After beating Juan Manuel Marquez in October, Timothy Bradley proclaimed himself the No. 3 pound-for-pound fighter in the world behind Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Andre Ward. Where Bradley goes from here is unclear, but he has several options in front of him.
His trainer Joel Diaz certainly has a top target in mind--Manny Pacquiao. While Bradley already owns a victory over Pacman, it was tainted in the eyes of most boxing observers, who felt Pacquiao defeated him decisively. Bradley's battled the stigma of a gift decision ever since.
Diaz, still feels as if the outpouring of negativity was unwarranted. "Honestly, after that fight, I was happy," Diaz said. "When the bell rang, whether they gave us the decision or not, he was a winner. He went 12 rounds with Manny Pacquiao, the most devastating puncher in the business, and he was clean. And he had a broken ankle and he didn't run. He was in front of Manny Pacquiao all night."
Bradley took an extended leave from the game before returning to fight Ruslan Provodnikov early in 2013. He was out on his feet several times against the "Siberian Rocky," but did enough boxing down the stretch to escape with a win.
The fight reestablished himself in the good graces of the fans, and he carried the momentum through his recent win against Marquez. "Dinamita" also cried foul following his loss though, claiming a robbery went in Bradley's favor again. Marquez has called loudly for another crack at "Desert Storm."
"I'm sad for what happened in my last fight, because I needed to win," Marquez said. "I was more focused and stronger, but as I look to the future....what motivates me is a rematch with Bradley. Nothing else could take place if I don't carry out this fight. I have to settle this issue with Timothy Bradley, as long as he accepts a rematch."
A rematch with Marquez seems unlikely, but Diaz and Bradley seem open to fighting Provodnikov again if the price is right.
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