Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Tim “Desert Storm” Bradley earned the respect of many with his win against Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday, October 12, 2013 at the Thomas & Mack Center.
He was an interesting figure to watch on HBO’s 24/7 and even more engaging during HBO’s “Faceoff” with Max Kellerman.
We learned about his heart and guts in his battle with Provodnikov and we saw his quickness and boxing skills against Marquez.
Now that he has established himself as one of the the top fighters at Top Rank, he will have many suitors in terms of his next opponent.
Read on for my list of five potential opponents for Tim Bradley that I believe make the most sense.
Photo by Showtime
Floyd Mayweather
I think Tim Bradley has done enough to be worthy of a shot at Floyd Mayweather. Bradley has the speed, the experience and the boxing ability to be a problem for Floyd.
Even though they make perfect sense in the ring, they make no sense out of it. They fight on different networks, for different promotional companies and Tim Bradley isn’t a big ticket seller nor is he Mexican.
We all know Floyd tends to fight Hispanic fighters on Cinco de Mayweather and Mexican Independence Day weekends.
In a perfect world this is would be an easy and obvious fight to make.
Since we live in a not very perfect boxing world with promoter and network feuds, despite this fight making sense in the ring the outside hurdles will probably keep us from seeing Mayweather vs. Bradley in what I think would be his biggest challenge to date.
Photo by Chris Farina/Top Rank
Mike Alvarado
If Mike Alvarado can get by Ruslan Provodnikov this Saturday, he would be an exciting opponent for Tim Bradley.
Alvarado’s name is now synonymous with two wars with Brandon Rios. His fight with Provodnikov could be equally spectacular.
Alvarado also has a come forward type of style that would work well with Tim Bradley’s counter punching style.
Brandon Rios
If Brandon Rios can get by Manny Pacquiao I think a matchup vs. Timothy Bradley would be a mega fight.
Rios is a great style match for Bradley. He is aggressive and loves to trade. He also has a great chin and almost seems to like pain.
Rios is also a popular Mexican fighter who can sell a few tickets. A win over Pacquiao would certainly raise his profile. I think Rios vs. Bradley would sell out the outdoor arena in Carson, Ca and make for an epic fight.
Photo by Chris Farina/Top Rank
Ruslan Provodnikov
If Ruslan Provodnikov beats Mike Alvarado and Manny Pacquiao beats Brandon Rios, I think a rematch with more attention and for more money would be an exciting option for Bradley.
People will expect another brawl, but I believe Bradley will keep Provodnikov off of him and box at a distance and not take as many chances in a second fight.
Manny Pacquiao
If Manny Pacquiao can beat Brandon Rios and he can’t lure Floyd Mayweather into a fight, I think both fighters will want to exercise their demons from their first matchup.
Pacquiao wants to set the record straight and get a definitive win over Bradley and Bradley wants to do the same.
Bradley hurt his ankle during the last fight and was fighting with one good leg for most of the fight. I’d like to see how a healthy Bradley would fair against Pacquiao over 12 rounds.
If he can’t step into his punches and use his magic footwork, smooth defense, and his lightning quickness I think we may have a better fight. Add in the resentment between the two over the controversial decision in the first fight and you have an interesting boxing match.
