Is Timothy Bradley in the wrong mindset ahead of his mega-fight with Manny Pacquiao? Should Adrian Broner vacate his title and test the Lightweight waters? Has Golden Boy Promotions set up a collision course between Devon Alexander and Robert Guerrero? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this week's "From Pillar to Post."
Somebody Remind Tim Bradley That He's Fighting This June!
Though I stand behind my prediction that Timothy Bradley may be a bit more than Manny Pacquiao can handle at this point, I do give myself pause and question his desire to win while watching the interactions between him and Pacquiao. Bradley is all smiles with Pacquiao, talking about how great of a person he is and how thankful he is for the opportunity, etc., acting as if he's trying to get an autograph from the 8-division world champion instead of trying to unseat him from the top of the mountain. Seriously, I think Bradley may ask Pacquiao if he wants to dance in the weeks leading up to the fight.
Where is the fire that came from a desperate Bradley a few years ago, calling for Pacquiao to "break down this wall" and proclaiming that he was coming for anybody who wants to get it? The problem when Pacquiao fights is that people are way too nice to him and they seem more overwhelmed that they are receiving a payday in spite of their recent troubles. There is no drama in the build-up besides the bogus training and retirement rumors that come directly from the Pacquiao camp. Bradley looks like he might be another opponent who will seem disinterested in the possibility of BEATING Pacquiao, but rather content that he's just got the opportunity to fight him to begin with.
Juan Manuel Marquez was the only fighter in recent years that looked Pacquiao square in the eye and told him that he's got his number. He was not in the mood for thanking him for the opportunity, but rather there to take his damn head off. Marquez had the intention of going in there and making Pacquiao know that he meant business in a boxing sense. I fear that Bradley may just mean business in a business sense. I can only hope that this will change as we march closer to June, but I'm not feeling too optimistic.
Adrien Broner Must Take the Lightweight Jump
Following his fantastic destruction of Eloy Perez last weekend, I can say that I am on the Broner train, though I still maintain my opinion that he can't fight going backwards. Broner dropped Perez three times with one punch and all but solidified his status as the best 130-pound fighter in the division, so now it's time to leave the graveyard of the division behind and head to one of the money divisions in the sport. At Lightweight, Broner can continue to follow in the footsteps of Floyd Mayweather and take on a very talented crop of fighters, such as Miguel Vasquez, Antonio DeMarco, Jorge Linares, Kevin Mitchell and British rival Ricky Burns.
There is not one of those fights that a fight fan in their good mind could pass on, but there is the outside possibility of an even bigger fight than the ones I mentioned above. Should Yuriorkis Gamboa not get knocked into the lower atmosphere against Brandon Rios this April and tells Top Rank to shove it for putting him on the backburner for all these years, he may indeed explore promotional options from Mayweather Promotions or Golden Boy Promotions. With Gamboa out of the Top Rank picture, it would immediately create buzz for what could be one of boxing's biggest fights and you'd have to be half-crazy or full-stupid to not want to see Broner/Gamboa.
Devon Alexander vs. Robert Guerrero For the WBC Belt A Possibility
Everyone has had their fill of how good Devon Alexander looked getting back on the wagon after soundly outpointing Marcos Maidana last weekend, though he clinched a bit too much for my taste, so the obligatory "who's next" now takes center stage for him. Kevin Cunningham, Alexander's trainer, said optimally they would target the winner of the Victor Ortiz/Andre Berto rematch, but that isn't going to happen in my opinion. In the case of a Berto victory, there will be a trilogy fight, and if Ortiz wins, they'll match him up as a future opponent for Amir Khan should he beat Lamont Peterson.
That really only leaves Robert Guerrero as a probable opponent once "The Ghost" beats Selcuk Aydin for one of the WBC's bullshit belts, but not before hundreds of press releases spread across the internet about his fight. Alexander/Guerrero will more than likely be for the vacant and increasingly useless WBC title as Floyd Mayweather will presumably fight Saul Alvarez following Miguel Cotto and his prison stint. It actually has the making of a decent scrap. The Junior Welterweight class is making their way up to 147, and I think tons of great fights are going to happen as a result, so I'm hoping Alexander/Guerrero turns out to be the fight that validates my prediction.
Danny Howard can be reached for comments or questions at dhoward@fighthype.com, Facebook, or follow him on Twitter (@DBHOWARD126). Also don't miss an episode of FightHype Radio, the baddest two hours of boxing on the planet, starting at 8pm EST.