by James Slater – Reigning WBO light-welterweight champion scored a fine and very engrossing-to-watch victory over the unbeaten Lamont Peterson on Saturday, and in so doing the 26-year-old solidified his position atop the 140-pound rankings. Calling the fight his toughest so far, “Desert Storm” admitted he had to dig deep so as to win.
Now, with talk going on that he may face WBA champ Amir Khan next, the fighter who has proven he only wants to fight the best in the world can look ahead.
Very kindly taking the time to speak with me about Saturday’s win and what the future may hold, the unbeaten 25-0(11) warrior gave the following answers to my questions:
James Slater: It’s always a real pleasure to speak with you, Champ. Congratulations on the win over Lamont Peterson – a great win in a great fight. You must be feeling good right now?
Timothy Bradley: Yeah, it was an awesome fight and I had an awesome time. Lamont Peterson brought out the best in me and I showed the world what I can do. I showed I can fight well on the inside and on the outside. I’m best on the outside, boxing, but I dug deep and I fought well on the inside..
J.S: You said post-fight that this was the toughest win of your career?
T.B: Absolutely. This was a real tough fight, physically and mentally. It was a real tough fight in a mental aspect. He was undefeated and he brought it to me. It’s always a lot easier to beat a guy who has been beaten before; because they know how to lose. Lamont had never lost before and you have to teach a guy like that how to lose. He stepped up and we had a real tough fight – we went back and forth for 12 hard rounds. It was a great slugfest and it was not a boring fight at all.
J.S: No way was it boring! I don’t think I’ve seen you in a boring fight. Is Lamont the best boxer you’ve ever faced?
T.B: Well, not the best boxer, but he changed his strategy in the fight and I changed mine. He brought it to me, he wanted to stay right with me. He was a little better on the inside than me, whereas I was the better boxer on the outside. He felt safe on the inside and he was taking it to my body, trying to wear me down. Nobody else has ever really stood there right with me like that before.
J.S: Were you surprised when the cards had you up so clearly? One judge had you up 120-107, a shut-out. Did that surprise you at all?
T.B: Not at all. I thought I’d definitely won a unanimous decision. Those guys [the judges] know boxing. I’ve watched the fight on tape, and I think Lamont won two, maybe three rounds. The third round was a great round. I dropped him and he got up and came back at me. He pressured me and tried to wear me down. That could have been a 9-9 round, but with the knockdown it was a 10-8 round for me. In the fourth round he brought it to me and got the best of me a little. It was a great fight.
J.S: You’ve said it was your toughest win, but was the fight also your best win – a win to really be proud of?
T.B: Yeah, absolutely. Because I showed the world what I can do. I showed I’m not in any way a one-dimensional fighter. I showed that I’m a double threat to other fighters. The other guys will have to figure me out now – can they out-box me? No, because I can box real well. Can they out-slug me? No, because I proved I can go backwards and forwards and fight well on the inside. I showed that I can adjust and dig deep if I need to.
J.S: You mentioned Lamont’s body work after the fight? Were they his best weapons, his most hurtful punches?
T.B: Absolutely. He threw some hellacious body shots on the inside! They say Lamont hurt Floyd Mayweather to the body [in sparring in training], and that it was him who made him have to postpone his fight [against Juan Manuel Marquez]. I can understand why now. He worked the body ridiculously! But I finished the fight strong. I was in great condition.
J.S: We hear it could possibly be Amir Khan for you next. Gary Shaw was quoted as saying he’s been in talks about that fight. Have you heard anything?
T.B: I haven’t heard anything about an Amir Khan fight. So I really don’t know. I’ve just got through this fight but I hear they are talking. It’s a unification fight, so let’s talk; let’s negotiate. I’ll go that route if my manager Cameron Dunkin assesses the fight and likes what he sees. I want to fight the best fighters in the world, and Khan has the WBA title. I want that title, it would be great in my collection. I have tonnes of fans in England and I’d be happy to come to England. Khan is one of the best 140-pound fighters in the world. He’s at number-two with Ring magazine, and I’m number-one, so this fight would be a fight to cement who is the best in the world at 140. I certainly consider Khan to be one of the best. A fight between us would be to decide the linear championship and the Ring magazine title, so I’m excited about the fight.
J.S: It would be great to see you fight here in the U.K again. You had a good win last time, when you beat Junior Witter, who was being avoided at the time.
T.B: Yes, I think that fight would be lots of fun if it happened. Don’t miss this fight if it happens. I’ll let you know now, that would be a great fight.
J.S: Did you see the Khan-Salita fight that took place recently?
T.B: I didn’t get a chance to see it, but I hear he looked very impressive, taking the guy out in quick time. I will look at the video and definitely study that fight. I think Khan is a very impressive fighter; Freddie Roach is doing a great job with him, and I think he’s ready for the top dogs now.
J.S: Well, you’re the top dog at 140. Do you think Khan’s speed would be a match for yours? You’re both super-fast!
T.B: I have yet to see any fighter in the ring that is faster than me, so we’ll see how quick Khan is. We’ll see how he fights on the inside. It would be a great fight – we’re both young, we’re both hungry and we’ve both been looking good.
J.S: You’ve had a great year in 2009, what with three excellent wins – even though the Nate Campbell win was later changed to a no-contest. Did that upset you?
T.B: Absolutely it upset me. I felt like I would have gone on to win the fight; I don’t think Nate would have lasted with me. It would have been good to have had Nate Campbell’s name on my resume, but these things happen in boxing, and it’s all right. At least nobody lost and we both got paid.
J.S: You have had a great year, regardless. Do you think you may get mentioned as one of 2009’s fighters of the year?
T.B: It’s possible, but I think they’ll give it to Manny Pacquiao, due to his status. He had good wins over Ricky Hatton, who he knocked out in fine fashion, and Cotto, who he knocked out as well in fashion. So I think they’ll give it to him. But I’ve faced top guys only this year – all of the guys I’ve fought were ranked in the top-five with the major organisations and in the world. So I’ve fought and defeated some of the best fighters in the world this year.
J.S: There’s no doubt about that. As good as you’ve already looked and are looking, it seems you get better with each fight. How great can you become in, say, two or three years?
T.B: I tell you something, when you have God on your side, there is no limit. I’ve got God and my lord and saviour Jesus Christ on my side and it’s going to be tough for anyone to beat me. That’s how I feel. This is my time now and I’m at the top of my game and I will get better.
J.S: It’s been great speaking with you, Timothy. I wish you all the best for the rest of your career and I look forward to your next fight, whoever it’s against.
T.B: Thank you. I just want to say, I love all my fans, especially in the U.K. I love them right back. And I also want to thank Eastside Boxing. It’s one of my favourite sites, I enjoy reading the comments of the fans and stuff.
J.S: That’s very nice of you to say, Champ. It’s most appreciated.
T.B: Okay, I’ll talk to you after the next fight.