Tim Bradley has changes to make before Pacquiao fight becomes likely -- Examiner

By Scott Heritage, Examiner.com

After his ten round technical decision victory over Devon Alexander last weekend, the speculation over who WBO/WBC light welterweight champion Tim Bradley's next opponent might be has become one of the most talked about subjects in the sport.

While the obvious choice might be a bout against WBA champion Amir Khan to unify three of the four major titles at the weight and with it any lingering doubt as to who the best fighter in the division is, Bradley himself seems to have other plans.

Despite the fact that the Alexander fight was neither a crowd pleaser or a particularly dominant showing from Bradley, in part due to the ending and a bad clash of styles, the one name mentioned consistently by Bradley if not his current promoter has been pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao.

Before that fight has any realistic chance of happening though, there are several things that have to change for Bradley.

The first of which is likely his promotional status.

Top Rank boss Bob Arum said recently that Bradley was the kind of opponent he would welcome for Pacquiao in the future.

What he didn't mention is the fact that Bradley will become a free agent in the coming months and that Top Rank, along with Golden Boy and current promoter Gary Shaw are all hoping to sign him.

Bradley taking on Pacquiao then likely comes with the caveat that it will only happen if both fighters are under the Top Rank banner at the time.

Looking past a possible showdown with Pacquiao though, in the long term Golden Boy might be the better option for Bradley in terms of available opponents. Their roster currently includes Juan Manuel Marquez, Amir Khan, Marcos Maidana, Victor Ortiz and Lucas Matthysse, all interesting opponents.

Top Rank on the other hand certainly has a deep roster of fighters but at light welterweight and even welterweight their ranks are a little thin these days, and Bradley likely wouldn't be able to effectively compete at junior middleweight or above where the majority of their talent has been heading to of late.

Aside from the promotional difficulties in putting a fight together with Pacquiao, there are other concerns, namely Bradley's effectiveness at welterweight and his tendency to inadvertently headbutt opponents causing fight ending cuts.

In his sole outing north of the 140lb division, Bradley looked dominant against Luis Abregu but against a higher caliber of opponent the size and strength difference might have been more telling.

Against Pacquiao this isn't a concern for Bradley as much as Pacquiao is one of the smaller welterweights and moved up in weight himself, but without a resume at the weight many would no doubt question whether Bradley had earned a fight against the best in the division.

Perhaps the biggest concern from Pacquiao's point of view though is the fact that Bradley's head has caused cuts in each of his last five fights, ending two of them prematurely.

Worse than that though, even on his best days he isn't a particularly charismatic or always entertaining fighter to watch, and Pacquiao obviously won't want to look bad even in winning due to a clash of styles. Nor will his team want him to be in against a dangerous and unbeaten fighter that won't contribute much in the pay per view department.

Lastly, the fact that WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan trains with Pacquiao could also for now make the fight unlikely. Pacquiao and Khan have formed a bond since training together and it could well be the case that Pacquiao wouldn't want to rob Khan of the opportunity of becoming the lineal light welterweight champion.

Source: examiner.com

Timothy Bradley's hands didn't defeat Devon Alexander, his head did -- Examiner

By Paula Duffy, Examiner.com

Devon Alexander's manager and trainer Kevin Cunningham let loose after the ten-round technical loss inflicted on his hard hitting young fighter at the hands of Timothy Bradley (27-0, 11 KOs).

"The last thing I told the referee before the fight was that Timmy's last six opponents have been cut by head butts. I told him, I told him, I told him,"

Yeah Kevin you told him, but what did you do to prepare your fighter? Alexander (21-1, 13 KOs) told HBO's Larry Merchant after the fight that he was in top shape and trained to the max, but there is no way to train for head butts.

Bradley won the HBO-named Super Fight that unified the WBO and WBC championships in the 140 pound category. One of the men in the ring at the Pontiac Silverdome outside Detroit, would suffer his first loss and Alexander pulled the short straw.

Hyped as a highly unusual meeting of undefeated American fighters, the actual boxing part of the evening bore out the fact that these men were evenly matched, if measured solely on the stats.

Luckily for Bradley, the judges saw a more aggressive fighter who seemed to stun, if not hurt Alexander when he landed his blistering right hand. The judges scored it 97-93, 96-95, and 98-93

The 27 year-old is trained by the giant of a man-trainer Gary Shaw, who cowered in the training room with Mrs. Bradley rather than sit ringside and be an emotional wreck. That alone was worth watching and it isn't clear if Shaw knows that without his fighter's use of his noggin he wouldn't get past the faster Alexander.

Bradley's first accidental head butt, seen as a punch by the ring referee Frank Garza, opened a gash on Alexander's right eyelid that required multiple stitches.

But it was the condition of the fighter's left eye, the general area of the last accidental head butt, that ultimately caused ring doctor Peter Samet to stop the fight at 1:59 of the tenth round. Alexander couldn't open it and was screaming that it was burning.

At the end of the fight, he was cut and gashed as if he were fighting Edward Scissorhands.

Perhaps that is a good nickname for Bradley who has his sights set on Amir Khan, but ultimately wants what all 140 pounders want: a shot at Manny Pacquiao.

Timothy Bradley's next opponent might want to consider figuring out how to keep his forehead and eyes from meeting their demise, not at the hands of Bradley but his head.

Source: examiner.com

Bradley Makes a Mark in a Talented Division -- New York Times

By PETER OWEN NELSON, The New York Times

PONTIAC, Mich. — In a locker room at the Silverdome, the ringside physician Peter Samet asked the battered junior welterweight Devon Alexander a question about the gash above his right eye: “Do you want a big scar, a little scar or no scar?”

Alexander replied, “No scar.”

With a grin, Samet said, “Some fighters want a scar — like a badge of honor.”

The permanent mark after Saturday’s fight was not on Alexander’s eye from six stitches, but on his record. It was formerly perfect, but is now 21-1 after his loss to the World Boxing Organization champion Timothy Bradley (27-0).

In the talent-rich 140-pound junior welterweight division, Bradley has emerged as the last undefeated champion and, by beating Alexander, the World Boxing Council titleholder, unified two of the three occupied belts. The World Boxing Association belt belongs to Amir Khan (24-1). Just before Saturday’s bout, Khan said of whoever emerged as the victor, “In the summertime, I’m thinking we can have a unification fight.”

Many in boxing hoped that Saturday’s bout would determine supremacy among the junior welterweights. It was the first time since Mike Tyson beat Tony Tucker in 1987 to unify the heavyweight crown that two undefeated continental American champions met. The unanimous technical decision for Bradley, however, was announced less than 10 rounds into the fight. An accidental head butt caused the temporary paralysis of Alexander’s eyelid and forced the referee to end the fight, eliciting a chorus of boos from the modest crowd of 6,247.

The victory, its anticlimactic finish aside, firmly puts Bradley in the top tier of junior welterweights. Now there will be a push for him to face Khan to determine who rules the division. Khan’s promoters said that matchup could take place in late July, after Khan’s tuneup fight April 16 in Manchester, England.

Bradley’s manager, Cameron Dunkin, said Saturday, “Amir Khan’s a great fight for Tim, as is Marcos Maidana,” referring to the Argentine boxer whom Khan defeated Dec. 11. Bradley had previously expressed his envy of Khan’s financial success, saying, “They aren’t paying me his dollars, and I’m the top guy in the division.”

The consensus among fans, promoters and HBO (which aired Saturday’s bout) is that a star will emerge from among the junior welterweights. A Bradley-Khan showdown this summer would help build the profile of both fighters. At stake is not only prestige and potential stardom, but also a possible lucrative payday against one of boxing’s two biggest names: Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Manny Pacquiao (who both fight as welterweights).

“Once the last man of the junior welterweight division is standing, he can go knock on Pacquiao or Mayweather’s door,” the promoter and former champion Oscar De La Hoya said.

Whether Pacquiao or Mayweather answers will be another matter. Both may continue to be too busy not fighting each other in a matchup that has failed to materialize despite multiple negotiations and an eager public.

Khan is trained by Freddie Roach, who also trains Pacquiao.

“I’d never fight Pacquiao because we’re close friends,” Khan said, “but someone like Mayweather could be a fight in the future.”

There are some who doubt that the key to Bradley or Khan’s becoming a star will be a showdown with Pacquiao or Mayweather.

“All of boxing should stop obsessing over Pacquiao and Mayweather fighting each other or anyone else,” said Thomas Hauser, a boxing journalist and a biographer of Muhammad Ali, adding, “The entire sport should just focus on good, exciting, competitive fights.”

Many of those can be made in the junior welterweight division, which boasts not only Bradley, Khan, and Maidana, but also Victor Ortiz, Lamont Peterson and Zab Judah (who is scheduled to fight for a vacant world title in March).

As for Alexander, a first defeat can cause some boxers to unravel, but television networks generally give gifted fighters a second chance. HBO has committed to airing Alexander’s next fight.

“The aftermath of a first loss is a function of the psyche of the fighter,” said Ken Hershman, the vice president and general manager of Showtime Sports, adding, “There are plenty of great fighters who lost close fights but come back stronger than ever.”

Time will tell if Alexander can get past his first defeat. His trainer of 16 years, Kevin Cunningham, seems certain that he will.

While the anesthetic lidocaine was being applied to Alexander’s cut before it was stitched up, Cunningham silently looked at the boxer and surveyed the desolate faces of the fighter’s entourage, before declaring, “Don’t worry, we’ll be back.”

Source: nytimes.com

Publicist Defends Don King -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

Saying that he takes "umbrage," for what he called, "a cheap shot," by Golden Boy Promotions' CEO, Richard Schaefer, Don King's publicist fired back at Schaefer's assertion that his promoter focused more on Floyd Mayweather than his own fighter, Devon Alexander.

In relation to developments that have resulted in a clash over the unbeaten Mayweather (41-0, 25 knockouts), King has been wooing the five-time titlist Mayweather with the goal of matching him against Top Rank Promotions' seven-division king and WBO welterweight (147 pounds) belt-holder Manny Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs) in a mega bout, possibly in the spring.

King invited Mayweather to his Florida home last week for a lavish dinner, and brought the unbeaten fighter to ringside for last Saturday night's HBO-televised main event featuring Alexander's WBC and IBF junior welterweight (140 pounds) title- retaining unanimous decision over former WBA king Andriy Kotelnik at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.

Schaefer was critical of the move.

"I think that Don King would be better served to take good care of the fighters that he actually has, such as Devon Alexander," said Schaefer. "If I were Devon, and if I had to read all week long about how Don King bought Floyd Mayweather a $500 lobster at his house, I would be insulted and upset because this was supposed to be Devon Alexander's week."

Those comments chafed Alan Hopper, King's director of public relations.

"Richard Schaefer and Golden Boy Promotions can only dream about the type of publicity that Don King garnered for an HBO Boxing After Dark event. Don was whining and dining Floyd the week before the fight week in St. Louis, where Don arrived in the Gateway City on Monday and promoted Devon Alexander all week long," said Hopper.

"That was evidenced by a Fox Sports Midwest 30-minute television special on Devon Alexander, which aired during fight week, as well as multiple stories most days in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and, features in national publications like the USA Today and The New York Times," said Hopper.

"If the Schaefer missed all of that, I'd also like to tell him that U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, from Missouri welcomed Devon home on a Sunday night event that kicked off fight week," said Hopper. "And Missouri governer, Jay Nixon, accepted Don's invitation to sit with him at ringside along with his two sons. They sat with Mr. King and 'Money' [Mayweather.]"

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

Amir Khan, Devon Alexander Answer Tim Bradley -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

During his post-fight interview following Saturday night's 12-round, unanimous victory decision over previously unbeaten welterweight (147 pounds), Luis Carlos Abregu, WBO junior welterweight (140 pounds) champion, Tim Bradley (pictured above, at left), stared into the HBO television cameras and called out several potential opponents.

"I'm making the challenge right now," said Bradley, who rose to 26-0 with 11 knockouts at Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, Calif., near his hometown of Palm Springs, Calif. "Manny Pacquiao, come break down this wall, baby. Manny, come break down this wall."

The 26-year-old Bradley is considered the premiere fighter in a deep and talented 140-pound weight class that includes Missouri's 23-year-old southpaw WBC and IBF champion Devon Alexander (20-0, 13 KOs), England's 23-year-old WBA king Amir Khan (23-1, 17 KOs), and, Argentina's 26-year-old WBA interim champ Marcos Rene Maidana (28-1, 27 KOs).

And he left few of them out.

"Anybody. Any of the top guys out there. Especially you, Devon Alexander," said Bradley, who dropped the hard-hitting Abregu of Salta, Salta,

Argentina to 29-1 with 23 KOs. "If everything is alright, and the money's right, everything is lined up, I'll fight you next. You, Devon, Maidana, and Khan. I'll fight all of them. I'm a throwback fighter, baby, I'll fight all of them."

On Sunday, Alexander answered his challenge. And on Monday, Khan did the same.

"The time has come. You have pretended to be the best at 140 while everyone knows, Alexander is the true king of the division," Team Alexander wrote in a statement. "The difference between Alexander and Bradley is, Bradley wants to beg for an opportunity with the great fighters; Devon wants to beat the best fighters in his division and earn the right to fight the great fighters."

Bradley is hoping for an HBO-televised Jan. 29 bout opposite Alexander, which would take place the day before the NFL's 2011 Super Bowl. But Alexander has an HBO-televised Aug. 7, second defense of his WBC title -- and the first of his IBF crown -- against former WBA titlist Andriy Kotelnik (31-3-1, 13 KOs) before his hometown fans in St. Louis, Mo.

Alexander intends to defeat Kotelnik

"Boxing fans want to see the best fight the best, and the two fights they want most are Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao, and Devon Alexander vs. Tim Bradley," Team Alexander's statement read.

"HBO wants to make the fight, so Team Bradley, stop making cowardly moves stand up and fight," read the statement. "Your own fans are tired of your excuses.On Aug. 7, Devon will put on an explosive performance against Kotelnik, and then, Bradley will have nowhere to hide."

Coming off of a May 15, 11th-round knockout of Paulie Malignaggi (27-5, five KOs), Khan also publicly demanded a shot at Bradley -- "Next."

Khan issued a statement on his Twitter page challenging Bradley perhaps in the fall, and said that he would speak to his promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, about the prospect of doing so. Golden Boy CEO, Richard Schaefer, has told FanHouse that HBO has reserved the date of Dec. 11 for Khan's potential return.

"I'll fight Tim Bradley. It's the first time he's called me out. I'm going to Vegas and I'll talk to Golden Boy. I would love the fight," said Khan, who could fight in England or the United States in the fall. "Good style for me. I'm fighting Timothy Bradley next. I'm gonna tell Golden Boy. Let's see if they want it for real. Talk is cheap."

Khan will be at ringside for a July 31 bout between WBO and WBA lightweight (135 pounds) king Juan Manuel Marquez (50-5-1, 37 knockouts) and Juan Diaz (35-3, 17 KOs) in a rematch of their February, 2009, Fight of The Year won by Marquez via ninth-round knockout. Khan is a consideration for Marquez if Marquez wins.

Bradley's promoter,Gary Shaw, likes both the Khan and the Alexander fights, but would also throw in Maidana, and, contender, Victor Ortiz (27-2-1, 21 KOs) of Oxnard, Calif.

"Personally, I would rather fight Khan (pictured at right) first, and here is my reasoning. Khan has a loss, Maidana has a loss, Ortiz has a loss. And two of the three are from outside of the United States. Devon Alexander is an American fighter with an unblemished record. Tim Bradley is an American fighter with an unblemished record. So, I say, let Timmy fight Khan or Maidana, and let Devon Alexander fight Khan or Maidana, and then let the two winners meet, which was my idea all along," said Shaw.

"I was called by a radio station about Khan's Twitter message, and I immediately e-mailed Richard Schaefer and said, this is what you're fighter is saying," said Shaw. "I sent an e-mail not only to Richard, but to [HBO's president of sports] Ross Greenburg as well. I got back an e-mail from Richard saying, 'I will talk to Amir.'"

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

Timothy Bradley & Alfredo "Perro" Angulo In L.A. -- The Sweet Science

By David A. Avila, The Sweet Science

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA.-Reporters from as far as 130 miles away gathered in a boxing gym surrounded by the Hollywood Hills and all were there to see Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley and Alfredo “Perro” Angulo.

In a little more than eight days Bradley moves up to welterweight to fight Argentina’s wrecking machine Carlos Abregu (29-0, 23 KOs) and Angulo defends the interim WBO junior middleweight title against Canada’s Joachim Alcine (32-1, 19 KOs) at Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage.

The co-main events will be televised on HBO live on Saturday July 17.

How good are Bradley and Angulo?

“He has sneaky speed,” said Bradley of Angulo.

Unknown to many, Mexicali’s Angulo comes from a lengthy amateur background that includes many international tournaments as a representative of Mexico’s team. He can box, he can move and he can counter with the best.

As a professional Angulo prefers a hunt, seek and destroy style of fighting and it’s one of the main reasons that card carrying boxing fans flock to see him fight.

“People love to see him fight,” said Tony Walker, an HBO executive with the pay-per-view branch.

One thing many fans don’t realize is Angulo and Bradley once collided in the ring as amateurs.

“Whoa it was a close fight. It was a hell of a fight,” said Timothy Bradley Sr. who remembers when his son and Angulo met as 152-pound amateurs. “He (Bradley) lost by one single point.”

Once again Angulo faces a fast mover who uses speed and slickness to gain an advantage.

“Whatever style he wants to fight is alright with me,” said Angulo (18-1, 15 KOs) whose last three opponents had a similar style including the talented Joel Julio. “I try to do something every day. If a fighter thinks he knows everything he’s going to lose.”

Angulo seldom smiles for the press and on this day it was no different. A smile for the Mexicali destroyer means in his mind that he’s soft. He’s anything but soft.

Contrary to the Mexican warrior, Bradley has a different approach.

While wrapping his own hands and preparing himself to train in Justin Fortune’s Boxing Gym the Indio based prizefighter who is the top ranked junior welterweight in the world and considered one of the top 10 prizefighters Pound for Pound, smiles generously and answers all questions crisply and brightly.

“Floyd Mayweather is the best fighter in the world,” says Bradley (25-0, 11 KOs) with no hesitation. “I think Amir Khan is the most protected fighter in the world.”

Bradley wants the big money fights where he can generate the mega millions that other elite fighters enjoy. Whether it’s Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao or Devon Alexander he wants them all. But it has to have the right price.

“People don’t understand it’s a business,” Bradley said. “Fans don’t understand. They just think I should fight this guy or that guy and not care about the money. That’s not the way it works.”

Bradley’s opponent Abregu is a concrete busting welterweight who has knocked senseless 23 of 29 opponents. He’s never lost.

Where does Bradley rank among top prizefighters today?

“He’s the complete package,” said Steve Kim, columnist for a Maxboxing.com web site based in California. “He’s one of the best fighters pound for pound.”

Many others agree.

Bradley seeks to prove that he belongs among the elite and maybe, just maybe, he’ll be able to fight one of those other elite boxers.

“Pacman and Floyd Mayweather, I want to fight all those guys,” Bradley said in front of more than 30 reporters. “My job is to continue to win.”

Other chatter

Nonito “Filipino Flash” Donaire leads a contingent of Filipino fighters on Saturday in Puerto Rico. Donaire (23-1, 15 KOs) defends the interim WBA junior bantamweight title against Mexico’s Hernan Marquez (27-1, 20 KOs). Also, Bernabe Concepcion fights Juan Manuel Lopez for his WBO featherweight title. Eden Sonsona (21-5, 17 KOs) faces Jonathan Oquendo (18-2, 11 KOs in a bantamweight clash. The Top Rank Promotion fights will be shown on pay-per-view.

Sergio Mora is off the fight card on July 23 at Pechanga Resort and Casino but now Craig McEwan steps in to face San Diego’s Danny Perez, said Richard Schaefer, CEO for Golden Boy Promotions. Mora is fighting Sugar Shane Mosley on Sept. 18 and did not want to risk cancellation should Mora get hurt. For tickets and information at Pechanga (888) 732-4264.

Canada’s Jeannine Garside (10-3-1, 4 KOs) convincingly defeated Germany’s Ina Menzer (26-1, 10 KOs) by unanimous decision in Germany last Saturday to capture the WBC, WBO and WIBF featherweight titles. Garside already had the WIBA title.

Mexico’s Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (32-0-1, 24 KOs) has a dangerous fight against Argentina’s Luciano Cuello (26-1, 12 KOs) on Saturday in Guadalajara, Mexico. The popular Alvarez recently signed a promotional contract with Golden Boy Promotions and is scheduled to fight on Sept. 18 in Los Angeles.

In a battle of former Mexican world champions Ulises Solis (31-2-2) won decision over Eric Ortiz (32-11-3) on Saturday in Reno, Nevada. Solis lost his title to Brian Viloria in the Philippines last year.

Mexico’s Ana Maria Torres (21-3-2, 13 KOs) knocked out Colombian southpaw Olga Julio (7-8-1) in the fourth round to keep her WBC junior bantamweight title on Saturday. The fight took place in Mexico City. Torres has not lost a fight in three years and that was a split decision lost to Korea’s Myung OK Ryu in North Korea.

Hugo Cazares (32-6-2, 23 KOs) knocked out Everardo Morales (34-15-2) in the seventh round to win his first defense of the WBA junior bantamweight world title on Saturday. Cazares is a former junior flyweight world champion. Both Cazares and Morales fight out of Mexico.

Mexico’s Zulina Munoz (23-1-1, 17 KOs) a hard-hitting bantamweight from Mexico City fights equally dangerous Mayerlin Rivas (6-1, 5 KOs) of Venezuela on Friday in Mexico City. Rivas, 22, only loss came to Sandy Tsagouris in Canada. Munoz, 22, only loss came to Alesia Graf in Germany.

Undefeated Susie Ramadan (14-0, 6 KOs) meets Jane Kuvulani (11-10-2) on Friday July 9, for the vacant WBF bantamweight world title. The fight takes place in Coburg, Australia. Ramadan, 30, fights out of Australia and Kuvulani, 34, out of Kenya.

WBC junior lightweight titleholder Olivia Gerula (12-10-2) defends her world title against America’s Brooke Dierdorff (6-4-1). Gerula is making her first title defense since beating Myriam Chomasz in France last December.

Source: thesweetscience.com

Freddie Roach opens up on Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan and rails at Alexander Bradley and Katsidis -- Telegraph

By Gareth A Davies, Telegraph.co.uk

Hollywood trainer Freddie Roach launched a stinging attack on Devon Alexander, claimed Michael Katsidis has requested over-the-odds money to fight Amir Khan in the UK, and said Khan needs to be back in the Wild Card Boxing Club this week if he is to prepare correctly for his July 31 contest.

Roach said he is also ready to train Manny Pacquiao for whoever he fights next.

“Amir will back in the gym soon. He has to be. He fought a great fight in New York against Paulie Malignaggi. He fought the right fight,” Roach told Telegraph Sport. “If he does take the fight on July 31, he needs to get back over here and get in the gym this week. I hear they were talking to [Michael] Katsidis but he wanted too much money. My view is that Amir is ready for anyone right now.”

There has been a counter argument in recent days from Brendon Smith, Katsidis’s manager, claiming Khan is refusing to fight him, with Joel Casamayor, the 38-year-old Cuban veteran slated to meet the British tyro, although that is yet to be confirmed officially. Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy who is in the UK this week, is likely to confirm the details on Wednesday evening.

Khan made an impact on the US writers and television executives in his fight with Malignaggi. It was clear cut. “They had only heard about him and had not really seen him since the amateur days at the Olympics. Look, he’s an exciting fighter, he exchanges with people, and the tv guys love that…”

Roach also turned his rapier attention two of Khan’s greatest rivals in the 150lb division. “Who is Devon Alexander anyway ? We’ve seen him on tv, I’ve seen him once and I didn’t see anything special. The other guy – [Timothy] Bradley – one of my young boxers Jose Benavidez [aged 18] sparred with him and had no trouble and he struggled in a recent fight, but looked good in his last fight.”

“Marcos Maidana [who was the mandatory challenger to Khan’s WBA light-welterweight title] we can take on any day of the week. Go and build these other guys up some we can make these into bog fights. Bradley is fighting Andreas Kotelnik next, why is he fighting him ? The real issue here is that the 140lb champions are not ready to fight each other because no one is making serious offers.”

On Manny Pacquiao, Roach told Telegraph Sport: “I’m hoping the fight with Floyd Mayweather happens – like everyone else. The saga has gone on for so long, my strategy now is just to think that whoever he fights, I’ll get him ready for it. Of course, I’d love him to fight Mayweather, but sometimes for whatever reason, these fight don’t happen. Let’s hope the promoters can meet in the middle.”

Matthew Macklin – the Irish middleweight based in England and another British fighter training with Roach – is still looking for his next opponent. “I haven’t seen Matthew since Amir’s fight in New York. He hasn’t come out to start training yet. He was looking to get a fight with Winky Wright, and then looked at Sergio Mora, so hopefully it will work out. Matthew’s a great kid and could go a long way in America.”

Source: blogs.telegraph.co.uk

Pacquiao won't beat Mayweather - Devon Alexander

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