This week brings an ignominious anniversary for our beloved sport. Sunday will mark a year since “The Super Fight” – Timothy Bradley versus Devon Alexander – happened in Pontiac, Mich. The fight itself was inconsequential; neither man has done anything in the junior welterweight division since. But the consequences for HBO Sports were noteworthy, and perhaps more importantly, it still feels as though there is more to impart about the event, its city and arena, and Detroit.

A week or so before “The Super Fight,” sources learned Showtime would broadcast Manny Pacquiao’s next match. HBO had lost Pacquiao. The brass at HBO, who’d ignored the toy department for much of the preceding half-decade, suddenly went on notice. Their antennae went up. And with those antennae erect and tingling, “The Super Fight” went off in an abandoned airport hangar of a building in a depressed city.

What follows is a brief memoir of snow, dilapidated edifices, hidden service elevators, endless concrete expanses, a hopped chainlink fence, more snow, and an encounter in the Southwest terminal of Metro Airport. It will include some boxing.

*

About 10 days before “The Super Fight,” circumstances converged to make my trip possible. I procured a weird tangle of crisscrossed flights and rental car accommodations and wrote a preview of Bradley-Alexander that included a first-person conclusion assuring readers I would be there to see it. In the two days that followed, a goodish number of persons whose minds I admire called or wrote to ask me what the hell I was doing. I had two reasons for my trip to Pontiac in January: To honor Timothy Bradley – who was and remains one of my favorite active fighters – and to see if Detroit could be bad as accounts said it was.

My rental car was a Kia that when loaded with my laptop case and travel bag weighed perhaps a hundred pounds more than I did. The Kia and I set off for Pontiac in quickly accumulating snow. I had learned to drive in snow as a native New Englander, but in the 18 years since my departure for the Southwest I had not improved at the craft. The car slid all over the road, occasionally even working the oncoming side of where the yellow line would be found in April.

Friday morning I arrived on the outskirts of what my phone’s GPS said was Pontiac and surveyed the local FM dial in search of local flavor. One Motown station featured The Supremes followed by a familiar cackle and faux interview in which promoter Don King rattled off a handful of other Detroit-founded groups and invited locals to come to Silverdome tomorrow night for a super fight.

There was King, later that afternoon, in a private club on the end of Silverdome opposite where the ring would be constructed for Saturday’s fight. Or was the ring already constructed? A few of us gathered at the enormous glass wall where the weigh-in was held, and we peered and squinted at what could have been a black pocket square floating in a gray blazer. That was the curtain that both hid Saturday’s ring and marked the nearest point of Saturday’s converted arena – across hundreds of yards of empty concrete. Boxing’s chutzpah is at times extraordinary; who else would prod a hibernating venue to life then cordon off 90 percent of it?

King was alive if tired. When you speak with him he violates personal space till you realize how enormous a man he is. Your ears fit between his eyebrows, and his voice shakes your hair and scarf. He knew you would be there because you appreciate what is great in this sport, nay this land, and it thrills him the love he has for you, my brother, because as Shakespeare said, in his grandiloquence of verbositous garrulity, “If she say I am not fourteen pence on the score for sheer fisticuffs, score me up for the lyingest knave in Michigan!”

Promoter Gary Shaw, shorter and paler and rounder, was there too. A study of contrasts, King and Shaw. King is twice himself in person as he is on television, while Shaw is half. Shaw is softspoken and reasonable and willing to explain his talent lies in logistics more than spectacle. In his prime, King would have treated Shaw as an employee – Alan Hopper as publicist, Shaw as matchmaker – but King was by then far from his prime as he could be and still renew a promoter’s license.

Friday night brought an ill-advised drive to Detroit proper, a few bars, a rave, and an early morning Coney dog at the second-best Coney dog eatery in the city because the very best was being used that night as a set for some cop show starring Tony Soprano’s tequila-sipping protégé. The night is a not a blur for the reasons you think. It is a blur because of what followed: Somewhere just north of 8 Mile Road on I-75, when my phone’s battery died with its GPS and the falling snow became a white wall seen from the driver’s side window as my Kia went sideways toward Pontiac, I became suddenly aware of how easy it would be to get lost, run out of gas and not be found till springtime.

And like that I was lost. Snow was accumulated on the freeway signs. The sky was a dark pillow gently shaking one feather-like flake after the next. I had been driving 30 miles per hour for an hour but knew I had not gone 30 miles. The entire episode was not frightful in its actuality – I located the Marriott village in Pontiac before the gas light went out – but frightful in its manufacturing. A terrible time to have an imagination.

Saturday morning I went looking for downtown Pontiac.

***

Editor’s note: Part 2 will be published on Wednesday, Feb. 1.

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that former world champion Joel Casamayor tested positive for Marijuana for this past Saturday’s title bout with Timothy Bradley

“It’s unfortunate. If the commission finds him in violation of the drug-testing regulations, they could fine him or suspend him, or a combination thereof,” Nevada Commission head Keith Kizer said Thursday.

Timothy Bradley has lived with criticism, but hasn’t been able to make a living off of it. It’s a subtle distinction, perhaps. But it’s a lesson that Bradley accepted and then spun into simple wisdom that led him away from Gary Shaw to Top Rank.

“Criticism doesn’t pay the bills,” Bradley said.

A shot at Manny Pacquiao would. That’s not necessarily where his new deal with Top Rank’s Bob Arum will take him. But go ahead and connect the dots. A lot of people already have. Bradley has a better chance at Manny money now than he ever had while his career languished in Shaw’s never-never limbo.

Bradley’s fight against left-handed Joel Casamayor on the Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez undercard on Nov. 12 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand puts him in line, another possibility for the left-handed Pacquiao if chances at finally securing a date with Floyd Mayweather Jr. fall apart all over again.

Despite all of the inevitable questions about Mayweather, Arum said there has been no talk about Pacquiao’s plan after the third chapter in his trilogy with Marquez, who has posed more problems for him than anybody in his rise to stardom.

“As to whom Manny fights, that’s ultimately a decision made by Manny,’’ Arum said Thursday during a conference call with Bradley. “Do I make recommendations, proposals? Of course, I do. That’s my job as a promoter. But I have never discussed with Manny about an opponent after Marquez.

“Marquez is a very difficult opponent for Manny, as he proved twice, because of his style. Manny has his hands full, I think, with a new, improved Marquez, who physically looks like a much bigger guy. You know, when Manny fought him the first two times, Marquez wasn’t knocking anybody out. Now, he has a whole string of knockout victories. Obviously, he’s sitting down on his punches. He’s just a very dangerous opponent. So, until after Nov. 12, I don’t know who Manny is going to fight.’’

But the possibilities are there if Mayweather isn’t and Arum doesn’t believe he will be. At least, he didn’t on Wednesday. That’s when Arum told ESPNLosAngeles before a Pacquiao media workout at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Hollywood that the Mayweather fight would “never, ever happen.’’

If not, there has to be options. Arum already has mentioned Mike Jones and Brandon Rios. Add Bradley to the list, despite complications. He faces a breach-of-contract suit from Shaw and co-promoter Ken Thompson. Further legal action is said to be a possibility. But attorneys told him and Arum to go ahead and sign.

That’s all he needed to hear. There was frustration, sitting idle for 10 month since a forgettable victory over Devon Alexander in an empty Silverdome near Detroit .There were few prospects and only those critics as company. What’s more, there’s another mouth to fight, a baby daughter, Jada, who was born in July. It was beginning to look as if the Bradley, unbeaten (27-0, 11 KOs) at 140 and 147 pounds, was doomed to spend his prime on the shelf. He had an opportunity at a reported $1.4 million against Amir Khan last summer. Why would he turn down that opportunity when it appeared to be the only one?

Had he fought Khan under his former promotional banner, it might not have widened his appeal, made him better-known. His fight against Alexander was supposed to have been a major step to stardom for Bradley. But it was a fight remembered more for head butts and empty seats in a forgotten arena.

“Top Rank brings that kind of exposure,’’ Bradley said of marketing that he says wasn’t there with Shaw. “A fight with Amir Khan through Top Rank, I think will be huge because you’ve got the top promotional company advertising it, doing what they’re supposed to – spending the money to make money and turning their fighter into a super-star.

“Kicking back and thinking about it, we made the right choice.’’

And maybe some big money.

AZ Notes
· Phoenix super-middleweight Jesus Gonzales is still waiting to hear if he’ll get a shot at Kelly Pavlik, who at last report is moving on to a new trainer and a different lifestyle, Oxnard, Calif., instead of Youngstown. If he can’t land a bout with Pavlik in January, Gonzales says he hopes to fight in December.

· Promoter Michelle Rosado put together an entertaining card of four-rounders in downtown Phoenix a week ago with hometown super-bantamweight Emilio Garcia (4-0-1, 1 KO) fighting behind a precise, body-to-head jab in a unanimous decision over Miguel Armendarez (0-5-1) of Mexico.

· And Hall of Famer Michael Carbajal did not, as expected, face his estranged brother Danny in a Phoenix courtroom last Friday. Carbajal’s attorney told him to stay away from a proceeding that is part of the preparation for a civil trial scheduled to begin Jan. 8. Danny Carbajal got out of prison in July after serving a sentence on fraud charges related to the theft of about $2 million dollars from Michael. Danny Carbajal is representing himself in his brother’s suit to claim ownership of 12 pieces of property that Michael said Danny bought with the money he earned in the ring. The trial will pit brother-against-brother in a divided family. It could get very ugly.

“The most consistent launching pad for future champions for a full decade” ShoBox: The New Generation celebrates it’s 10 year anniversary with a live match between top prospects Diego Magdaleno and Alejandro Perez. Watch highlights from today’s boxing stars who made their bones on ShoBox including Chad Dawson, Ricky Hatton, Robert Guerrero, Kelly Pavlik, Kermit Cintron, Joan Guzman, Victor Ortiz, Paul Williams, Timothy Bradley, Carl Froch, Nonito Donaire, Andre Ward, and more.

Dan Rafael of espn.com is reporting that discussions for the 140-pound unification bout between Timothy Bradley and Amir Khan have been extended until Wednesday at 4pm eastern after Monday’s deadline came and went without a deal.

The fight is tentatively scheduled for July 23rd in Las Vegas, Anaheim or Los Angeles.

Khan has already reached an agreement with his promoter, Golden Boy Promotions while Bradley is still mulling over an offer which will pay him $1.3 million.

“HBO asked me to extend the deadline with the understanding that if Bradley doesn’t take it we will go forward and lock in another opponent for Amir for July 23,” Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions said. “Bradley was calling out Amir for so long and questioned if Amir would ever fight him and then Amir agrees to fight him and agrees to terms, and Bradley doesn’t. I find that ironic.”

“I’m going to have to call my fighter and see if I can get him here sooner than later,” said Cameron Dunkin, who manages Bradley and lives in Las Vegas. “I don’t think he’s coming in until Thursday night, so a deadline of Wednesday at 4 isn’t going to do us any good. Timmy’s perspective is that he needs some time to think about it and what he wants to do with his career. There are issues for us to discuss. But I want to get this worked out. I would have liked to see him get more money for this fight, but that’s obviously not what they’re going to do.”

“We’ll see Amir in Las Vegas this weekend. He’ll be at the boxing writers’ dinner to receive his fight of the year award and we will have some conversations with him about what he wants to do if Bradley does not take the fight,” Schaefer said. “I’ve already had some conversations with Amir and his father and the fact is they don’t care who they fight. They will fight anyone. It is refreshing to have a fighter like that.

“Khan is ready and willing to fight Bradley. That’s the fight HBO wants to buy. But if Bradley does not take the fight, HBO is not going to punish Amir. He’s willing to take the fight they want. It’s not Amir turning down the fight, so he will still fight July 23. I don’t know what is going on with Bradley. I know Timothy Bradley is a terrific young man and a great fighter and $1.3 million is a very good purse. It would be the biggest purse of his career.”

Promoter Gary Shaw talks about the March 12 battle between Sergiy Dzinzurak and Sergio Martinez as well as Tim Bradley, Alfredo Angulo and Chad Dawson

While hoping for a Super Bowl that doesn’t turn into the stupor left by Tim Bradley and Devon Alexander in a fight preceded by the same advertising adjective, some headlines and counters:

News item: An estimated 16,000 tickets are sold within about three hours for the Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley fight on May 7 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand.

Reaction: Promoters Gary Shaw and Don King couldn’t give away that many tickets in 16 days or 16 months for Bradley’s technical decision over Alexander at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Mich., where the estimates were like the empty seats. They were all over the place. There are no reports on the number of paying customers. Let’s just say that the Silverdome’s box office has collected more dollars for its drive-in movie business last spring and summer.

News item: Bradley is expected to sign with Bob Arum or Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions after his deal with Shaw expires, reportedly in May.

Reaction: If it’s Arum, don’t expect Bradley to fight for 140-pound supremacy with Golden Boy-promoted Amir Khan. If it’s Golden Boy, don’t expect a Bradley fight against the Arum-promoted Pacquiao.

News item: Bradley says he wants to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Reaction: Get in line. Las Vegas and Nevada’s Clark County already have a couple of mandatories against Mayweather, including a trial on misdemeanor battery, rescheduled for April 25, and a hearing on March 10 for felony domestic abuse.

News item: Bradley says he wants to fight Pacquiao.

Reaction: Break the head-butt habit. It’s a pattern that continued with Alexander badly cut over his right eye, first from a Bradley head-butt in the third and again in the end, the 10th Pacquiao hasn’t lost since 2005 when a fifth-round clash of heads with Erik Morales left him badly cut, also above his right eye. Pacquiao was clearly bothered by blood streaming from the wound for the rest of the 12-round bout, which Morales won with a unanimous decision. Pacquiao might think twice about the threat of a bloody encore if he thinks Bradley can’t break the habit.

News item: HBO will honor its $1.25 million guarantee to Alexander with a possible fight against Marcos Maidana.

Reaction: Save the money, Devon, because it figures to be your last big payday. If the powerful Maidana is in shape, he will win by a crushing knockout, which narrowly eluded him in a scorecard loss to Khan.

News item: Khan fires conditioning coach Alex Ariza, who says he has yet to be paid for his work before a Fight of the Year victory over Maidana in December.

Reaction: Maidana trainer Miguel Diaz, who called Ariza “a fraud,’’ is laughing.

News item: Evander Holyfield’s fight with Brian Nielsen is postponed from March 5 to May 7 because of a Holyfield cut suffered on Jan. 22 in a bout with Sherman Williams.

Reaction: Huh? Holyfield fought Williams? He is scheduled to fight Nielsen, who hasn’t fought in nearly a decade? Holyfield-Nielsen has been re-scheduled for May 7? Won’t everybody be watching Pacquiao against Mosley then? Holyfield-Nielsen in Copenhagen? Not the Silverdome? Must be a night for drive-in movies.

News item: Pacquiao is already 2-0 at Cowboys Stadium, which means he has competed there two more times than the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers.

Reaction: Pacquiao will get some company in that unbeaten column. Steelers, 27-24.

On Saturday night, forty-five minutes before Tim Bradley and Devon Alexander did battle in Pontiac, Michigan, I got this text from one of my few friends who enjoys boxing.

“I forgot this fight was on till a little while ago. Who do you think is going to win?”

Presumably, his second sentence was to aid him in a potential gambling proposition.

I replied, “Bradley by decision, but I think he’ll have to come from behind in the second half to win a close fight.”

I then texted my 28 year-old brother and reminded him the fight was about to start. He responded by saying, “I don’t get Showtime.”

I told him it’s on HBO, to which he said, “In that case I’m going to watch it.”

My friend is much more of a boxing guy than my brother, but brother, who is a lawyer, watches pretty much every HBO fight and is extremely opinionated about certain fighters.

In December he was literally screaming for Marcos Maidana to knock out Amir Khan in the tenth round of their Fight of the Year bout. At some point in the last year and a half, he decided he didn’t like Khan. Nor is he a fan of Floyd Mayweather, Zab Judah, or Chris Arreola, apparantly. He likes Tomasz Adamek, Paulie Malignaggi, and Manny Pacquiao — and Buboy Fernandez, though. But for whatever reason, there is no in-between with him.

There was a point in time where I was almost certain that myself and another writer-friend of mine were going to make the trip from North Jersey, drive the length of the Keystone State, through Ohio, to Pontiac. Plans fell through, and I watched it from my bedroom.

But during the interim, I talked up this fight, I was excited. I thought what most people thought: these were easily two of the best three fighters in one of boxing’s deepest divisions. The fight matters, so it had to be good.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be. Bradley outclassed Alexander from beginning to end. Alexander “The Not-so Great” didn’t use his height or reach to his advantage, and all but once unleashed an uppercut (the punch that so viciously knocked out Juan Urango last year). Not sure why he kept it on the shelf. Flustered, perhaps.

Bradley was constantly charging forward, throwing wild at times, but never letting Alexander fight his fight. Bart Barry summed it up well, writing about what he saw from his ringside perch, “Alexander was out of his depth, discomfited throughout. Bradley was too far away, too near, and never where he wanted him. The rounds were close, but you could argue Alexander didn’t win any of them. Then head butts took his mind away.”

So when the fight was stopped and Bradley’s hand deservedly raised, my phone buzzed again with texts.

The first came from my friend. It simply said, “Fight is over…that’s shitty.”

Then came my brother’s. After expressing his opinion that Alexander legitimately couldn’t continue, he proclaimed, “That fight was dumb.”

He concluded with, “Bad for boxing…in my opinion.”

Well, it certainly wasn’t good for boxing. But we must remember this is a fight that everyone wanted to see, and I’m glad HBO made it. I am not so glad about the concessions HBO made in order to make this fight, however.

In his latest column about Pacquiao’s move to Showtime, Thomas Hauser addressed the details of the Bradley-Alexander fight by writing, “Each fighter (in tandem with his respective promoter) has been guaranteed a second fight for a license fee of at least $3,000,000. This means that, unless their first encounter warrants a rematch, three fights involving these two boxers will command almost 25% of HBO’s license fees in 2011.”

Further, according to John Chavez of The Boxing Truth fame, Bradley-Alexander drew 1.345 million live viewers. Sad to say, but I’m almost certain that number will decrease for Alexander’s next bout. To put things in perspective, the Manfredo-Eduard fight on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights, drew 788,000 live viewers, and they paid a hell of a lot less than the $4 million HBO paid for this fight.

While I’m glad HBO made Bradley-Alexander happen, they grossly overpaid and made too many concessions. Then again, I would definitely not be writing any of this if it turned out to be a twelve round thriller.

That wasn’t the case, however, and head-butts and Bradley’s determination and grit earned him the title as world’s best junior welterweight.

But unfortunately for boxing fans like my brother, there’s a good chance that both Tim Bradley and Devon Alexander ended up on their ‘dislike’ list. The next time Alexander is on HBO I’ll try to get my brother to watch, but I don’t think he’ll take the bait. I have a better shot at getting him to watch Bradley fight again.

When he said, “Bad for boxing…in my opinion,” — that’s the way I feel about 25% of HBO’s 2011 license fee’s being linked to these two fighters.

We wanted the fight, we got it. Most likely, we won’t want to see Alexander against a bounce-back opponent. Too bad, we’re getting it.

We’ll just take the good with the bad I guess. That’s boxing.

Kyle Kinder can be reached at Twitter.com/KyleKinder & KyleKinder1@gmail.com

DETROIT – At 7:00 AM on Sunday, Timothy Bradley walked gingerly through the Southwest terminal of Metro Airport. He was anonymous. I deposited my luggage and strolled over to congratulate him. He was affable but subdued. He thanked me. We conversed briefly.

Bradley was exhausted, busted up and bandaged, his left eye swelled shut from accidental collisions with Devon Alexander’s head. He was also the world’s best 140-pound prizefighter – if anyone cared.

It appeared no one did. And that was fitting a footnote as any to the weekend’s depressed and depressing event, a spectacle billed as “The Super Fight” that filled little more than five percent of Silverdome’s available seats in Pontiac, Mich. Bradley versus Alexander – a match Bradley won by technical-decision scores of 97-93, 96-95 and 98-93 – will not be remembered as a super fight at all. How much boxing itself will be remembered is now in play, too.

“The Super Fight’s” host city is forgotten. But for a Marriott village southeast of its downtown area Pontiac is in hibernation with no hint of springtime. Pontiac is not a dangerous place, though; it’s too listless for that.

Rumors of an art gallery in the Business District sent me to downtown Pontiac. At 2:00 PM on a Saturday, at Saginaw & Pike Street, a complete inventory of open businesses went: Pontiac’s Pawn Stars, a bail bondsman, an award-winning trauma center and a ceramics shop.

I drove a mile down Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and came to the first open restaurant I’d seen in 15 minutes. Chili Bowl, a 12-seat diner in a cinder-block box painted a cheerful yellow, will be 60 years old in November. Its grillman cheerlessly recounted what he’d heard about downtown Pontiac: Two years free rent for anyone who’ll open up shop, and still no one comes.

That’s a stark departure from the optimistic literature you find 30 miles south of Pontiac. In this city, folks are divided between native Detroiters and new arrivals. The natives are clamped-down, girded for the worst and suspicious of your curiosity about their infamous economy.

Then there are the young professionals, a sunnier bunch, many sporting law degrees, most aflutter with talk of “amazing” nonprofit opportunities and signs of rebirth.

Trust the natives. They’ve seen this before and now wonder about the nature of altruism itself. Why would you leave a comfortable life somewhere else to come help less-fortunate folks? Because you have a good heart? Yes, maybe. Or is it because the life you’ve left isn’t comfortable as advertised and directing your energy at other folks’ troubles is easier than tackling your own?

Hard to say. There are smart folks working in good faith towards the common good, here. But some of them are defensive, unrealistic and emotionally unstable.

At least they’re energetic. That much could not be said of Silverdome, Saturday. Its ring tucked deep in a corner of the field where Barry Sanders once galloped and juked, Silverdome had enough available floor space to store five trailers, including HBO’s production truck. It barely had enough heat from human bodies to keep the mercury above 60 degrees, though, contributing to its funereal ambiance.

The announced attendance was over 6,000. That was an unlikely number even if you counted credentialed media, Silverdome staff and every motorist who drove past the stadium between the hours of 6:00 PM and midnight.

Timothy Bradley was the favorite in the main event because Devon Alexander really isn’t that good. Yes, he has quick hands, a great biography and a trainer who’s a former cop. But he also has a predictable delivery, a floating chin and a left guard that wanders away from his face when he jabs. Did Bradley notice this? Damn right he did.

Eight hours after he finished whacking Alexander with fists and cranium, Bradley and I chatted a spot about what he’d seen Saturday.

Me: Did you notice Alexander’s guard flies off his face when he jabs? Is that how you cracked him with right hands?

Bradley: That’s right, I did. And I cracked it – no I cranked it. Just cranked that right hand.

Bradley’s delivery was wide open, awkward and at times pedestrian. It relied on ineffective aggressiveness and some defense. He made Alexander miss and walked him to the ropes. Once there, he flared a meaningless jab wide, corralled Alexander to his right, then blasted him with one punctuating cross or hook every three minutes.

Alexander was out of his depth, discomfited throughout. Bradley was too far away, too near, and never where he wanted him. The rounds were close, but you could argue Alexander didn’t win any of them. Then head butts took his mind away.

Bradley crouches and leaps inwards. Shorter than most junior welterweights, his head comes from an awkward angle and leads the charge. There’s no science or malice to it, though. Against any southpaw, his style is bound to cause butting.

Bradley got as well as he gave. Again, his left eye was useless, too, Sunday morning. But Bradley was able to win ugly. Alexander was not.

Like Andre Dirrell – a Michigander at ringside Saturday – Alexander is a great athlete who knows how to box. He is not a fighter.

Bradley is a fighter, which is good because he’s no clairvoyant. During promotion of “The Super Fight” he predicted Saturday’s scrap would be so phenomenal both he and Alexander would emerge superstars. Fact is, neither man came out of it great as he went in.

And so began boxing in 2011. Most pre-fight criticism of Bradley-Alexander concerned its promoters’ choice of venue. That was unfair. After 2010, an empty building in a dilapidated American city was the exact spot for our sport to showcase its wares.

Bart Barry can be reached at bbarry@15rounds.com.

PONTIAC, Mich. – There’s a reason it’s hard to get in the major leagues with a hitch in your swing. St. Louis’ Devon Alexander may have made it to the majors, but Saturday night he ran into a first-rate pitcher in Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley and got struck out.

In the main event of “The Super Fight,” boxing’s debut in the Silverdome, California’s Bradley (27-0, 11 KOs) defeated Alexander (21-1, 13 KOs) by technical-decision after fewer than 10 rounds – when the fight was stopped because of an accidental head butt – and did so by scores of 97-93, 96-95 and 98-93, establishing himself as the world’s premier junior welterweight.

The 15rounds.com ringside scorecard concurred, scoring the match a lopsided 99-92 for Bradley.

While both fighters began tense and nervous in the opening rounds, Bradley loosened up, catching Alexander with one decisive right hand in each stanza, and bullying Alexander with ineffective aggressiveness. Alexander appeared overwhelmed, never finding his range or setting a successful trap.

As the fight progressed, Bradley detected the massive hitch in Alexander’s proverbial swing: Alexander cocks his every combination. Once Bradley deciphered this, he hit Alexander awkwardly and often. Alexander had begun to fade when the two fighters’ heads collided severely enough in round 10 to disrupt Alexander’s vision and cause the ringside doctor to advise a stoppage.

After the fight, Bradley graciously called Alexander a warrior, promising the St. Louis native would one day be champion again. Bradley then quixotically called-out Manny Pacquiao, a junior-middleweight titlist who would likely whup him.

VERNON PARIS VS. EMANUEL AUGUSTUS
Vernon Paris (24-0, 14 KOs), the undefeated Detroit junior welterweight the largest number of Saturday’s fans came to see, might have reviewed his opponent’s record and smirked during training camp. But Emanuel Augustus (38-34-6, 20 KOs) proved to be a humorless test for Paris, who, despite being roughed-up, frustrated and worn-down, won by unanimous-decision scores of 76-73, 77-72 and 77-72.

Augustus, a veteran of 77 fights who now calls himself “The Outlaw,” would not be run out the ring. He resorted to a large number of the tricks in his substantial bag to take the younger and faster crowd-favorite off his game. Once Augustus had Paris distracted, he began talking to him, dancing between rounds and fouling him wherever the referee couldn’t see.

The referee did see enough antics, though, to penalize Augustus two points for a fraction of the indiscretions he committed.

But whatever the final tally, Augustus proved he can still teach a young fighter, and Vernon Paris still has plenty left to learn.

UNDERCARD
The penultimate undercard match of the night saw its most-devastating knockout as Miami heavyweight Bermane “B-Ware” Stiverne (20-1-1, 19 KOs) rocked then ruined Trinidad and Tobago’s Kertson Manswell (19-1, 15 KOs), stopping him at 1:52 of the second round – with a 1-2 followed by four left hooks – to take the ‘0’ from the loss side of Manswell’s ledger.

In the evening’s sixth and dullest fight, Marcus Oliveira (21-0-1, 16 KOs), an undefeated Kansas light-heavyweight, decisioned Detroit’s Demetrius Jenkins (21-18-1, 16 KOs) by unanimous scores of 60-54.

The evening’s second-most-lopsided mismatch came in its fifth bout, as New Jersey’s Kendall “Rated R” Holt (26-4, 13 KOs) made an NC-17 mess of Florida welterweight Lenin Arroyo (20-15-1, 4 KOs), knocking him cold at 1:50 of the first round and causing the few knowledgeable fans in attendance to wonder why a prizefighter of Holt’s caliber would even be making eight-round tilts with 14-loss journeymen.

New York welterweight Allen Conyers (12-4, 9 KOs) calls himself “Dream Shatterer,” and in the fourth fight of Saturday’s Silverdome card, formerly undefeated Texan James De La Rosa (20-1, 12 KOs) learned why. Dropped thrice and made to look like a lousy Zab Judah impersonator, De La Rosa dropped the first decision of his career, losing a 10-round fight by three scores of 95-92.

Saturday’s most-lopsided mismatch came in its third bout, when Philadelphia’s Julian Williams (5-0, 4 KOs) blew directly through Indiana’s Alan Moore (2-10, 2 KOs) in 28 seconds to win a first-round technical knockout. Moore’s shaky legs at the opening bell and complete want of competitiveness raised questions of how he was even able to attain a license from the Michigan Unarmed Combat Commission.

Before that, in an entertaining eight-round super middleweight scrap, Detroit’s own “Son of a Preacher Man” Darryl Cunningham (22-2, 10 KOs) outclassed Dominican Alberto Mercedes (16-15, 10 KOs), dropping him in the final round and winning by three, unanimous-decision scores of 60-53. Despite absorbing punches and being hurt at the 1:30 mark of round 8, though, Mercedes stayed game throughout, even dissuading the onrushing Cunningham in the fight’s final minute.

Saturday’s opening fight, California welterweight Julio Diaz (38-6, 26 KOs) versus Tijuana’s Pavel Miranda (16-7-1, 8 KOs), ended in an eighth-round TKO for Diaz when a disappointing Miranda could not continue.

Doors for “The Super Fight” opened at 6:00 PM, and the opening bell rang on an empty arena at 6:15. The event’s promoters announced an attendance of 6,247.

PONTIAC, Mich. – Junior welterweight champions Timothy Bradley and Devon Alexander shared a lot of similarities Friday at Silverdome. Both were dark, muscular and respectful to one another and those gathered round a makeshift stage in a glass-paneled sports bar overlooking the arena. If it was a study in contrasts you were after, then, the place to look was backstage.

That was where Alexander’s indefatigable promoter Don King plied his syrupy cackle and unpredictable vocabulary in a final publicity push for Saturday’s “Super Fight.” And in a corner across the room stood Bradley’s promoter, Gary Shaw, quietly prepping for an upcoming rules meeting.

Friday afternoon Bradley and Alexander took to the scale and made 139.5 pounds and 140, respectively. Both looked excellent. Neither looked ready to relent. Each looked a righteous foil to the other.

Meanwhile, their promoters acted more in complementary roles than adversarial ones.

King is, and has been for decades, more famous than the fighters he promotes. The shocked hair, the bedizened jean jacket, the exploding voice; all contribute to a presence round which even confident public figures orbit like tiny moons. Regardless of the merits of his product, King is the spectacle that fills the tent. Few bring to any job the mastery and joy King brings to public self-edification. And yet.

There’s an easily missed humility in the access he affords every promotion. He is not a wind-up toy; were he that, writers would have stopped quoting him 30 years ago. Rather, he is a robust cult of personality hurling himself on the mercy of a crowd.

“You want them to buy what you’re selling!” King said Friday, when asked about an appearance schedule this week that has put his distinct voice all over local Michigan airwaves. “Give them what they want. People are my most important asset!”

But are they buying what he’s selling this time, and just how many assets will be in seats Saturday night?

“Make the economy rise!” King thundered, when asked about his choice of a city 30 miles north of Detroit. “The spirit of Detroit is alive! Detroit is a model for the rest of the country.”

That it is. To most of the rest of the country, though, Detroit is a model of what an American city should not become. While the reports of Detroit’s death are indeed exaggerated, there’s no doubt the area is wanting in both capital and hope.

“The people need you here,” said King. “This is a commercial for three or four hours for Detroit. This (fight) is an infomercial.”

Standing in a hallway 50 feet away – but by no means outside the range of King’s voice – Gary Shaw contrasted his style with that of his co-promoter’s.

“Don is a self-promoter, he’s the marketing,” Shaw said. “I am more operationally seasoned.”

When asked if he thought the two made a good team, Shaw nodded.

“Don’s a legendary name,” he said. “That’s not who I am.”

How good a team the two men have made will be challenged Saturday at Silverdome. Friday’s view of the arena afforded a glimpse at how ticket sales are going. With the ring tucked in a far away corner, blue curtains indicated fewer than a fifth of Silverdome’s 80,000 or so seats will be on sale.

A strong walk-up crowd is predicted. Any service person in uniform will be given a free seat. But whatever the actual gate, you hope for a good throng of committed boxing fans. Detroit and Pontiac need it. Timothy Bradley and Devon Alexander deserve it.

Doors to “The Super Fight” open Saturday at 6:00 PM local time. 15rounds.com will have full ringside coverage.

Symbols have been attached to the Timothy Bradley-Devon Alexander fight, so many in fact that they might outnumber the tickets sold for the junior-welterweight bout at the Silverdome, a blimp-like arena in Pontiac, Mich., that for years has been full of only empty seats and hot air.

Conflicting and perhaps premature projections promise only more empties and air. Even with a good walk-up before opening bell on Jan. 29, there will still be a lot of both.

Ten-to-fifteen thousand seats are for sale in an arena once big enough for two crowds of more than 93,000 each for Pope John Paul II and Wrestlemania in 1987. Promoters Don King and Gary Shaw said the plan always has been to set up the arena for a fraction of its current capacity, now said to be 70,000. That’s a lot of curtains.

The dismal projections are unfortunate, mostly because they have become a story that takes away from a bout, as significant as it is intriguing, between two unbeaten fighters, both African-Americans.

When the site was first announced, Shaw told reporters that he wanted to stage the fight in a city with a big African-American population. Atlanta or Detroit, he said.

Detroit, Motown, sounded good then. It might have been, if the town was Detroit instead of Pontiac, a dateline and troublesome symbol in itself. A new Pontiac is harder to find than a good American heavyweight these days. There are none. General Motors quit making the car in 2009.

For symbolism, Alexander-Bradley belongs about 30 miles away, in Detroit, at Joe Louis Arena, which was named for an iconic and African-American heavyweight who made his historic impact before Jackie Robinson broke major-league baseball’s color line and Muhammad Ali opened his mouth.

These days, The Joe is a hockey arena, home for the Detroit Red Wings. On the night of Alexander-Bradley, the Red Wings won’t be there, but college hockey will be with Michigan-versus-Michigan State.

I’m not sure whether there was an alternate date at The Joe or on HBO’s schedule. I’m also not sure whether any arena anywhere was willing to pay the $500,000 site fee that Shaw and King reportedly got from the Silverdome. That dollar sign might have been the biggest symbol at play.

Even if Alexander-Bradley had wound up at The Joe on a different date, it might not have mattered. Last March, Arthur Abraham’s disqualification in the Super Six bout against Andre Dirrell, a native of Flint, Mich., at The Joe drew a disappointing crowd, reportedly about 5,000.

Predictably, Shaw expressed frustration at criticism of the site during a conference call Tuesday.

“First, let’s wait until January 29 and find out how many people are in there,’’ said Shaw, Bradley’s promoter. “No. 2, I put on the greatest fight of the decade, (Diego) Corrales vs. (Jose Luis) Castillo and we didn’t sell even 2,000 tickets. I never heard anyone say that it wasn’t a fight that was extraordinary.

“We have two great undefeated American fighters and we went to a place we thought was befitting. We never set if for 70,000 – the set-up was always going to be between 10,000 and 15,000. Those that came to the press conference saw how it would be mapped out. The Silverdome was well-prepared and did a great job.

“There should be compliments to the new owner of the stadium who wants to do more boxing and is willing to take the risk to bring big-time boxing back to the Detroit area. I think it’s a terrific place to do the fight. I’m not sorry and Don’s not sorry. We are doing something for that economy. We are bringing HBO, which is going to shine a big spotlight on that economy.

“Everybody claimed a couple years ago the U.S. automobile industry was dead. If you’d all bought stock in those companies, you would be rich today.’’

Please, promoters aren’t in the business of propping up any economy other than their own.

Yet, Bradley-Alexander is a worthy fight, mostly because it has a chance to stimulate interest in boxing’s battered model of an American game.

In terms of philosophy, this one has a chance to be a game-changer. American fighters have become increasingly protective of their unbeaten records – the so-called 0, which both Alexander (21-0, 13 KOs) and Bradley possess (26-0, 11 KOs).

Greatness in boxing is often measured in large part by how a fighter comes back from defeat. Rocky Marciano is known for retiring unbeaten, but is his name at the top of any all-time, pound-for-pound lists?

King said a lot of things during Tuesday’s conference call.

“Ticket sales will not determine the greatness of this fight,’’ King said.

Yeah, and I’ll be the next chairman of GM.

But he did say something that could help boxing recapture some of the fan interest that has eroded precipitously since last year’s second round of abortive talks for Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr.

The winner, King said, will be a superstar.

“But the loser will be a star, too,’’ said King, who echoed a comment from Bradley 10 days ago when the multi-skilled junior-welterweight said big fights were more important to him than the play-it-safe desire to protect the 0 and only the 0.

If Bradley-Alexander can help alter thinking behind a zero-sum game, it will be remembered as a winner, regardless of the zip code.

“We can spotlight this hard-hit economy,’’ said King, who talked about Motown as if it were boxing.

On the economic GPS, they’re in the same place.

As Tim Bradley’s nickname “Desert Storm” suggests he’s a trooper. He’s one of Boxing’s blue collar fighters, he’s never had anything given to him the easy way, just through sheer hard work. He first won a world title back in May 2008 when as the underdog he traveled to England where he fought awkward, southpaw Junior Witter. Witter started well, but typical of Bradley he slowly solved the puzzle that was Witter dropping him in the sixth along the way to winning a split decision. The old adage winning a title makes a fighter better came to bear when he outpointed tough guy Edner Cherry before again accepting a tough assignment, he headed to Quebec, Canada to defeat Kendall Holt. This time Bradley revealed something different he showed just how well conditioned he is twice dragging himself off the canvas and riding out some tough patches to unify the his WBC crown with Holt’s WBO title. After being forced to vacate the WBC title he fought former unified Lightweight champion Nate Campbell, after handling Campbell well winning the opening three rounds on all three judges cards Campbell appeared to retire between rounds. At later inspection the California commission wavered the result opting to change it to a No decision. The Californian Native closed out an impressive 2009 with a sparkling display of savvy and ring generalship as he posted a near shut out of Lamont Peterson in a fight many believed to be 50-50 going in. When various fights fell out including a mooted battle with Argentine power puncher Marcos Maidana fell through Bradley opted to head up to 147 and meet another Big punching Argentinean in the form of Luis Abregu. While Bradley may not of had the power or size of Abregu, he had the ring smarts and speed advantages to gain the points win. During 2010 Bradley struggled to get any of the fights he hoped for at 140, however he helps get Boxing off with a bang when he fights unbeaten Devon “The Great” Alexander on 29 January on HBO at the Silverdome, in Pontiac, Michigan.

Hello Tim, welcome to 15rounds.com

Anson Wainwright – Firstly you have a “Super Fight” coming up with Devon Alexander. What are your thoughts on that fight? How highly do you rate Alexander?

Tim Bradley – Pretty much my thoughts are it’s going to be a great fight. Our styles, he’s a lefty, we have similar attributes, high volume type of fighters, smart boxers. So it’s going to be an interesting fight. Different strategy’s, what I’m going to take as far as my strategy and as far as his strategy. As far as how I rate Devon? I think Devon is one of the best 140 pounder’s in the world. I rate him at number two fighter in the division, hands down. Now that Khan beat Maidana you can argue and say Khan maybe number 1 or 2 as well. It just depends on how all these fights play out. If I can get a win over Devon and fight Khan or someone of that nature then we’ll see who the best 140 pounder in the world is. But I rate Devon right now as the number 2 and I rate myself as number 1 and we’re going to see who’s the best.

Anson Wainwright – If you win you wont receive the WBC belt. What are your thoughts on that?

Tim Bradley – Well I really don’t have any thoughts on it. It was a decision I made and that’s that. If I wasn’t going to be recognized as WBC champion. It is what it is. There’s nothing I can do about it, so I’m not worried about it.

Anson Wainwright – Your known in the sport as a gym rat but when did you start training for this fight and can you tell us about the training you do?

Tim Bradley – I started in mid December. I did my press tour. I sparred for the first time in 5 months, but I felt great, I like to stay in shape. So it’s not like I haven’t done anything in 5 months. I’ve been really active running and staying fit. So when I get back to the gym it’s not hard to comeback like most fighters. My last couple of sparring sessions have been superb. Like I say I haven’t sparred for 5 months but the way I’m looking I can’t wait to see me after about 6 weeks of sparring.

Anson Wainwright – Who is part of Team Bradley, who is your manager, trainer & promoter? How did you come to work with them? Also what gym do you train at?

Tim Bradley – Team Bradley is pretty much my family. Joel Diaz is the head coach, you have Timothy Ray Snr, my father as second in the ring. Then you have a good friend of mine Sam L Jackson he’s another one of my corner men. Team Bradley consists of my wife, she handles all my phone calls, pretty much anything that I need she handles. We have Cameron Dunkin he’s my manager. He does everything to make sure I’m fine and all the contracts are great, all those good things. You also have Michael Miller, he’s my lawyer he handles all the contract things as well and also my promoter who is Ken Thompson and Gary Shaw Promotions. Thompson’s been with me about 6 years, I’ve been with Gary Shaw 4 and a half maybe 5 years. Also my brother in law and my mother, we’re a close team. I train at the Indio Boys and girls club.

Anson Wainwright – How did you first come to work with Joel Diaz & Cameron Dunkin.

Tim Bradley – Joel had his brother’s, he trained Antonio and former two time world champion Julio Diaz. My father was training me in the amateur days and when I was looking to turn pro I was looking for someone who knew the business, someone who was very efficient like I was, a hard worker and dedicated. So we traveled out maybe 30 minutes outside where we live to Lee Espinoza’s gym out in Coachella and Joel was training fighters, helping guys out. So we asked him if he’d be willing to train me professionally and he said “Yeah”. From that point on he groomed me and helped me become one of the best fighters in the world today. With the help of my father and Team. I have a great support team. That helps me stay focused and on my toes. There’s always positive people around me. That’s how I met Joel. I was talking to Cameron for a few months, I was looking for a bit more protection and someone who was very knowledgeable about the game, that has been in the game a very long time and I knew he had some great fighters in his stable that he managed and some great fighters over history. Cameron Dunkin is a huge name in Boxing as far as management. I really wanted him, I needed his expertise. To go over my contract make sure everything is legit and help and protect me and make sure I’m getting my just do’s.

Anson Wainwright – Can you tell us what it was like for you growing up in Southern California, were things tough for you early on?

Tim Bradley – Well growing up in Southern California, I grew up in a Neighbourhood there were a lot of gangs, tough streets. I knew everybody in the area and everybody knew who I was but it was tough to not be pulled in. That type of thug mentality was very hard to keep myself isolated. Boxing helped me do that. I hung out with some of my friends who were in gangs and you tend to roll with and think like them. Boxing was my foundation. My parents were hard on me growing up as well. They disciplined me, they made sure I was a respectable young man.

Anson Wainwright – When did you first become interested and take Boxing up?

Tim Bradley – I think it was sixth grade, I had a friend who was Boxing at the time. He was Boxing and I always got in trouble in school, fighting, getting in trouble, being a knucklehead, being a boy, beating up kids in the school. That’s how I got started. I nagged my dad for about 2 months “Can I go to the Boxing club, my friends doing it. I want to fight, please take me” He finally said ok, he said “If you like it there’s no quitting, you can’t quit if you like it” I said “Ok, that’s a deal” I never looked back. I’ve been training for 17 years of my life and I’ve never taken a break. The thing with most guys they take a break after a fight or amateur tournament, they leave for a couple of months. I was back the next Monday, after the tournament. I never really took a long lay off, when I was coming up in the amateur’s.

Anson Wainwright – You were a good amateur, what titles did you win? What guys who are now pro did you fight? What was your final record?

Tim Bradley – I won the National PAL Championship, I won under 19 Championship and Junior Gloves. I travelled and fought the French, Puerto Rican, Irish, Mexican’s. I had some duals under my belt. I had over 140 fights, I think I had about 20 loses.
I fought Andre Berto, Anthony Dirrell, Andre Ward, Vaughn Alexander, Lamont Peterson. I’m sure there’s more, I just don’t remember.

Anson Wainwright – When we spoke to Devon Alexander he mentioned you beat his brother Vaughn 6-4. So he’ll be gunning for revenge while you’ll be looking to do the family double.

Tim Bradley – Absolutely, I beat his brother and now I’m going to beat him. He wants revenge for his brother and it would probably mean a lot to him. He’d be like to his brother “I got him back” but that’s going to be a tough task.

Anson Wainwright – You turned pro in the summer of 2004, you stayed active over the next four years before you fought Junior Witter for the WBC title in Nottingham, England for his WBC title. What are your thoughts on that fight and what did it mean to you?

Tim Bradley – That fight meant everything to me. I was chasing that WBC title, that was the only belt I wanted as a kid. I had to have it and I felt if I had the opportunity I was going to take full advantage and was going to win and I was able to. Thank god I was strong enough, he gave me the strength and he gave my trainers the knowledge and myself the ability to go to England. That crowd over there. The amateur experience came into play because I’ve already traveled across pond and I’ve already faced the top amateur’s. So I had the experience to travel and I knew that. I felt I couldn’t be denied. Junior Witter was a great fighter at that time, a lot of people argue “Oh Devon stopped him”. I fought Junior Witter when Junior Witter hadn’t lost in years, the only loss he had was to Zab Judah and that was 6 or 7 years ago. Witter was number two fighter right behind Ricky Hatton and this guy was just full of confidence coming off a great knock out win over Vivian Harris, he was at the top of his game. He was one of the most feared boxers in the game. I fought Witter when he was at that point. Devon fought Witter after I shattered everything I took what Witter wanted and what made Witter, holding on to the WBC belt. I pretty much gave Devon the blueprint to beat Witter. To outbox him, to stay patient. I softened him up. Witter had to come to my hometown which is ironic because I went to his and he had to come over to my hometown to face Devon. That shows you how hard it is, ask Witter. I fought him at his best.

Anson Wainwright – When you went to England, were you well looked after or was there some gamesmanship?

The hotel we stayed in was quite pleasant, the people, the concierge, everybody was very nice to me. When we arrived my room wasn’t ready. I arrived at 2 in the afternoon and the room wasn’t ready. So I had to sleep on the ground for 3 hours in the computer room, I was exhausted from the plane ride. Then I get in my room and my A.C doesn’t work. God forbid it was hot outside at that time. It was very hot and muggy in my room, I stuck it out. I just said this is what it’s all about, I’ll deal with it. So that went on. The day later they checked my weight and before I left the house I was 143 pounds and I’m like I should be lighter. I didn’t eat much on the plane, I drank a bottle of water. You know when you come off a plane your 2 or 3 pounds lighter because of radiation you become dehydrated on that plane. So I was 146 pounds and I was like what the hells going on here. I said they must be wrong. They said they’d check in a couple of days. So they came back two days later and I checked the scales again and was like 145 pounds. I was like I’ve been training the last few days, there’s no way I can be 145 pounds. So what I did was check my weigh on scales which I brought, I always bring my own scales. I weighed 142, so I went downstairs and said “Hey your scales are wrong” and my trainer told me to go back upstairs and what he did was take our scales, there scales and one from the training room and we got a 25Ibs dumbbell and placed them on each scale. My scale said 25Ibs, then we checked the training room scale and it said 25Ibs and we used there scale it said 28Ibs. We said that scale is wrong. Whether they were doing it on purpose or not, I don’t think they’d do it on purpose but maybe they were trying to drain me, make me work harder during the week than I should be. That was my experience fighting Witter for the Championship coming out hearing all the boo’s. It could get under your skin but like I say I was on a mission and there was no way I was losing that fight.

Anson Wainwright – They say that when a fighter wins a World title it makes him a better fighter. Would you say this is the case with you?

Tim Bradley – Absolutely, because of the confidence it goes a long way. When you have the confidence in yourself, you have that title wrapped around you or strapped across your chest you have something your fighting for. It makes you feel much better or greater. The fact you have a target on your back you work harder during training. You work harder because you want to keep that title it’s your bread and butter, that’s how you eat. So you improve.

Anson Wainwright – You were ringside for Khan-Maidana what did you think of that fight?

Tim Bradley – That fight was awesome, it was one of the best fights I’ve seen in a long time. Due to the fact Khan stood there at times, sat on the ropes. I figured Khan would move all night and make it easy on himself, I guess Maidana was able to close the gap on him and wear him out a bit. Khan was hitting him with serious combination’s. I bet Khan was like “Gee I’m hitting this guy with my best punches and this guys still in my face”. I don’t know if he was discouraged in there but they felt that pressure. I couldn’t get him out of his face. He boxed off the ropes, I don’t think that was part of the game plan at all. Khan showed a tremendous amount of heart, that he’s a true champion. He disproved me and the critics out there. He does have a chin. Maidana showed how clever he is and how he’s like a little pit bull. He has no quit in his heart, that makes for a dangerous guy especially with his heart, he’s fearless.

Anson Wainwright – Did you see things you could implement in your strategy against those guys?

Tim Bradley – Absolutely, Khan is really young, I’m young myself and we all have a lot to learn in this game. We’re not veterans yet. We’re still grooming ourselves into great fighters and superstars. I’m working on that, I’m going to get better. I feel Khan fought the best that he could and thank Khan for fighting that fight he did because we’d never known he had the heart he did. Let alone you see Maidana get up from an hellacious liver shot and comeback. This guys a freaking animal, I was blown away. These guys are tougher than I thought but there are things I can capitalize on with both fighters.

Anson Wainwright – Do you feel as though having gone to 147 and fought a big puncher like Abregu that the power of guys like Maidana wouldn’t be a problem for you down at 140?

Tim Bradley – Yeah absolutely. At 140 I think I’m a nightmare for anybody. Maidana I know would keep coming at me. I’d just get ready for that. Get on my toes, on my bicycle and just box him for 12 rounds and make it an easy fight. Don’t stand and trade with this guy. Pot shot him from the outside, make him miss, right, left and give him so many angles.

Anson Wainwright – You have only fought once in 2010 up at Welterweight. Why was this? How did you feel at 147?

Tim Bradley – I really wanted to test the waters at 147, I wanted to leave that option open. I needed a test, a strong test to see if Welterweight was for me or not. Luis Abregu was a bigger puncher, very dangerous, very big. He was very unproven but he still was a dangerous guy. This guy had hands of stone. I really wanted to show the Boxing world I’m willing to go up in weight and fight the best to see if I had the ability to withstand the punching power at that weight. I took Abregu’s power very well and I can compete with anybody at 147 in the world. I felt great, I felt stronger, I felt like I had a little bit more power in my punches. I was less tired at 147, I have to put a lot of energy at 147. I was able to put out a lot of energy but I had a lot in reserve. So it wasn’t as stressful on my body at 147, it’s more natural. I walk around about 160.

Anson Wainwright – What do you like to do away from Boxing to relax?

Tim Bradley – I’m a big car freak, I love cars. When I’m away from Boxing I like to go check out cars, go to auctions and look at some old school car’s, get on-line and look for some nice deals on some old school cars and pick them up. I like to spend time with family. I do a lot of community work, I go to different schools and talk to students, tell them high schools important and what school was like for me. I have a football league that I help run, I’m the president of Juniors in Cathedral City where I live. My daughter does gymnastics. So I’m pretty much a family type of guy. I stay close to home, I’m very spontaneous and whatever I want to do that day I do.

Anson Wainwright – Finally do you have a message for Boxing fans ahead of your fight with Alexander?

Tim Bradley – Pretty much to all Boxing fans out there. I love and appreciate the support from all my fans. Especially when I’m fighting I’m not only fighting for myself and family I’m fighting for my team, for god and my Boxing fans out there. There standing behind me and there giving me that backbone saying Timmy Bradley is a force to be reckoned with and everybody needs to recognize that and that means a lot to me. I don’t want Boxing fans to be like “Ah Tim Bradley’s a joke, I want them to say Tim Bradley delivers. I can depend on Tim Bradley, he’s going to put on a great show, he’s going to perform as best his best each time, i can trust him”.

Thanks for your time Tim, good luck on the 29 January.

Anson Wainwright
15rounds.com

Remaining tickets, priced from $25-$400, can be purchased at the Silverdome box office, by calling (248) 338-2500 or online at www.silverdometickets.com.

HBO Boxing: Ring Life – Timothy Bradley

What inspires Timothy Bradley in and out of the ring? Alexander vs. Bradley happens Sat., Jan. 29th at 10pm ET/7pm PT on HBO

http://www.youtube.com/hbosports#p/u/0/YC55PfMm5Es

Legendary Promoter Don King discusses Cotto – Mayorga as well as Alexander – Bradley

St Louis is a Sporting town they have three major franchises The Blues, The Rams & The Cardinals with the later being very successful. Second only to the Yankees in terms of World series they have won. If Devon “The Great” Alexander 21-0(13) wins his upcoming unification with Tim Bradley on 29 January they could well have a new franchise. Alexander 23, is one of the City’s big success stories already having won the WBC & IBF 140 titles. Earlier this year he was awarded the key to the City for his hard work and what he has achieved. He regularly gives back to the community and is trying to help the less privileged in his hometown which was voted the most dangerous in America in 2010. It was that crime that saw his talented older brother end up in prison, to Alexander’s credit he has steered clear of that and will hope that he can kick of his 2011 with a win against Bradley and prove that he’s one of the most dangerous fighters in the world.

Hello Devon, welcome to 15rounds.com

Anson Wainwright – You have a huge unification fight with Tim Bradley coming up in early 2011. What are your thoughts on that fight?

Devon Alexander – It’s a big fight that everybody wanted to see, it’s what HBO want to see. It’s a big fight. It’s a very good thing (That the fight is happening)

Anson Wainwright – What do you think are Bradley’s strong points?

Devon Alexander – He’s going to come in shape, in extreme shape. He’s coming in for 12 rounds. That’s the only thing I see Bradley has and that’s his strong suit. So I better be in shape, I better be in shape to do 15rounds.

Anson Wainwright – What about weak points?

Devon Alexander – He butts with his head and I may be able to capitalize on that. He swings wild, real wild, so I’ll see everything he throws. So he’ll be pretty much open to anything I throw.

Anson Wainwright – Can you tell us about your team, who is your manager, trainer & promoter? Also what gym do you train at? What is your walk around weight between fights?

Devon Alexander – My promoter is Don King and my trainer & manager is Kevin Cunningham. I train at Barry’s gym in Vegas and in St Louis at Marquette Center. It depends, I don’t get any higher than 155.

Anson Wainwright – Working with Don King is sure to be very entertaining, can you tell us one of the funny stories that has happened with you?

Devon Alexander – There are a lot but none spring to mind. But he’s always cracking jokes, you have to get to know him to see what he’s about. A lot of people got there own judgments on him.

Anson Wainwright – Can you tell us how life was for you growing up a boy in St Louis?

Devon Alexander – It was pretty rough. You had to stay focused be in the house on time. You’d hear gunshots and fighting when i was growing up.

Anson Wainwright – Can you tell us how you first became interested in Boxing and then took it up?

Devon Alexander – Well my coach opened a gym at Higher Park which was an Old Police Station and when I was going to school my coach was a security guard over there. He was starting a gym. My brother went and he brought me and I’ve been with Kevin Cunningham ever since.

Anson Wainwright – You had an impressive amateur career, can you tell us some of the tournaments & titles you won? Also what guys in the pro’s did you fight back then? What was your final record?

Devon Alexander – I won 4 National Silver gloves titles, I won the PAL two times, Ringside, I won the US Championships. I fought over sea’s. I won the Sweden Cup and the Hungary Cup. Numerous one’s, Under 19 tournaments. So it was a lot. I fought Rock Allen, but must of the guys i fought pretty much aint doing anything in the pro game. My brother fought Timothy Bradley and lost 4-6 I think. I was 300-12 something like that.

Anson Wainwright – The Light Welterweight division is talent packed with many impressive fighters what are your thoughts on Khan-Maidana, Judah-Matthysse & Ortiz-Peterson?

Devon Alexander – They were good fights. HBO really kicked the 140 division off. The best fight the best. Aint no getting around it. They really started it off. Now people got to put up or shut up.

Anson Wainwright – Were you impressive with Amir Khan?

Devon Alexander – Mmm no, he did what I thought he had to do. Nothing special, that I saw that he did. Anybody can box Maidana, anybody can move on him and out slick him. He did what he had to do to get the victory. It was a good fight, so I take nothing away from him.

Anson Wainwright – Your elder brother Vaughn was also a very talented boxer some people even said that he was the more talented of the two of you? Can you tell us about Vaughn and how he’s doing in Prison?

Devon Alexander – When he was growing up he was hanging out with the wrong crowd. He got into some trouble trying to rob some people and you saw the result of it, now he’s sitting in prison. He’s ok, I hate to see him in there though, the things he’s going through cos I know that’s not what he’s used to. But he’s got to do what he’s got to do. Now days he’s coping with it, doing what he has to do to survive while he’s in there.

Anson Wainwright – Do you see him often? What’s his situation with regards how long he’s in there for etc?

Devon Alexander – Before I went to camp I went to see him. He goes for parole in 2012, he’ll be ok. He’ll make it back and show the world that he is a champion too. It wont be to late for him, we’ll have to see. He’ll be 26/27 when he reaches parole.

Anson Wainwright – You were awarded the Key to St Louis, that is obviously a huge honor can you tell us about what it & what it meant to you?

Devon Alexander – It was after the Urango fight that they gave me the key to the City. It was the most amazing feeling in the world. From a kid brought up in the rough, rough parts of North St Louis. It’s just amazing. For the mayor to look at me and think i deserve the key to the City, for them to do it is an honour. Not anybody can get the key to the City but I did. It was a great feeling.

Anson Wainwright – Earlier in your career you were probably fighting in Cory Spinks shadow, now your very much the premier fighter from St Louis and there franchise fighter. What can you tell us about this?

Devon Alexander – With Cory, when I was coming up I just waited my time. I was on the undercards of Cory Spinks, moving along like a snail and waiting my turn and know I’m the big draw in St Louis. It feels good, I think I’m handling it well. I’m still staying focused. A lot of people know me in St Louis and around the world. I’m getting the opportunity’s, there’s a lot of guys who box that don’t ever get the opportunities I have had.

Anson Wainwright – What sort of duty’s go with this responsibility? Can you tell us some of the things you do? Cancun for the WBC Convention.

Devon Alexander – Before my last fight with Kotelnik we had a thing down at City Hall and I gave away $10,000 to the St Louis Boxing program. I just help in anyway I can. I definitely want to give back because I was one of the one’s that got helped and was fortunate to get help. I just want to show god I am appreciative and am going to do right by everything.

Anson Wainwright – A couple of months back you were in Cancun for the WBC Convention. Can you tell us about that?

Devon Alexander – It’s a big thing the WBC convention. That’s huge. I think that’s the best belt in the world. I think everybody wants to be WBC champ. It’s an honor for them to know me and recognize me. Some of the greatest fighters of all time were at the convention so for me to stand there with people that control and made the WBC is awesome.

Anson Wainwright – Growing up who were your favorite fighters and why? Who do you admire today?

Devon Alexander – I didn’t have a favorite fighter. I liked them all. I just watched the fights. Nowadays the fights I do watch are the people on top of the game. I take a bit from them and implement it in my game, try to make my game better.

Anson Wainwright – You have a pretty neat party piece with your bicep. Can you tell us about this?

Devon Alexander – Haha well I don’t know, that’s something I’ve been doing since I started fighting. I guess it comes from push ups but it’s an un ordinary looking muscle. They said that looks like an egg or rock or something. It’s been since like that since I was young.

Anson Wainwright – Finally do you have a message for your fans?

Devon Alexander – To my fans thanks for my support, following me, sticking by me and 29 January your going to see “The Great” victorious and you going to see I am number 1 in this division.

Thanks for your time Devon, keep up the good work.

Anson Wainwright
15rounds.com

HBO Boxing: Ring Life – Devon Alexander

Ring Life takes an intimate look inside the life of Devon Alexander. Alexander vs. Bradley happens Sat., Jan. 29th at 10pm ET/7pm PT on HBO

http://www.youtube.com/hbosports#p/u/1/CCL0CWerL0Q

Remaining tickets, priced from $25-$400, can be purchased at the Silverdome box office, by calling (248) 338-2500 or online at www.silverdometickets.com

Midweek Musings – Happy Birthday to Muhammad Ali who turned 69 yesterday & Bernard Hopkins who was 46 on Saturday & Roy Jones Jnr who was 42 on Sunday…Looks like Nathan Cleverly will get his title chance against Jurgen Braehmer with the working date mooted to be 19 March…With Lamont Peterson having priced himself out of a fight with Amir Khan the new favorite to get the assignment is Northern Ireland’s Paul McCloskey, he’s a very capable fighter who could give Khan trouble, though it would obviously be a huge step up from European level where he currently operates…Last week Hennessy Promotions won the rights to promote Matthew Macklin-Darren Barker, which is one of the most anticipated British fights at the moment. Originally it looked like Barker may have a warm up in February now it appears he will go straight to the fight possible around April time.

If there are any fighters you would like to hear from you can contact me on elraincoat@live.co.uk

Much has been made about poor ticket sales for Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley versus Devon Alexander “The Great.” The venue, Silverdome – originally so named because of the glare off its white fiberglass roof – has been criticized. Along with its undefeated fighters. Along with the black community to which Bradley-Alexander should appeal on Jan. 29.

Is such criticism just? Perhaps. But if we’re going to make a fetish of removing prizefights from casino settings and putting them in spots with local interest, we owe it to “The Super Fight” and our sport to suspend judgment and attend the event.

I’ll be there even though getting there is a logistical mess. The fight is not in Detroit. It is in Pontiac, Mich., 35 miles due north.

That means renting a car at the airport. And no, there aren’t many direct flights from South Texas to DTW. There will also be the questions of where the hell the press conference and weigh-in happen. All that, of course, is before you consider the lunacy of traveling from 60-degree days to a spot between Lakes Erie and Huron, in January.

But I want to see Detroit. I want to see if it could possibly be as Charlie LeDuff described it a few months ago in Mother Jones.

“Today—75 years after the beavers disappeared from the Detroit River—‘Detroitism’ means something completely different,” wrote LeDuff. “It means uncertainty and abandonment and psychopathology.”

Psychopathology. In an American city? We like to think such things are kept below the border in abattoirs like Ciudad Juarez.

As always, then, this boxing trip is an excuse to see a city with fresh eyes. Preliminary emails with young locals provide some happy possibilities. They say Detroit is in the midst of a rebirth. It’s not even 40 miles from Ann Arbor, after all, and so many University of Michigan undergrads set loose on an urban center that is “rewilding” – having places abandoned so long they return to their natural state – might just give the place a social consciousness, along with a conscience.

Well, why not? When they graduate, those kids aren’t finding jobs anyway.

But I’m also going to “The Super Fight” to support two undefeated titlists and make a challenge to the community that shaped them.

Timothy Bradley is the favorite among knowledgeable boxing folks – people who actually skip rope and hit heavy bags and know how easily hand-speed can be neutralized when it’s set atop a shaky foundation. Bradley’s style is a relentless one. He is a volume guy, the most exciting kind of fighter. And his matchmaking approach has undergone a recent and refreshing revision.

The year 2010 was about staying undefeated, he said last week on a promotional conference call. This year, conversely, is about making the best fights.

“My biggest goal in boxing is just to be remembered,” Bradley said. “I don’t want to be forgotten about.”

You hear that? It’s the sound of a smart young fighter reviewing the “Money May” bio and deciding it’s a cautionary tale, not an epic. The Bradley-Alexander conference call in some ways felt as though it were marking a reevaluation of Floyd Mayweather’s self-indulgent template. Like a realization that Mayweather’s money will be gone soon enough, but may still outlive his legacy.

A number of folks are now able to see the day when a 30 for 30-type documentary will be made about “The Greatest Fight that Never Was.” On the A-side will be President of the Philippines Many Pacquiao addressing a roiling crowd of one million countrymen. On the B-side, meanwhile, Mayweather will be in a poorly lit gym, working the hand pads with a Golden Gloves runner-up and saying, “Everyone knows I’d a beat ‘Pooch-iao’.”

Devon Alexander does not have Bradley’s loquaciousness, but he has a quiet confidence that is appealing. And he has something else Bradley does not seem to have yet: An ability to sell tickets. Some of that is his promoter. Even in a grieving state, Don King is a master ticket-seller. But some of that, too, is Alexander’s admirable calmness.

Until last week’s call, I’d not given him much of a chance against Bradley. He looked most vulnerable in August against Andriy Kotelnik. His trainer is a loud motivator who seems never to have noticed how alarmingly his charge’s guard strays while jabbing.

But something about Alexander’s demeanor made me rethink things. He was happy to let Bradley play emcee. He knew Bradley was better at talking, and so he let him talk. He seemed eerily comfortable in his role, offering little more than variations on a “now is my time” theme. Alexander might just have the perfect temperament to foil a Desert Storm.

Which leaves us with a challenge of sorts for the black community that shaped Bradley and Alexander. On last week’s conference call, both men slipped a question about what their match – two undefeated African-Americans fighting just north of a city that is 83 percent black – might mean to their community. Bradley said it was a great fight for Americans, not just African-Americans. Alexander said it was a throwback event.

“This is a fight like the old days,” he said. “The greats wanted to fight the best.”

Why would they slip such a question? Maybe because they’re afraid their people won’t show up. Boxing insiders use words like “invisible” when describing the black community and live gates; they may rally round a pay-per-view event every few years, but don’t expect them to fill an arena.

Well, this is a chance to surprise some folks – like they do at Alexander’s fights in St. Louis. This is a chance for Don King to work a crowd as only he knows how. This is a chance to roar a bit and prove to the country Detroit has more to offer than psychopathology.

A few of us will be there to report it, do believe. As it is. However it turns out.

Bart Barry can be reached at bbarry@15rounds.com.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the January 29 showdown between Jr. Welterweight beltholders, Devon Alexander and Tomothy Bradley will take place at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan.

“We’re going to the Silverdome, [outside of] Detroit. It’s done,” Said Gary Shaw who promotes Bradley.

“The two finalists were Atlanta and Detroit and at the end of the day, we felt Detroit was the best place to the put the fight. Detroit is a great fight town and has a rich fight history,” Shaw said of the city that produced several boxing stars, including Thomas Hearns. “We’re excited to go there and give them a great fight with these two great young fighters. HBO has promised to put a lot of muscle behind this fight.”

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, talks have re-heated for a proposed January showdown between 140 lb titlists Timothy Bradley and Devon Alexander.

Alexander has already agreed to the January 29 fight as well as a proposed rematch in the late spring.

Bradley was balking that he would have to sign a contract extension with his promoter Gary Shaw.

However, Bradley and his managers, Cameron Dunkin and Michael Miller, have not been able to come to terms with Shaw.

The issue has been Shaw’s demand that Bradley agree to an extension of their promotional contract beyond its May 10 expiration as part of the deal to get the fight with Alexander, which Bradley and his team rejected.

However, the breakthrough came Friday, when the managers said Shaw offered Bradley a two-fight deal — the Alexander fight plus an automatic rematch, win or lose — and agreed to end his demand for a contract extension.

“HBO is willing to do both fights and so are we, as long as the rematch takes place by May,” Miller said. “But we’d give them until June 4.”

“We talked to Tim and he’s interested in the deal, but he wants to talk it over with is wife,” Miller said. “He thinks the money is still short, but he wants the fight. He’s supposed to get back to us Monday.”

“I won’t tell my fighter to sign a long-term agreement before he listens to other offers,” Dunkin said. “But this is going to be Timmy’s call on what he wants to do. He’ll tell us what he wants to do and we’ll go from there.”

Here’s how I’d planned it. Timothy Bradley might be my favorite American prizefighter and so why not write a column mimicking his style with relentless sentences words upon accurate words and rare combinations with no punctuation or pause? For Luis Carlos Abregu: Small words, lots of breaks, some heft. The conclusion seeing Bradley’s varied run-on sentences overwhelm Abregu’s short phrases by the 12th paragraph.

Then reality intervened. The fight didn’t correspond to expectations. Let’s explore why not.

Saturday, Bradley, the man widely recognized as the world’s best junior welterweight, made an ill-advised welterweight fight with Argentina’s Luis Carlos Abregu at Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Bradley decisioned Abregu by scores of 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112. The match marked Bradley’s debut on HBO.

That seems like part of the problem. After five intriguing, 140-pound matches on Showtime – an upset of titlist Junior Witter followed by victories over Edner Cherry, Kendall Holt, Nate Campbell (later declared a no contest), and Lamont Peterson – Bradley arrived at HBO and made a dull fight. Until Saturday, Bradley, a forward-pressing volume puncher whose offense can double as defense, seemed incapable of a dull fight.

Recently I read “Only the Ring Was Square” by Teddy Brenner, Madison Square Garden’s longtime matchmaker. His responsibilities were several. He always had to fill the Garden. And he often had to satisfy whichever television network broadcasted from the Garden. He was obligated not to managers or fighters but fans and viewers. That book raised some questions of particular relevance Saturday.

Does HBO have an in-house matchmaker? If so, where is he? If not, why not?

Matchmaker or no, why did HBO let Bradley fight Saturday at welterweight? The network has feinted at the possibility of a junior-welterweight tournament similar to Showtime’s acclaimed “Super Six.” HBO has now showcased all five of the hypothetical tournament’s four participants – Bradley, Devon Alexander, Amir Khan, Marcos Maidana and Victor Ortiz (alternate). And yet, there was Bradley at welterweight, Saturday.

Bradley’s people want their guy in the Plan B sweepstakes. They’d love for Bradley to fight either Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather this fall, since those two won’t fight each other. A fight with either guy would bring Bradley, and his handlers, a windfall. And it would have to happen at 147 pounds.

Let’s go on the record right here: It’s a bad idea.

Pacquiao’s next opponent will be a Top Rank fighter. This is not news. That leaves Mayweather. This is not good news.

Here’s the calculus. Bradley was unable to hurt Abregu more than twice in 12 rounds. Shane Mosley would not have needed five rounds to stop Abregu. In 12 chances, Mosley did not win three rounds against Mayweather. There’s no chance Bradley, right now, gives Mayweather a competitive match at welterweight. No chance at all.

Did Bradley look slow and tentative enough Saturday to leapfrog to the top of “Money May’s” prospective-opponents list? Quite possibly, and quite unfortunately.

Gone was Bradley’s frantic pressure. Gone was his quickness. Gone was his fearlessness. In their stead was a talented boxer who’d seen more complicated styles than Abregu’s and who determined he was safer outside it than in.

After the fight, Bradley said Kendall Holt hit harder than Abregu. Bradley didn’t fight that way. In the fight’s fourth minute, Bradley saw Abregu’s one enormous flaw, but he did little to exploit it in the 32 minutes that followed. That flaw was Abregu’s left hand. The Argentine brought his jab back lazy and low. Bradley stepped into him with a fantastic right cross in round 2 and then left things alone after that.

Abregu cocked punches from his own waistband and returned his hands there. The times Bradley committed to precise combinations from inside, he found Abregu. The rest of the time, Bradley either stayed outside and threw fewer punches or got in manic exchanges with Abregu and tasted enough power to back off.

Blame the weight. The additional seven pounds on Bradley rendered him slower, less confident in his own quickness. The additional seven pounds on Bradley’s opponent meant even deflected punches hurt Bradley more than square shots did at junior welterweight.

The fight comprised no drama. There was no building narrative or set of basic questions for the fighters to answer. At best there was the suspense of wondering if Bradley might get sloppy and give Abregu a chance at one leveling blow. That doesn’t read like a suspenseful foundation because it wasn’t.

Which returns us to the question of why this fight happened. If we’re going to suspend disbelief and say no one wants to fight Bradley at 140 pounds, we’re still left with a question of why Bradley’s debut at welterweight was with a guy who barely cracks the Top 30. Here’s a theory, in retrospect: Timothy Bradley is only a Top 20 welterweight.

That might be the best development yet for the Bradley brand. He’s a good name opponent – a legitimate champion till proven otherwise at junior welterweight – for a 147-pounder with an aversion to risk. Chances are good we’ll look back at last January as the month Mayweather-Pacquiao came closest to fruition. Even if Mayweather doesn’t fight again till 2011, he’s going to need an opponent next May. Bradley could triple his previous purses against Mayweather. Good for the Bradley brand. Terrible for the Bradley legacy.

If Bradley’s handlers care at all about legacy, they’ll send their guy back to 140 pounds and make the concessions that make HBO’s junior-welterweight tournament a reality – with their guy its favorite. Surely that’s why HBO televised Bradley, Saturday.

Then, all HBO would need is a plan and a matchmaker. Because a lackluster showing by Bradley at welterweight has to have been the craziest possible way to create demand for a junior-welterweight series.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter.com/bartbarry

Widely regarded as the best 140-pound fighter in the world, Timothy Bradley jumped into the Welterweight division with a twelve round unanimous decision over Luis Carlos Abregu in a batt;e of undefeated fighters at the Agua Caliente Hote and Resort in Palm Springs, California

In round one, Bradley suffered a cut over his right eye from an accidental headbutt. Bradley got things going in round two as landed a pair of flush rights on the chin. In round four, Abregu was cut over his right eye from a punch.

In round seven, Bradley bent down to throw a hook to the body but again clashed heads with Abregu and the fighter from Argentina slumped to one knee for just a moment. Sensing that his opponent was hurt, Bradley jumped all over Abregu by landing a furious combination. In round nine, Bradley upped the temp as he landed flush with a a pair of lefts and a good right. After a few rounds that was void of action, the two stood toe to toe which excited the near capacity crowd in the ballroom which saw their man coast to the victory by scores of 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112.

Bradley, 147 lbs of Palm Springs, CA is now 26-0. Abregu, 146 1/2 lbs of Argentina is now 29-1.

Alfredo Angulo continued his positive momentum as he scored a first round stoppage over former WBA Super Welterweight champion Joachim Alcine in a bout scheduled for twelve rounds.

Midway through the round Angulo and Alcine got tangled up which left Angulo’s right hand free. Angulo pounded on Alcine that got him hurt. Late in the round Angulo landed a left and a flush right hand that had Alcine out on his feet. Angulo landed three hard punched that was cluminated by a huge left hook and big right which forced referee Lou Moret to stop the bout just one second before the end of the opening frame.

Angulo, 153 1/2 lbs of Mexicali, Mexico is now 19-1 with sixteen knockouts. Alcine, 153 1/2 lbs of Montreal is now 32-2

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, WBA Interim Super Lightweight champion, Marcos Maidana injured his back and his June 19th bout with WBO champion, Timothy Bradley has been postponed.

“Maidana got hurt and the fight will be postponed for about a month,” said Bradley’s promoter Gary Shaw.

“They confirmed that Maidana hurt his back but that he still wants the fight, but that he’s needs roughly 20 days [off],” Shaw said. “They said he still wanted the fight, otherwise, I could have switched back to [Luis Carlos Abregu]. I will take them at their word that it’s Maidana’s back and that he still wants to fight Tim.”

“I’ve been on the phone with HBO but we need to work with HBO and Agua Caliente to find the right date that works,” Shaw said.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, a Jr. Welterweight shown between WBC champion Timothy Bradley and WBA Interimn champion Marcos Maidana is set for June 19th in the Agua Caliente resort in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

“It’s done,” said Gary Shaw, who promotes Bradley. “It’s a tremendous fight. It’s a great fight in a great division. Great for fans, who will definitely see an exciting fight, great for HBO, great for Gary Shaw, Golden Boy, Bradley, Maidana and boxing. It’s great for all of us.”

“He asked if I had a signed agreement from Abregu and when I said I didn’t, he said, ‘I have an idea. Would you fight Maidana?’ I said, ‘In a heartbeat.'” Shaw said. “We talked about it for a few days and when I spoke to Richard we were able to get it worked out and the fight got made.”

“We’re ready to go,” said Cameron Dunkin, Bradley’s manager. “It’s what Tim deserves and what he needs. The other kid [Maidana] deserves this too. It’s a great opportunity for both of them. Tim was so excited when I told him about it. He just went crazy. He sounded like a little kid. It makes you feel good when something like this gets done and your guy is happy.”