Screenshot via Top Rank
It’s not always the case that fight week antics include the bumping of heads between a current top-ten Welterweight and a recently-retired trainer who spent the better part of his career as a Featherweight.
Nevertheless, Top Rank shared a video in which a fired up Bradley called out former four-division champion and current trainer of Jessie Vargas, Erik Morales.
“Jessie Vargas? I’m going to whip his ass on Saturday! And if [trainer Erik] Morales got a problem and he wants some he can get some at the end of the year too. I’m going to beat his boy,” declared Bradley.
Morales’ last two fights were against Danny Garcia, the first of which he lost his WBC 140-pound title–a title Bradley had vacated, interestingly enough–on the scale.
Since then he has managed fighters, promoted fighters under the Promociones Box Latino banner and recently joined Vargas’ team.
Bradley, keeping Morales’ weight problems in mind, pulled no punches in deridingly suggesting a 200-pound catchweight.
“Then I can come back and I’ll beat his [Morales’] ass. He can come out of retirement. We can fight at a catchweight – 154 pounds, 200 pounds — and I’m going to whip your ass next!”
Bradley takes on Vargas this Saturday at the StubHub Center in Carson, California in a 12-round fight for the vacant WBO Welterweight title. The HBO telecast will begin at 9:45pm ET.
Check out the rest of Bradley’s diatribe here:
Vargas, after hearing what Bradley said, suggested that Bradley was intimidated and was “cracking up” under the pressure of fight week.
“He should be worrying about Jessie giving him a rematch,” said Morales. “Bradley needs to get by Jessie and he won’t. I assure you Jessie will win on Saturday and from the way Bradley is acting out, it sounds like he knows it.”
Whether or not the words suggest real animosity is irrelevant. More important is the fact that Bradley stated he has two more fights this year.
If he successfully wins the WBO crown, who would you like to see him fight next? If Jessie Vargas wins, could he be slated for a fight with Manny Pacquiao when he returns?
Let us know in the comments section below.
