Whatever Happened to Timothy Bradley Jr.?
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
He reached 31-0 after defeating the likes of Manny Pacquiao, Juan Manuel Marquez, Joel Casamayor, Devon Alexander, Ruslan Provodnikov, Kendall Holt, Lamont Peterson and Luis Carlos Abregu as the WBC and WBO World Welterweight champion. Between 2014 and 2017, he won only two of five bouts, wins over Jessie Vargas and Brandon Rios.
Whatever happened to Timothy Bradley Jr.?
Bradley is currently training fighters and coaching high school football as defensive coordinator of the La Quinta Blackhawks. His wife and manager, Monica, is signing and managing such fighters as Dominic Serna and Edgar Martinez. Timothy has two fights left on his contract with Top Rank, which runs through August 2018.
At age 34, Bradley has been inactive for 14 months. He has actively been seeking a comeback opponent of stature and prominence. Miguel Cotto, Amir Khan and Shawn Porter were the most prominent names on Bradley’s short list. Since losing a 12 round rematch to Manny Pacquiao in April 2016, Bradley has remained inactive and off the boxing radar. Bradley could go after Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia, Shawn Porter or Errol Spence Jr., Miguel Cotto, who has not fought since losing to Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in November 2015, seems the best possible name on Bradley’s short list. The mega money will have to be right for both combatants to face each other in a pay-per-view bout. Who knows? The decision to return to the ring and who he will face next is better than retirement for Bradley. Jessie Vargas is also looking for a rematch with Bradley, yet another option. Manny Pacquiao has also spoken about a fourth match with Bradley.
Pacquiao, who currently holds the WBO World Welterweight title, will first have to get by challenger Jeff Horn in Brisbane, Australia, on July 2, 2017. Horn, 16-0-1, a native of Brisbane, could become a legitimate a candidate to face Bradley if he defeats Pacquiao. Meanwhile, Floyd Mayweather, now 49-0, will come out of retirement this summer to face MMA fighter Conor McGregor on August 26, 2017, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bradley versus Floyd, like Floyd versus anybody else, could be a bout of great interest if Bradley could win at least one comeback bout and 2017, and Floyd defeats McGregor as well. However this is a very remote possibility since Bradley is still under contract with Top Rank.
The bottom line is it’s all about the cash. Bradley, Pacquiao and Floyd are all in the category of super fighters (which came about after the WBA developed the ‘super’ world title over the regular world title). Super fighter translates into a substantial pay-per-view audience, which translates into a mega purse plus a percentage of the ticket take. Bradley remains a factor and a force at 147 pounds, and will probably return to the ring in the next few months to keep the division interesting and action packed.
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