Apparently Floyd Mayweather Jr. simply wanted to beat Manny Pacquiao for the the historical significance of it, as opposed to the glory of holding the WBO welterweight title. The WBO has stripped Mayweather of the belt after he failed to pay the sanctioning fee, making Timothy Bradley the official WBO champ.
Bradley defeated Jessie Vargas June 27 in a bout for the title the WBO believed Mayweather planned to vacate.
"I'll talk to my team and see what we need to do. Other fighters need a chance. Give other fighters a chance. I'm not greedy. I'm a world champion in two different weight classes. It's time to let other fighters fight for the belt,” Mayweather had said after beating Pacquiao. The WBO then went ahead and sanctioned Bradley-Vargas, which drew opposition from Mayweather’s camp.
The WBO informed Mayweather the requirements for hanging on to the strap, and made the Bradley-Vargas bout an interim title fight. Mayweather now has 14 days to appeal the decision, which ESPN reports is unlikely to change.
If Mayweather is unable to keep the title, here are three fights that make sense for Timothy Bradley as the new champion.
Kell Brook (35-0-0, 24 KO)
Brook has become one of the top fighters in the world pound-for-pound, and has a legitimate argument to be considered the second-best welterweight behind Mayweather. Most of his fights have taken place in front of favorable, British crowds but Brook did travel to the U.S. and soundly beat Shawn Porter.
Brook is an active champion, but his two recent wins were against low-level opposition. A fight vs. Bradley would be a high-profile matchup in both the U.S. and U.K., and give Brook cache for the biggest possible matchups.
Sadam Ali (22-0-0, 13 KO)
Ali is young, but he has been slowly upgrading his level of competition and appears ready for the big stage. Bradley would provide a very stiff test for Ali, but not the same threat of devastation posed by someone like Keith “One-Time” Thurman.
Neither Ali nor Bradley have big power, so this fight would be a battle of wills and skills. Ali would have a hand speed advantage, but Bradley has many big fights under his belt and is skilled in his own right. He also proved in the late stages vs. Vargas that he has a stronger will than just about any other fighter in the division.
Adrien Broner (30-2-0, 22 KO)
This is a highly unlikely matchup, but Broner may be past the point in his career where rehabbing his image and stature vs. B-level opposition is acceptable. Broner’s heel gimmick has gotten him this far, but convincing fight fans to tune in in the hopes that he will lose has lost its luster because he’s already been beaten twice.
Now, Broner must give a reason for people to care about his fights by taking on—and beating—high-end opponents. His name is still recognizable, and a win vs. Timothy Bradley would make him a champion again. Broner may not want to fight at welterweight anymore, but if he does Bradley is a very solid opponent.
[ESPN]
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