CARSON, CALIFORNIA – Timothy Bradley Jr. was taken to the limit over twelve rounds by Ruslan Provodnikov in the HBO-televised main event at the Home Depot Center on Saturday night, but managed to escape with his WBO 147-pound title in tact with a debatable twelve-round unanimous decision.
Bradley and Provodnikov wasted no time, opting to stand and trade shortly after the opening bell. In the midst of an exchange, Provodnikov (22-2, 15 KOs) of Beryozovo, Yugra, Russia beat Bradley (30-0, 12 KOs) of Palm Springs, California to the punch with a short right hand. The punch downed Bradley, but referee Pat Russell ruled the fall a slip. Bradley began to pop back up, but fell back down again, a clear sign that he was legitimately hurt.
The second round picked up where the first round left off, as the two engaged in more wild exchanges. Bradley, still feeling the effects of the first round, was getting the worse of it as one combination sent him into the ropes, nearly scoring a knockdown again.
The fight took a turn in the third, as Provodnikov punched himself out after his incredible output in the first two rounds. Bradley wisely fell back on his jab and took the third by keeping the drained Provodnikov off balance at arms length. Bradley continued to potshot at range, effectively sewing up the fourth to miraculously even up the fight after four.
Bradley was drawn back into some wild exchanging in the fifth, but did so a bit more intelligently and cautiously. The balance worked as Bradley clearly claimed his third round in a row after being taken to the brink of a stoppage.
The fight took another turn in the sixth. After Bradley boxed well enough for two-and-one-half minutes, Provodnikov came out of nowhere and cleaned Bradley’s clock again with a left hand. Bradley moved from one corner to the ropes on the other side of the ring, but Provodnikov followed him, throwing every step of the way. Bradley fought back, but it just gave the challenger more openings to exploit as the bell sounded.
Both fighters took off the seventh round, which all three official scorers would give to Bradley. The champion boxed just enough to take round eight as well to somewhat sneakily move ahead in the fight 77-75 on all three cards.
Provodnikov was able to sucker Bradley back into firefight in spurts during the ninth, but champion did not cave in and swing for the fences like in the opening two rounds. Feeling confident after a solid ninth, Bradley was flashy with his combinations in the tenth, but did not commit to his punches like earlier in the fight. Though he landed less, this writer felt Provodnikov edged the tenth with his few power shots. However all three official scorers wound up giving the round to Bradley.
With the fight slipping away, Provodnikov came on again in the eleventh, clearly landing the more effective blows. Bradley spent too much time circling and moving, while Provodnikov landed clean blows. Though it looked to be a clear Provodnikov round, official scorer Raul Caiz Sr. would end up giving the eleventh to Bradley.
Reportedly told by his trainer Freddie Roach he needed a knockout to win, Provodnikov aimed to do just that as he came out for the twelfth and final round. As was the case nearly every time Provodnikov had Bradley in the trouble, the damage would came in the last half minute of the twelfth. After a sustained barrage, Provodnikov would finally down Bradley with a short right hand. Obviously hurt, Bradley managed to get out of the round and force the fight to the cards. Judges Jerry Cantu and Marty Denkin handed in cards of 114-113 for Bradley, while Caiz Sr. had it a puzzling 115-112 for the champion.
Boos would drown out the cheers for Bradley as the decision was read before the Home Depot Center crowd, a response the champion did not deserve after such a valiant battle. Bradley’s quest for respect was a hot topic heading into Saturday’s contest, given the fashion in which he attained victory over Manny Pacquiao last year. Unfortunately for Bradley, it appears that quest continues after another hard-fought, but controversial victory
In a battle of unbeatens, Jessie Vargas (22-0, 9 KOs) of Las Vegas, Nevada came away with a wider than deserved unanimous decision over Wale Omotoso (23-1, 19 KOs) of Hollywood, California by way of Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria in the televised co-feature.
After a methodical first round, Omotoso, 146.8, began to find his openings with great frequency in round two. Vargas, 146.6, decided to fight fire with fire much to his detriment in round three. After a solid exchange, a borderline body shot dropped Vargas early in the stanza. Vargas came back firing, but it was Omotoso that look better in the exchanges.
As the fight moved to the fourth, Vargas and “Lucky Boy” continued to exchange, but it was Omotoso that was landing the cleaner, harder shots. Although Omotoso was wide with many of his swings, he continued to catch Vargas on the end of many telling blows. However, by the end of the fourth, Vargas sprang to life, which led into the fifth, unquestionably his best round.
Vargas caught Omotoso early in the fifth with a solid right. “Lucky Boy” mocked Vargas with a dance, but another right followed which clearly stunned Omotoso. Vargas saw the change and pounced on his foe. Vargas landed as Omotoso retreated to different corners of the ring, before finally running out of gas as the round came to an end.
The fight climaxed in the fifth, as the pace dropped of dramatically beginning in the sixth.
Vargas may have held a slight edge in two or three of the following three rounds, but there was little to choose from as the output of both sank. Omotoso came on again to start the tenth. Vargas attempted to stem the tide, but really had little on his punches as the fight winded down.
In a fight that could reasonably have gone either way by a point or two, Vargas was awarded the bout by the shockingly wide scores of 97-92 and 96-93 twice. With the win, the WBA #5/WBC #9/IBF #15 ranked Vargas claimed the minor WBC Continental Americas Welterweight title while likely improving upon his world rankings.
In the last bout before HBO went on the air, Oscar Valdez (3-0, 3 KOs) of Tucson, Arizona by way of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico stopped tough as nails Carlos Iguera Gonzalez (1-3) of Los Angeles, California with a series of unanswered blows.
The durable Iguera Gonzalez, 128, had been beaten twice before, but never beaten down the way he was by the former amateur star Valdez, 128, at the Home Depot Center tonight. Valdez punished him from round one, getting the better of every exchange. Finally in the third a wicked left hook slumped Iguera Gonzalez against the ropes, with the ensuing combination forcing referee Tony Crebs hand. Time of the stoppage was 58 seconds of round four.
Fast-handed heavyweight Andy Ruiz Jr. (18-0, 12 KOs) of Imperial, California by way of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico downed Midwest journeyman Matthew Greer (15-10, 13 KOs) of Saint Louis, Missouri three times in the first to force a mandatory stoppage.
Ruiz, 246, attacked the large body of Greer, 240, which created the opening for a right high on the head for the first knockdown. Soon after action resumed, Ruiz landed a left to the body that put down Greer for the second time. Greer continued to fade as a light shove forced him down and ate some time from the clock, but not enough. Another cuffing right high on the head, dropped Greer for the third and final time, prompting referee Jack Reiss to wave off the bout at 2:53 of the first.
Emerging local prospect Gabino Saenz (9-0-1, 7 KOs) of Indio, California excited his Southern California fan base with a horrific second-round stoppage of Cesar Valenzuela (3-2-1, 1 KO) of Phoenix, Arizona.
After a rough-and-tumble first, Saenz, 126, came out determined in the second round, eventually landing a left that rocked Valenzuela, 125. The Arizona resident attempted to hold on and regain his legs, but found himself on the canvas from a Saenz flurry capped by an overhand right. Shortly after action resumed, Saenz uncorked a short right that sent Valenzuela’s jaw one way and his body the other. Referee Tony Crebs immediately waved it off at 2:02 of round two. Thankfully Valenzuela was able to leave the ring under his own power.
In a brutal shocker, journeyman southpaw Victor Sanchez (4-5-1, 1 KO) of Houston, Texas starched one-time prospect Ramon Valadez (11-4, 6 KOs) East Los Angeles, California inside of one round. Sanchez, 127, dropped Valadez, 126.8, with a left hand midway through the first. Valadez was never able to regain his legs and was eventually stopped on his feet as a combination separated him from his senses along the ropes. Referee Jack Reiss leaped in to stop the contest at 2:39 of the first round.
Touted prospect Jesse Magdaleno (14-0, 10 KOs) of Las Vegas kept busy against a warm body, scoring three knockdowns en route to a third-round stoppage over Carlos Fulgencio (19-10-1, 12 KOs) of Santo Domingo de Guzman, Dominican Republic.
Fulgencio, 123.6, offered little resilience against the quick-handed Magdaleno, 123.4, who kicked off his 2013 campaign in style. Magdaleno dropped Fulgencio in the first with a right hook, again with his right in the second and ended matters in the third with a right uppercut. Referee Tony Crebs immediately waved off the bout when Fulgencio went down for the third time without a count. Time of the stoppage was 45 seconds of the third round. Fulgencio has now dropped five straight.
In the curtain raiser, decorated former amateur star Egidijus Kavaliauskas (1-0) of Oxnard, California by way of Kaunas, Lithuania employed a withering body attack en route to a four-round unanimous decision over a game Eridanni Leon Quintero (0-1) of Inglewood, California.
Kavaliauskas, 150.2, managed to routinely force Leon Quintero, 150.6, to the ropes while finding his foe’s ribs an open target. Kavaliauskas, whose stellar amateur career was highlighted by representing Lithuania at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games, looked more like an experienced veteran rather than a fighter making his pro debut. All three judges scored the bout a shutout, 40-36, for Kavaliauskas.
Photos by Chris Farina/Top Rank
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached via e-mail at ortega15rds@lycos.com or you can follow him on Twitter @MarioG280
