Homework pays off for Timothy Bradley

Some boxers proudly say that they never watch tapes of their opponents, Timothy Bradley, the new WBC light-welterweight champion, is not one of those boxers. In the past, Junior Witter's switch-hitting style has frustrated opponents, but when he faced Witter at the Trent FM Arena, Nottingham, on Saturday, Bradley had an answer, one he came up with from hours and hours of watching Witter on film.
"My team and I came up with a strategy, a masterplan," Bradley, 24, said. "The smart plan was to come out and be patient, not rush him. He was expecting me to come forward, because I always come forward in my fights, throwing a lot of punches. But I can box and brawl too.

"So we came out slow, jabbing him to the belly, breaking him down and then supplying smart pressure in the later rounds. I knew I was going to lose the first five rounds, we had that plotted, so I knew I was going to have to come on strong in the end, do something drastic and the knockdown put it over the edge.

"My dad predicted it, I predicted it, I said 'I'm going to catch him with that right'. It was the looping right, because he was expecting the straight right. After that I felt him get tired. I looked at the film for a year and just recently I got about nine tapes on him and really studied them. I saw that he faded, towards the sixth, seventh rounds he slowed up. Once I saw that I knew I could get him. It was a chess match in the beginning, but I knew I could get him. I never doubted the decision."

Bradley had taken the bout at only seven weeks' notice, after Jose Luis Castillo had failed to make the weight for a final eliminator against Bradley in Cancun and Demetrius Hopkins had pulled out of a title challenge against Witter. Despite having lost money from the Castillo fight, things turned out OK for Bradley. "This was my plan, the Castillo fight fell through for a reason," he said. "I pray to God every single day to get me to this point and he kept his promise. Now I'm the champion, I'm considered the big dog, I just beat the best fighter in the world at 140. What's next? The money has got to be right and it's got to be the right fight.

"I love Ricky Hatton, he is a great champion and I knew he was going to be champion when I saw him on the big shows in Manchester. But I'd love to get in the ring with Ricky Hatton, [Ricardo] Torres [the WBO champion] or Paul Malignaggi [the IBF champion]. Andreas Kotelnik [the WBA champion] is a tough cookie. [Witter] beat Kotelnik, but styles make fights. Junior Witter is a true champion, a tough warrior, he never gave up in there. If the money is right, if it takes place in the United States and the people want to see it, I would definitely have a rematch."

Coming from Palm Springs, California, Bradley has been away from the mainstream in the US and has to make special provision during his training. "I don't go out running during the middle of the day," he said. "That's when the rattlesnakes come out."

But England has proved a happy hunting ground for Bradley. In 2000, he beat Darren Barker, now unbeaten as a professional and the Commonwealth middleweight champion, in an England versus United States fixture. While Bradley did not box at the Olympics, he had a good amateur career. "I had more than 145 fights and I won two national titles," he said.

"I won here before, I told you after the fight they were going to love me and they applauded me after the fight. The boos before the fight didn't even bother me, because I knew they loved me."

An American beating a British world champion in the UK is a rare thing. The last man to manage the feat was Oliver McCall when he knocked Lennox Lewis at Wembley Arena in 1994. Prior to that it was Marvin Hagler stopping Alan Minter at the same venue in 1980. The figures show probably more how unwilling top US boxers are to box abroad, but it shows that it can be done, if the boxer is good enough. Tell Bernard Hopkins.

 

Comments

[Black Lightning]

Watching the fight I was reminded of a poor mans Naz v Barrera.

Like Naz, I think Witter was expecting Bradley to come at him and walk on to his bombs. Bradley like Barrera had done his homework and boxed an unexpected "Pick pocket" style, moving in, landing shots and the moving quickly out of range whilst Witter was still thinking about countering.

Witter looked decidedly average as did Naz on his biggest night. Neither are as bad as they were made to look by their conquerors!

[Jimmy E]

It was good to see an interview with Witter that went more than four words without the ‘H word’ being uttered from Witter’s mouth. How Witter thought he had won that is beyond me.

Bradley was excellent and for a man who hasn’t boxed 12 rounds, he certainly looked the fresher of the two in the later rounds, his energy and appetite for the fight impressed me. I couldn’t honestly see how it came down to a split decision.