Ruslan Provodnikov - A beast has been unleashed!

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97

A boxing beast may have been born earlier this year on March 16th when Ruslan Provodnikov entered the ring with WBO welterweight world champion Timothy Bradley and dished out the performance of his career. Or maybe the beast had been alive and ready for years just waiting for the opportunity to feed. 

Bradley-Marquez - One legend ends his path as another starts to pave his way!

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97 - @BoxingOpinions1

Timothy Bradley was fighting with something to prove on Saturday night. The 30-year old wanted to show the boxing world that he belongs at the very top with the very best fighters. Despite being a 2-weight world champion and holding wins over some of the best fighters in the sport, the hard-working American never got the recognition he feels he deserves from the fans. To gain that respect and recognition he had to beat Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marquez.

News of The Day

Catch up on all the news in the boxing world from the past few days!

WORLDWIDE

After his fight with Ray Narh tomorrow night, Jessie Vargas wants a shot at Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marquez next, providing the veteran gets past Bradley.

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum predicts that the fight between Juan Manuel Marquez and Timothy Bradley this weekend will do between 350,000 and 400,000 PPV buys. He also believes Pacquiao Vs Rios can reach 750K.

Bradley-Marquez - Final Thoughts

PriceysBoxinThoughts

Timothy Bradley Vs Juan Manuel Marquez - Fight Preview

By Jack Sumner @Jack_Sumner_

This Saturday, at the Thomas and Mack Center two miles to the East of the Las Vegas strip, two of the brightest lights in boxing meet in a battle that has thus far been defined by each man’s victory over another star attraction of the sport.

The War - Russia Roulette Win For Bradley

By Bobby Hunter @thefightscore

Where do you start when a fight has it all?. Defending WBO Welterweight King Tim Bradley showed the kind of guts that make fighters great, In fact there were numerous references to Evander Holyfield and Arturo Gatti as Bradley came through more than a few rough moments to defeat tough guy Ruslan Provodnilov over twelve rounds at the Home Depot Centre in Carson California. Those references made by the HBO team were high praise for Bradley as Holyfield and Gatti were Ultimate warriors in the boxing world. It was those warrior instincts early in the fight then right at the end that secured the victory for Bradley as he admitted that "Provodnikov was the first opponent that has really rocked him". High praise for Provodnikov from a man that has shared the ring with Superstar Manny Pacquiao.

Before the fight had taken place the general conscientious was that Bradley should win quite easy on points. Basically a wide points decision against a guy stepping up from 140 and had not fought at the same level as the champion. The only question on Bradley part was his long lay off (9 months). Well to every body's surprise this fight surpassed expectations as both guys engaged in war that resulted in both guys being beaten up, one of them knocked down and both guys close to being stopped by their own corners.

Timothy Bradley Vs Ruslan Provodnikov - Post-Fight Report

@PriceyJ97

Words can't even sum up the enthralling scenes that took place last night, but I tried my best! Two overlooked warriors laid it all on the line for the fans and will now finally get the credit and the big fights they deserve. Fight of the year!

What could be the real dawning of the 140lb division?

By Jack Sumner @ Jack_Sumner_

http://southpawjacks.wordpress.com/

A couple of years ago, many boxing fans and analysts were proclaiming the light welterweight division as the best in the sport. The quartet of Amir Khan, Timothy Bradley, Devon Alexander and Marcos Maidana headed the pack at 140lbs with mouth-watering unification bouts on offer and the possibility of thrilling match ups between any of the protagonists. However, not everything is always as it seems. 

Khan and Maidana did thrill in their December 2010 clash that scooped fight of the year honours and after surviving a late onslaught, Khan emerged victorious to set up a clash with the winner of Bradley-Alexander a month later. The fight between the unbeaten young Americans was billed as the ‘Perfect Match Up’ with some comparing the magnitude of the event to Hagler-Hearns, but it was an anticlimax and ultimately an ugly spectacle, with Bradley winning via tenth-round technical decision after Alexander claimed lack of vision following a clash of heads. 

Bradley remained undefeated however and on course for a huge summer date with Khan to unify WBO, WBC and WBA titles. But as often is the case in this sport, the fight didn’t materialise. Bradley was stripped of his WBC strap for refusing to fight Khan and eventually moved up to welterweight to defeat Manny Pacquiao, a result that remarkably halted progress in his career due to its controversial and widely contested scoring. Khan meanwhile would go on to lose back-to-back fights against Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia, whilst Alexander and Maidana would eventually have an uninspiring clash at welterweight over ten rounds.

The hype at that time failed to deliver. Early in 2013, the buzz around the light welterweight division has now returned.

Kell Brook rejects fight with Timothy Bradley... Hoping for Ricky Hatton!

Brook after beating Ricky Hatton's younger brother Matthew.

British welterweight No.1 Kell Brook has revealed that he was very close to taking a bout with WBO welterweight champion and pound-for-pound contender Timothy Bradley but turned it down in order to finish his quest in becoming the mandatory challenger for the IBF title.

'The Special One' takes on Hector Saldivia on October 20th at the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield. The winner of this bout will earn the right to challenge for the IBF world title in the near future.

Brook and his promoter Eddie Hearn believe the mandatory route is the right way to go for the 25-year old and could potentially lead to super showdown with Ricky Hatton sometime next year.

"The Bradley fight was put in front of me but I believe the mandatory position in the IBF is the right move," said Brook. "Eddie (Hearn) has worked hard to get me into the position and providing I beat Saldivia, I'll be fighting for a world title at the start of 2013."

"I would love that to be in Sheffield too and I know Eddie would do his best to get it here as it would be an amazing event. I will also be watching Ricky Hatton's comeback with great interest as a fight against him next year would be an absolute blockbuster for British boxing."

"When I fought his brother Matthew you could see that the Hatton name still means a lot in boxing and we would fill a big stadium fighting for a world title."

Hearn also explained why they made the decision to turn down the fight.

"Top Rank contacted me in August and made us an offer for the Bradley fight. It was a nice ego boost for Kell to be offered a fight of such magnitude but we begun this journey with a goal of becoming a mandatory challenger and now we are just one win away."

For me, this is important for two reasons. Firstly, it looks clear that Brook is not one of those fighters that just wants to rush into big fights that could potentially back-track his career and he and Eddie Hearn are being very careful when it comes to planning his career and picking fights. It also proves that some of the top welterweight fighters are taking Ricky Hatton's comeback very seriously. The fact that Kell Brook is planning a potential "super" fight with him next year shows us that most of his fighters are expecting him to become serious competition for them.

 

By Jack Price @PriceyJ97.

Pacquia-Marquez IIII looking set for December 8th!

Pacquiao (left) & Marquez (right).

According to Fernando Beltran of Zanfer Promotions a deal has almost been reached for a fourth fight between boxing rivals Juan Manuel Marquez (54-6-1, 39KO's) and Manny Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38KO's). Now I don't need to go into detail about the controversial history between these two fighters as I'm sure almost every boxing fan across the world will know about the dodgy decisions in the three previous fights involving these two, so let's just go straight on to how the fight actually came about.

 

The fight had been rumoured for a very long time but there were other potential opponents out there for Pacquiao (rematches with Timothy Bradley & Miguel Cotto or the super showdown with Floyd Mayweather). But once again, the fight with Mayweather has been "pushed over to next year" (I wonder if "next year" will ever come), Miguel Cotto is tied up in a fight with Austin Trout and Pacquiao and his team don't want the fight with Timothy Bradley. So seeing as there is nobody else really out there at the moment and everybody believes that Marquez deserves yet another shot at "Pacman", this seems like the most logical fight at this current time.

 

Marquez's promoter Fernando Beltran claims that if the fight does happen, it will take place on December 8th. He also said that the fight is very likely going to happen, but stressed that it is not a certainty.

 

"The only reason that I can't guarantee the fight is [happening] is because there isn't a signed contract from Pacquiao in front of us. Nevertheless, in the next few hours we will have it. I can't say anything more because I am being conservative, but I can say that it is 95 percent done," explained Beltran.

 

De La Hoya discusses Bradley's future...

WBO champ Timothy 'Dessert Storm' Bradley.

Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya realises that WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley has what it takes to become a very big star of the future, and the 39-year old has revealed that there are a lot of potential opponents for him in the Golden Boy stable.

Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La  Hoya.

There's a lot of great fighters in the welterweight division and there's no doubt that 'Dessert Storm' will want to fight every single one of them. De La Hoya has a chequered past with Bradley's promoter Bob Arum but he hopes that this won't affect the chances of any big fights happening.

"There's a lot of options out there, a lot of great fights," said De La Hoya. "The only thing Bob Arum and Top Rank has to do is pick up the phone and call... We have all the fighters, we have all the opponents, we have all the big fights that people want to see. Pick up the phone. I'm sure Bradley wants to fight all of them."

The fighters that De La Hoya is talking about, are the likes of Amir Khan, Paulie Malignaggi and Devon Alexander. Seeing Bradley in the ring with any one of these would be a very interesting match-up for the fans and the fighters.

The 28-year old could continue to fight Top Rank promoted fighters but he would run out of options pretty fast. The only other big name welterweights in Bob Arum's stable are Manny Pacquiao, who Bradley has already fought and beat in a very controversial fight, and Juan Manuel Marquez who his almost reaching 40 and will likely not have many big fights left in him..

Randall Bailey calls out Floyd Mayweather!

The current IBF welterweight world champion Randall Bailey, who is now 37-years old, is making the most of his time at the top. And he is starting by calling out the pound-for-pound king Floyd 'Money' Mayweather.

Bailey primarily called out Mayweather but he also claimed that he would fight any deserving world title contender at 147lb (welterweight). But, only if the price is right.

"I've been avoided forever," Bailey said, "but now I'm coming off a world title fight win that ended with a punch people are going to be talking about for a long time. If I had a choice, I'd fight Mayweather next. I like the way Floyd's fighting. He's not running around so much to try to win on points. He's giving guys an opportunity to hit him and that's my type of fight."


"I told him (Jones) that I was going to knock him out. In my mind, that was the only way I'd win the fight. I watched a few of his fights that were close, like the (Jesus Soto) Karrass fight, and I was concerned about winning a decision. I knew when I grazed him in the first round that he'd take off like a thief in the night. The kid ran from me a lot and I caught a lot of his punches with my gloves. I waited for him to sit down for a second. I didn't have that much on my punch (straight right) in the 10th round (Jones was decked for the first time as an amateur or pro) because my leg was twisted. In the 11th, he was laying in under his jab so I couldn't hit him with my overhand right. I decided to back up and as we got closer, he kept his chin down to keep away from my overhand right. It was just natural for me to come with my uppercut like I did. That was my best punch ever. It had so much on it that it looked like my fist was in his face. I hit his nose and it felt like meat coming out."


"That punch was similar to the punches he knocked out (Jackson Osei) Bonsu and (Frankie) Figueroa with," Bailey's manager Si Stern noted, "but this was the best punch I've ever seen Randall land. I'm so proud of Randall. He's at the top of his game and a three-time world champion. His one punch produced the 'Knockout of the Year', if not the 'Knockout of the Decade'. We have the world title belt and won't fight on the cheap. We already have a half-million dollar offer to fight overseas, so why would we take a cheap fight? Once Mayweather gets out of jail, he won't find a better opponent to fight than Randall Bailey, who is one of the most dangerous fighters in the world. Mayweather-Bailey has the potential to be a classic fight."


"We'll listen to any offers - Malignaggi, Alexander, Berto, Ortiz, even Pacquiao or Bradley - if the price is right. Randall has been avoided like the plague; they've been scared to death because of his one-punch power. We'll only have one or two opportunities for a big fight before his mandatory is due. It would be crazy for him to fight now for short money."


It's unlikely that Bailey will even enter negotiations with Mayweather, but if it does get that far, I'm sure that Mayweather would offer the 37-year old way more less than what Bailey would ask for. To be totally honest with you, I don't think that any of the top fighters at the weight would give Bailey the chance that he actually does deserve. He's just not popular enough to participate in a PPV fight and he isn't on the same level as the likes of Pacquiao, Mayweather, Bradley, Ortiz or Berto.


The most likely big pay-days for him would be with either Paulie Malignaggi or Devon Alexander. In my opinion, both of these guys still need to prove themselves and a victory against one of the hardest punchers in the sport would be very good for their careers and reputation.

The Prediction League has returned! Enter Here!

Bradley fought with a fractured foot and twisted ankle!

Bradley in wheelchair at post-fight press conference.

As you all know, On Saturday (June 9th) Timothy Bradley became the new WBO welterweight champion of the world by winning a controversial split decision over Manny Pacquiao. A lot of fans were very angry about the decision but nobody blamed Tim Bradley. And, to make the achievement even better for 'Dessert Storm' it has been revealed that he fought most of the fight with a fractured foot and twisted ankle.

The 28-year old was taken to hospital after the fight and his manager Cameron Dunkin revealed on Sunday that he had a swollen, twisted right ankle and his left foot was fractured.

Bradley arrived at the post-fight press conference in a wheelchair and explained to the press that he had stepped on referee Robert Byrd's foot in the second round and "felt a pop." If this is true and Bradley really did fight nearly of the bout with these injuries then it is a remarkable achievement. Even to last 12 rounds with 'Pacman' under these circumstances is extraordinary.

"I went back to my corner and said I think I've broken my foot," told Bradley. His trainer Joel Diaz said it up was up to him; he could either quit or carry on in the biggest of his career.

Bradley decided to carry on and the decision obviously paid off. He is now a two-weight world champion and still undefeated in 29 fights. He also has a win over one of the greatest fighters of all time.

Bradley shocks the world!

Timothy Bradley with the WBO welterweight title.

Timothy 'Dessert Storm' Bradley has shocked the world and become the new WBO welterweight champion of the world. He done this by beating the man that many believe is the greatest pound-for-pound fighter in the world today, Manny Pacquiao.

There was controversy right from the off. When the fight was scheduled to start, Bradley was bin his changing room, gloved up and ready to go. However, Pacquiao was nowhere to be found. After a quick search, he was found "stretching his calves" on a treadmill with trainer Freddie Roach. Many people believed that there could have been foul play involved but Pacquiao and Roach claim that he genuinely had to relieve some tension from his legs.

So... The ring walk began 15 minutes late and then we finally got to see the fight that we had all been waiting for. The question on everybody's mind was 'Can Bradley walk the walk as well as talk the talk?'

The first round was close and it looked as though both fighters were momentarily stunned at some points. However, from that round till around the seventh, Pacquiao dominated and Bradley looked very tired. But somehow, the man who prides himself on his 'fight to the death' boxing style brought himself back into the fight and clearly won some of the later rounds.

Seeing as the fight had gone to the scorecards, everybody fought that even if it was close, Pacquiao would be given the decision as he is the bigger star and worth a lot more money. How wrong were we?
Bradley was given the result by a split decision with two judges giving it to him by two rounds. We were witnessing the dethroning of the "P4P King" Manny Pacquiao.

A lot of people were shocked the result as they believed that Pacquiao did enough to win the fight. Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach was really shocked at the decision.

"I thought we won the fight," said Roach. "I thought that was one of the best fights he fought since Cotto. I thought we clearly, clearly won the fight. I think [the judges] had their eyes closed... I didn't see that many close rounds. I like knockouts and when he gave the eleventh round away, I said, "Manny go out there and finish this guy.".. I had it 10 rounds to 2."

Now, it wasn't as wide as the always animated Freddie Roach made out but the fight could have easily been awarded to Manny Pacquiao. But, you cannot take anything away from Mr Timothy Bradley. He fought the right fight and dominated the action towards the end.

Bradley's manager Cameron Dunkin believed that his man deserved to win the fight and he apparently scored it 115-113 to Bradley.

It is very likely now that we will see a rematch between these two men. It was announced before the fight, that if Bradley won then there will be an immediate rematch in November, and both men are more than willing to do it all again. Bradley said that he is fine with the rematch and he will come back even stronger for the next fight. Pacquiao claims that he feels that he "100% won the fight" and he has happy to have a rematch.

Could this be the end of Manny Pacquiao? In the post-fight interview, he looked calm and content. Maybe he is happy with what he has done in his career? Maybe he doesn't feel that he doesn't need to prove himself anymore?

The boxing world has been turned on it's head after this fight. Mayweather-Pacquiao is no longer the most valuable fight out there. Manny Pacquiao can no longer be acclaimed as the 'P4P King.' Timothy Bradley is one of the most valuable fighters in the world from this point on and Mayweather's career has received a boost as many people will now go from seeing Pacquiao as the best fighter in the world and see 'Money' as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world.

Pacquiao Vs Bradley: Weigh-in results

Pacquiao & Bradleey side-by-side at the weigh-in.

The weigh-in for the superfight between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley took place yesterday and the atmosphere was unbelievable. You could have been fooled into thinking that the fight was taking place right then. Anybody thinking that this fight wasn't attracting as much interest as the usual Pacquiao fights do were given a shock when the doors opened at the MGM Grand for Friday's live weigh-in.

Pacquiao looks away during stare-down.

More than 5,000 enthusiastic fans crammed into the venue to see all of the fighters on the show weigh in. And the fighters didn't disappoint. The face-off between 'Pacman' and 'Desert Storm' was intense! Bradley tried to intimidate Pacquiao and even when the Filipino looked away, he continued stare straight forward. 

Both men looked in fantastic shape and both made the weight (all weights are listed below). Bradley showed off his fantastic physique and a lot of people who had never seen him before were shocked at how incredible he looked.

Weigh-in Results:

Manny Pacquiao 147lb Vs Timothy Bradley 146lb

Jorge Arce 123.5lb Vs Jesus Rojas 123.5lb

Mike Jones 146.5lb Vs Randall Bailey 146lb

Guillermo Rigondeaux 122lb Vs Teon Kennedy 122lb

Amir Khan predicting Pacquiao to KO Bradley...

Khan at press conference for July 14th fight with Danny Garcia.

Amir Khan prides himself on his knowledge of boxing, and he believes that stable-mate Manny Pacquiao will knockout Timothy Bradley in their superfight on June 9th. At one point last year, it looked as though Khan would be sharing the ring with Bradley but things went wrong and the fight didn't happen.

"I give the fight to Pacquiao by knockout. Maybe mid rounds. Manny will start finding his openings and start hurting him towards the mid rounds and put pressure on him. I don't think Bradley's fought anyone of [Pacquiao's] calibre or as strong as him," explained Khan.

Khan has never really picked against Pacquiao, who he trains with often as they are both trained by Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Gym. He did say that 'Pacman' should have retired after his fight with Marquez last year but he then backtracked on that and kind of just forgot he even said it.

This seems to be one of the rare cases where somebody is predicting Pacquiao to win easily. Many people believe that Bradley will cause an upset on June 9th. You just need to take one look at Bradley's physique and demeanour in the build up to this fight and you can tell that he is ready for what could be the biggest fight of his career.

Pacquiao Vs Bradley Final Press Conference: Full Coverage

Yesterday (June 6th) Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley met once again for the final press conference for their highly anticipated superfight on June 9th. Both men seemed very relaxed and showcased a calm confidence. 

It was the trainers that were first to step up and talk but the usually animated Joel Diaz and Freddie Roach didn't have much to say. Diaz claimed that Bradley "is 100% ready" and that his fighter is going to cause the "upset of the decade."

Roach said: "It's gonna be great fighting an undefeated, resilient guy." He also explained that Pacquiao may still have some distractions but they have managed to get rid of a lot of them: "We got rid of a lot of distractions. We got some new distractions that are much better." These new distractions are Pacquiao's "spiritual awakening" and bible study instead of his old distractions such as gambling and bizarre night life.

Bob Arum was next to talk on the microphone. He started of with his usual bigging-up of his star fight Manny Pacquiao. Comparing him to Muhammad Ali because of the impact he has had on the sport. But, he also showed a lot of respect to Bradley, which is unusual for Arum.

"I knew he was something special in the ring, but I didn't realise what a wonderful young man he was... If all athletes could be like him, the sport of boxing would really be on the pinnacle of everybody's attention," said Arum.

Both of the fighters were careful and calm with their words but still showed that are very confident going into the fight on Saturday. Bradley said: "Training camp was hell. I've never trained this hard. I'll do whatever it takes to win this fight." He then shook Pacquiao's hand and thanked him for the opportunity. However, 'Dessert Storm' did have one trick to pull. He presented an oversized novelty ticket and poster for a rematch that will happen on November 10th if Bradley wins on Saturday. 

Pacquiao also claimed that he was training harder than ever before for this fight: "I keep pushing, pushing, more rounds. Because I know Bradley is hungry and inspired to train hard... I'm pretty sure that on Saturday we can give a good fight. It will be a good fight. I will fight a good fight."

Below are some pictures from the press conference:

Lay-out for press conference.

Pacquiao shows off diamond ring awarded by Bob Arum.

Bradley presents novelty ticket for rematch.

Bradley shakes Pacquiao's hand.

Pacquiao and Bradley pose for the cameras.

Timothy Bradley - Portrait Of A Fighter

Timothy Bradley will take part in the biggest fight of his career and one of the biggest showdowns of the year on June 9th against Manny Pacquiao. Now, everybody knows about 'Pacman' and the journey he has been on in and out of the ring so we thought we would show you a video about 'Dessert Storms' life as the undefeated light-welterweight deserves just as much acknowledgement as the man that will be standing opposite him in the ring.

It is a very interesting video about one of the most exciting fighters in the worlld. Ithasn't been easy for Bradley, he has to get where he is the hard way. With the help of his dad, coach and family he has managed to reach the top level of the sport.

Now he wants to become one of the greatest of all time, and to do that he must defeat Manny Pacquiao... Can he do it? He believes he can and in his own words, "when you believe in yourself you can do anything!"

Special ring made for Manny Pacquiao...

Manny Pacquiao with WBO title.

The World Boxing Organization (WBO) has paid tribute to Filipino boxing legend and current welterweight champ Manny Pacquiao by crafting an exclusive diamond ring that is designed specifically for him.

Pacquiao has won world titles in eight different weight divisions and he is considered by some as the greatest fighter in the world today. He is a fan favourite and has one of the most exciting boxing styles ever seen which is why the WBO feel that he deserves to be honoured for his great achievements and success.

WBO president Francisco Valcarcel announced that the ring also comes the "Superchampion" status which will be given to 'Pacman' just before his upcoming fight with Timothy Bradley on June 9th.

"This ring is one of only two in the world," said Valcarcel. "It's a ring specially designed for Pacquiao. This ring is for elite fighters."

The only other person that has been awarded with a diamond ring is boxing great Oscar De La Hoya who had the ring crafted for him in 1995. Many people will say that there are many other fighters in the world that should have also been awarded with a diamond ring (and I agree) but they will not deny that the 33-year old Filipino is deserving of this prestigious award.

Pacquiao won the WBO welterweight title back in 2009 against Miguel Cotto. Since then he has made three defences and will make his fourth against pound-for-pound contender Timothy Bradley on June 9th.

Pacquiao-Bradley Face Off

HBO BOXING: MANNY PACQUIAO & TIMOTHY BRADLEY - FACE OFF WITH MAX KELLERMAN