Tim Bradley has an opportunity to step in a ring with Devon Alexander in what would be a high profile fight, which would elevate both of their names and the junior welterweight division. HBO wants it, the fans want it, the media wants it. Everyone seems to want it except for Tim Bradley and his promoter Gary Shaw.
Bradley criticized Alexander for his subpar performance in his last fight vs. Kotelnik but at the same time shows no eagerness to want to fight Alexander.
Meanwhile, we know Alexander very much wants to lay his fists on Bradley, and his confidence in taking on such a task is clearly enormous and unreluctant.
It’s Bradley who keeps hesitating and raising obstacles such as whether it’s the right time or if the money is right.
The team behind Bradley has tried their best to manufacture him into a star and he has received plenty of TV exposure on HBO and Showtime, but he is not a gate attraction at this time. The small ballroom crowd for his last fight against the unknown South American indicates Bradley is not a star and needs a high profile event to raise his status.
Devon “The Great” Alexander is exactly the calibre of opponent you would think Bradley, if he was truly confident in his skills, would jump at. The fight will reward Bradley with a reported million dollar payday, it will be for unification on HBO, and it would be against a young fighter who Timothy has deemed “green” and immatured as a pro fighter. Why won’t Bradley stand up, take the pen and sign the contract?
Gary Shaw was asked today by Greg Leon of Boxingtalk.com to talk about the anticipated fight and he curiously elected to say nothing about it.
As the pressure mounts for Bradley to man up and agree to the fight, Bradley and his team seem to be in stone-walling mode. Everyone knows Gary Shaw typically is never at a loss for words, so now that he’s pleading silence, you have to wonder what’s up?
Meanwhile, Alexander and his trainer/manager Kevin Cunningham continue to express a full-court press desire, interview after interview, to make the fight happen next (although it is rather curious that Alexander’s promoter Don King says nothing on behalf of his fighter. Isn’t Don King supposed to be promoting Alexander and his interests? Where is Don King?)
The puzzle pieces are all on the table. The statements and bluffs have been taken into consideration and interpretation. I sense and smell Tim Bradley is scared to get in a ring with Devon Alexander at this time because he knows he will lose the fight.
There’s been an awful lot of ducking in boxing lately, particularly from talkative boxers like Floyd Mayweather and David Haye, and it looks overwhelmingly like Tim Bradley has learned that ducking and dodging is the best policy when you know, deep in your heart of hearts, that you’re only second or third best.
And HBO or Showtime should hold this against Bradley and Shaw when it comes time to neogotiate his next “fight.” And let’s hope they don’t dredge up anymore set-ups like the last one, Timmy B has had a few too many of those lately. And those handpicks haven’t done a damn bit of good in manufacturing or building Bradley into a gate attraction, have they?
Major bravos to Devon “The Great” Alexander – for apparently conquering and defeating Tim Bradley without even having to land a punch.