Timothy Bradley scored a victory over Juan Manuel Marquez two weeks ago, a victory that "Desert Storm" believes vaulted him into the Hall of Fame pantheon. He's also hoping that the Marquez victory legitimizes his accomplishments to a boxing public that has been slow to accept him since his controversial win over Manny Pacquiao.
After defeating Marquez by split decision, Bradley told HBO's Max Kellerman "I gotta be considered top three in the world now. There's Mayweather, there's Andre Ward, and there's Tim Bradley, baby!"
It would be expected that Bradley's next fight would be a rematch with Pacquiao to settle the debate once and for all about whether he really defeated Pacman. As a "top three" fighter in the world, though, Bradley is expected to command a hefty purse. That may not be in the cards for him vs. Pacquiao, should Manny beat Brandon Rios on November 23rd.
Pacquiao's advisor Michael Koncz said Bradley's stock is still pretty low for such a high-level fighter and it could be dropping. "As we expected, Bradley did not show anything that warrants anything more than a $5 million purse," Koncz told BoxingScene.com. "Nonetheless, at this point in time we are not interested in Bradley and are focused on Rios. Further, there are other fighters out there who are deserving of an opportunity to fight us."
If Bradley is to be shunned by Pacquiao's camp, another appealing option could be a rematch with the "Siberian Rocky," Ruslan Provodnikov. Provodnikov acquitted himself very well this past weekend, defeating popular fighter Mike Alvarado in Alvarado's hometown of Denver by TKO.
Provodnikov's performance was a star-making turn, and he now has a belt to boast for a rematch with Bradley. In both men's previous fight they took each other on in a battle that is a candidate for Fight of the Year. Bradley, known for having a sturdy chin, was knocked down several times, and appeared out on his feet at several key junctures.
"Desert Storm" received a decision win, but with Provodnikov's profile raised, a rematch of that firefight would excite fans and potentially establish Bradley as an eminently watchable draw.
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