see it and you think it would be a good fight. It’s about styles. It’s about someone protecting your fighter, so he can get an advantage or some sort of fight he can win.
"But for me, it is a business; it is about the money, but I want to fight the best fighters in the world for the most money. I’m looking to step up and face any of the top guys in any division from 140 to 147. And if anybody wants to come up from 135 to face me, we can do it. But this is just who I am. It is about the money- but [at the same time] it’s not. I just want to be the best fighter in the world pound-for-pound and I want to continue to fight the best fighters in the world."
Since winning the title from Junior Witter on the road, Bradley has been on one of the most impressive runs in boxing, defeating the likes Kendall Holt and Lamont Peterson. Valero only helps his strength of schedule.
"This is a fight the boxing world wants to see. They want to see the young lion against the hard-puncher," Bradley says. "They want to see who is the best fighter at 140 pounds. This is a great, exciting fight. Valero throws a massive amount of punches; he has power in both hands. It’s a great fight for both of our careers right now and this will basically leap us to fighting the best fighters in the world like Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao or Shane Mosley or anybody of that nature."
OPEN SCORING
Does Gary Shaw hate open-scoring as much as I do?
"No, more," he says. And it reared its ugly head during the welterweight slugfest between Luis Abregu and Richard Gutierrez, which lead off Showtime’s broadcast.
"I don’t care how much you hate it; I hate it more. At the production meeting in Mexico, it’s the first time I hear there is going to be open-scoring. I go, ’Open-scoring?’ I’m told, ’Yes, at the end of the fourth and the end of the eighth round.’ I said, ’I just hate it; it takes so much out of it.’ Then there was the discussion how they were going to announce it. They get one minute between rounds and they agreed, ’OK, if we can’t get it in the one minute between rounds, then we’ll do it at the beginning of the fifth and ninth.’
"I finally said, ’I’m going to tell you guys one thing, right now. When that score goes up in the eighth and my fighter might be ahead and he’s ahead by enough rounds that the only way he can lose is by getting knocked out, I’m going to be yelling, ’Run, motherf**ker, run!’” quipped Shaw.
He continued, "So now, fast-forward to Saturday night and Abregu is ahead by like four rounds with two to go. I stand up and yell, ’Run, motherf**ker! Run like a deer! Run like a deer!’ I admit, I went to the corner, I said, ’Do not engage him!’ I can tell you right now, and I’m being honest, Abregu, would’ve fought him for the whole ninth and tenth. He only fights that way. I went to the corner and told him not to fight because I know Richard Gutierrez is dangerous."
What had been a back-and-forth slugfest (where knockdowns were traded early) became anti-climactic at the end because of this WBC edict. The remedy to dubious scorecards isn’t open-scoring- although it may force judges to be more accountable during the fight- but really to have more competent and honest judges.
One of the great traditions that this sport has is the drama and anticipation of revealing the scorecards at the end of a pitched battle. Open-scoring takes that away.
STORMY FLURRIES
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Robert Guerrero and his wife, Casey, who is battling leukemia and will need a bone marrow transplant. It was perfectly understandable that he pulled himself out of his March 27th bout against Michael Katsidis...Kendall Holt has been added to the March 27th show by Top Rank in Atlantic City, New Jersey. That night’s main event on “Top Rank Live” will feature Mike Jones-Henry Bruseles...I don’t care if I’d have to hitchhike, but if Bradley-Valero is actually made and takes place in Mexico, I’m there...Anyone else think that Kobe Bryant sitting out and getting some rest is the best thing for the Lakers, long-term?...What’s going on at North Carolina? This might be Roy Williams’ most underachieving squad ever...Arum and Glen Johnson are scheduled to be on this week’s edition of “The Main Event”…I can be reached via email at k9kim@yahoo.com or followed at twitter.com/stevemaxboxing.
Source: secondsout.com
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