Timothy Bradley repairs broken reputation in 2013

Timothy Bradley repairs broken reputation in 2013

In 2013, Timothy “desert storm” Bradley mended a broken reputation in electrifying fashion with wins over; Ruslan Provodnikov & Juan Manuel Marquez propelling him in to the top P4P list. It wasn’t all smiles though for the undefeated champion who at one stage was public enemy no.1 coming off a highly controversial win over Philippine star Manny Pacquio in June of last year; Bradley was faced with public backlash and instead of being hailed, he was vilified.

Beyond the boos in the arena that’s circled on the night Bradley won the biggest fight of his life, he was met with death threats and abuse everywhere he went, even his once friends disregarded the win over Pacquio. This simultaneously took a harsh effect on the reigning champion. His weight fluctuated and at one point was 185lbs. He spiralled into depression and at the age of 29, retirement was on his mind.

Having picked himself up and got back on the road, Bradley’s first defence in the ring would be against little known Ruslan “Siberian Rocky” Provodnikov in March 2013. Bradley won the fight by a close margin after 12 rounds in what is regarded by many the Fight Of The Year. The title speaks for itself, a brutal slugfest in which Bradley was buzzed numerous times but continued to trade with the puncher, a shockingly stupid decision from Bradley which done more than restore his reputation. The fight seemed to win everyone over and Bradley became a must see boxer in the welterweight division.

Timothy Bradley’s upset over Marquez wrapped the year up for him. Marquez, who was coming off an impressive knockout over rival Manny Pacquio, was the favourite to take the belt off Bradley but this was not to be. Bradley showed off his elusiveness and frustrated Marquez throughout the fight. He was able to keep his distance and throw Marquez off with his ramrod jab thus stopping big shots from Marquez. Bradley was intelligent in boxing, the veteran in the ring and displayed his skills. The win was massive in establishing Bradley as a solid P4P fighter.

The future is now much livelier for Bradley, as he has mended his reputation as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. He was able to comeback emphatically and for this reason in my fighter of the year.

-Qasim Hussain

UK Contributor for www.BehindTheGloves.com