By Jim Dower: The World Boxing Council has stripped unbeaten WBC light welterweight champion Timothy Bradley (24-0, 11 KOs) for reportedly not facing his WBC number #1 ranked challenger Devon Alexander. However, Bradley, 25, sent in an e-mail earlier today to the WBC, telling them that he’s vacating the WBC title because the WBC was telling him to choose between keeping either the WBC or WBO light welterweight titles. It seemed like an easy choice for Bradley to make.
Junior Witter
De La Hoya: “I Was Getting Beat Up In Sparring;” Witter Predicts Kotelnik Knockout over Khan – News
By Sean McDaniel: Oscar De La Hoya (39-6, 30 KOs) said that he won’t be making a comeback after retiring yesterday from boxing, saying “I’m 100 percent convinced that I won’t come back.” De La Hoya further went on to mention that he’s made a lot of money in the ring and doesn’t need to make a comeback. De La Hoya went on to point out that he first suspected that he didn’t have what it takes anymore while fighting Floyd Mayweather Jr. in December 2007, a fight in which De La Hoya led in the first six rounds but then faded badly in the last six rounds and ended up losing by a 12-round split decision.
News: Witter Picking Holt to Defeat Bradley; Haye Out to “Save Boxing” By Beating Wladimir Klitschko
By Jim Dower: Former World Boxing Council light welterweight champion Junior Witter (37-2-2, 22 KOs) is picking Kendall Holt to defeat Timothy Bradley (23-0, 11 KOs) in the WBC/WBO unification bout this Saturday night at the Bell Centre, in Montreal, Canada. Witter, 35, knows Bradley first hand, having lost his WBC title to him by a close 12-round split decision a year ago in May 2008.
Witter vs. Branco on March 20th
By Nate Anderson: Former WBC light welterweight champion Junior Witter (37-2-2, 22 KOs) takes on EBU (European) light welterweight champion Gianluca Branco (42-2-1, 22 KOs) in a scheduled 12-round bout on March 20th in Civitavecchia, Lazio, Italy. Witter, 34, ranked #2 in the World Boxing Council, #8 in the IBF and #11 in the WBO light welterweight division, is making his 2nd fight since losing his WBC title in a 12-round split decision to American Timothy Bradley in May 2008.
Witter vs. Alexander for WBC Light Welterweight Interim Title
By Nate Anderson: In the latest news, Devon Alexander (17-0, 10 KOs) will fight Junior Witter (37-2-2, 22 KOs) for the interim World Boxing Council light welterweight title. No date has been set for this bout as of yet. This fight, which was made known on Steve Bunces’s Boxing Hour show earlier today, is the result of WBC light welterweight champion Timothy Bradley battling Kendall Holt, the WBO champion, on April 4th.
Hatton Has Unfinished Business With Witter and Bradley
By Scott Gilfoid: Whether Ricky Hatton (45-1, 32 KOs) ends up fighting both Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2009, I think Hatton’s career will be forever tainted unless he steps it up and gives both Junior Witter (37-2-2, 22 KOs) and Timothy Bradley (23-0, 11 KOs) at some point in time. Hatton, for obvious reasons, would be better off fighting them sooner rather than later, because he’s now 30 and his many ring wars are starting to show their effects on him.
Latest Boxing News: Witter Stops Castro
By Nate Anderson: Former World Boxing Council (WBC) light welterweight champion Junior Witter (37-2-2, 22 KOs) easily defeated a badly over-matched Victor Hugo Castro (29-5, 12 KOs), stopping him in the 3rd round of a scheduled 10-round bout on Saturday night at the York Hall, Bethnal Green, in London. Witter, 33, knocked Castro down twice – once in the 2nd with a big left hook to the body, and then a final a time in the 3rd with a hard left-right combination to the head that sent Castro to the canvas where he landed with both legs doing the splits. Referee Mark Green then moved in and halted the bout at 1:10 of the 3rd round.
For Witter, it was his first fight since losing his WBC light welterweight title to American Timothy Bradley in a 12-round split decision loss in May. In that fight, Witter was knocked down by Bradley in the 6th round and had trouble with his super hand speed and power all night long. Against Castro on Saturday night, however, Witter had it easy, as Castro had very little power or speed to speak of and was hopelessly outclassed before the fight even started.
Is Witter Washed Up?
By Eric Thomas: While watching former WBA super welterweight champion Junior Witter (36-2, 21 KOs) struggle in this past Saturday’s bout with Timothy Bradley, I got a general sense that Witter, 34, is past his prime and should really strongly consider ending his career. He looked well past it and his advanced age seems really has nothing to do with my thoughts on this. Many fighters still can fight effectively well past 34, Lennox Lewis, a prime example of that. But, in Witter’s case, he looked old and slow from the very get go, struggling with both his timing and his speed against the younger, stronger Bradley.
I’ve seen many of Witter’s fights and have been a big fan of his for many years, and for that reason I kept out hope for him that he would somehow eventually start fighting like his old self and take over the fight. The problem was, this isn’t the same fighter that I’ve come to know in the past. Witter’s speed was largely gone and his defense, once impregnable and nearly flawless, was wide open for pretty much anything that Bradley chose to throw his way. When Witter was dropped in the 6th round by a badly telegraphed right hand from Bradley, that pretty much clued me in that Witter just doesn’t have it anymore.
Junior Witter: “No Way Am I Retiring”
By Aaron Klein: After last Saturday’s split decision loss to undefeated American Timothy Bradley (22-0, 11 KOs), a fiercely determined vowed to fight on, saying “I’m still going to carry on, no way am I retiring after that,” Witter said. “There’s a lot more in the tank. There are better nights for me to come and Junior Witter will be back – as a world champion.” To be sure, Witter, 34, still seems to have a lot in the tank based on the closeness of the fight against Bradley. If not for his tiring out in the last three rounds of the fight, Witter would have won the fight. Even then, Witter still came close to getting a draw.
The loss, however, does have a big impact on Witter’s career because he now is no longer in the running for a potential bout with Ricky Hatton. It was a long shot at best regardless of whether or not Witter won the fight, because Hatton had shown zero interest in fighting him all these years when Witter was winning constantly. Now that he’s lost to Bradley, obviously Hatton will use this as an excuse to side step Witter for the remainder of his career.
Bradley Defeats Witter
By Eric Thomas: WBC light welterweight champion Junior Witter (36-2, 21 KOs) lost a narrow 12-round split decision to undefeated American challenger Timothy Bradley (22-0, 11 KOs) at the Nottingham Arena, Nottingham, in Nottinghamshire, England, on Saturday night. Witter, 34, was knocked down once in the fight after getting hit with a big sweeping right hand in the 6th round. Witter trailed in the first half of the fight, looking four of six rounds. He then rallied and appeared to win rounds seven though nine. After the 9th round, however, Witter faded badly and allowed Bradley to retake command of the fight.
In turn, Bradley would go on to win the remaining rounds 10 through 12. The final judges’ scores were 115-113, 114-113 for Bradley and 112-115 for Witter. I personally scored it 115-113 for Bradley. I had hoped that Witter would win the fight because I wanted him to continue exerting pressure on former light welterweight champion Ricky Hatton, who has been reluctant to fight Witter for some reason. With this loss, this now gives Hatton an even better excuse not to fight Witter. Though I highly doubt Hatton will get anywhere near the new champion Bradley, who like Witter, would box circles around Hatton and very likely knock him out like Floyd Mayweather Jr. did in their recent championship bout in December.