By Chris Williams: Former two division world champion Tim Bradley (31-1-1, 12 KOs) is being given a golden opportunity to pick up the vacant WBO welterweight title on June 27th by facing a light welterweight in Jessie Vargas (26-0, 9 KOs) instead a top 147lb contender like Amir Khan, Shawn Porter or Errol Spence, Jr.
This is perhaps the best shot that Bradley has in winning another world title because he would be hard-pressed to defeat a real quality guy at welterweight. However, Bradley thinks he would match-up well with Floyd Mayweather Jr. (48-0, 26 KOs) if given the shot against him.
He’s obviously not going to get that shot for a variety of reasons, starting with him being signed with Top Rank. But besides that, Bradley hasn’t done too well in his last couple of fights. He was beaten by Manny Pacquiao by a 12 round decision in April of last year, and then held to a 12 round draw against Diego Chaves last December.
Bradley isn’t finding success like he used to, yet he’s still being given the opportunity to fight for the vacant WBO 147 pound title against Vargas on 6/27 at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.
“I think I’d do pretty well. I know I’m not going to sit back and let him [Mayweather] do what he wants,” Bradley said to Fighthype. “I’m going to be rough and I’m going to be tough, and I’m going to be in there attacking him.”
If the 5’6” Bradley were to attempt to pressure Mayweather by moving at him to try and rough him up, it would be really tough on Bradley to try and find any success. He’s too small to try and bum rush a fighter as good as Mayweather, and he might end up getting knocked woozy if he attempted to fight Mayweather by putting pressure on him all night. I don’t think Bradley has the skills to do anything at all against a fighter in Mayweather’s class other than to lose and lose badly. I think it would be embarrassing for Bradley, who looks like he’s slipped a couple of notches in his last two fights in terms of talent. His wars with Pacquiao and Ruslan Provodnikov may have aged him to the point where he just doesn’t have it anymore.
It’s too bad Bradley will never get a shot at Mayweather because it would have been interesting to see how he would have done with him. But Bradley made his choice when he re-upped with Top Rank last year in May of 2014 in signing a 2-year contract with them. That contract won’t run out until 2016, and even then, you can bet that Bradley will simply re-sign again. The chances are pretty good that Bradley’s promoter Bob Arum will put him back in with Pacquiao at least one more time before the Filipino fighter retires, even though there’s no real reason for them to ever fight each other again. Bradley will likely get another fight against Pacquiao by default due to Arum not having other options for him in his Top Rank stable.
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