Timothy Bradley – In Search Of a Belt and Respect, Not Necessarily In That Order The Glassjaw Chronicles Thomas Gerbasi (May 8, 2008) Send this page to friend Give us your feedback Joel Diaz knows a little something about being the odd man out while fighting in hostile territory. He’s been there when his brother Antonio traveled to Connecticut to fight Micky Ward and New York to take on Shane Mosley. He saw his other brother Julio go to the Big Apple to face Justo Sencion and to Florida to fight Ricky Quiles, and he’s even been in the position of challenger on foreign turf himself when he fought Philip Holiday for the IBF lightweight crown in 1996. So when Diaz, Timothy Bradley’s head trainer, talks about the things his fighter will likely face in England this week when he challenges for Junior Witter’s WBC junior welterweight crown, the young man dubbed ‘Desert Storm’ listens. “He told me that when I get over here I’m not gonna get any respect, that I’m not gonna get any love from the fans, that people are gonna say things to try to get under my skin, and that everything’s gonna go wrong,” recalled Bradley of his trainer’s advice. “But he said all you do is just laugh. You let it go and just brush it off. You’re the challenger. You’re not anything yet until you beat the champion.” It’s good advice, counsel that was almost prophetic when Bradley and his team arrived in the UK on Sunday and were notified that their hotel room wasn’t ready yet and wouldn’t be for a few hours, but that’s been the extent of the drama thus far. “Everybody has been nice and made sure we were comfortable,” said Bradley, who has thankfully engaged in a trash-talk free lead-up to the fight with the talented and underrated Witter (36-1-2, 21 KOs), for whom this Showtime-televised bout may be even more important in terms of making a splash in the all-important US market that has shunned him since a losing effort against Zab Judah in 2000. Since that bout, which the then 15-0-2 Witter lost via decision, the Bradford native has gone on a 21 fight winning streak that includes wins over Lovemore N’dou, DeMarcus Corley, and most recently, Vivian Harris. Bradley is well aware of the champion’s post-Judah career, a run of success which the Californian believes was inspired by his career low point. “He (Witter) is in prime-time shape, he’s a world champion and after the Zab Judah fight, he learned a lot,” said Bradley, a self-professed student of the game. “He went back, got hungry and knew he could hang with the best out there. I think the Judah fight gave him confidence because he was able to hang with Zab in his prime and not get knocked out. I think he’s at the peak of his career right now, he’s a great champion, and I know that he’s definitely gonna try to come in and dominate me.” For some that would be a daunting proposition, especially since the post-Judah version of Witter has shown impressive power to the tune of 17 knockouts in his last 21 wins. But the 24-year old Bradley, who only has 21 wins total (11 KOs) in an almost four year career fought entirely in California, has almost a giddy excitement before the biggest fight of his career. “I’m just really anxious to get in the ring,” said Bradley on Tuesday afternoon. “I’ve been training really hard and I’m just ready to go in the ring and give him hell.” Is he ready for a fighter as experienced as Witter though? Some pundits and fans don’t think so, and they point to his all-California career and the lack of big name opposition on his record. But look a little deeper, and while it’s clear that Bradley hasn’t fought elite level competition yet, he has been brought along at a steady pace, with his class of opponent increasing from the tail end of 2006 to his most recent win over unbeaten Miguel Vazquez last July. The question asked of Bradley should be - has he been tested enough in fights where he is barely losing rounds? “Definitely,” he responds, running off a litany of his opposition and the different looks and difficulties they’ve presented. “I’ve had guys that have come straightforward at me, strong Mexican fighters, I’ve fought skillful opponents like (Manuel) Garnica, guys like Camarena, who’s a lefty. I fought awkward opponents like Jaime Rangel and hard punchers like Nasser Athumani. So I’ve had a variety of opponents and I’m definitely ready for the big stage. I’m anxious to show the world that I’m one of the best junior welterweights out there and that I can hang with anybody.” That puts Bradley in an interesting spot in terms of people trying to decipher just how good he is entering the Witter fight. On one hand, you can say that he hasn’t fought someone on Witter’s level, so maybe he’s not ready for a championship fight. On the other, he has barely been touched in putting together a 21-0 record against decent opposition, so maybe he’s outgrown that stage and is ready for this type of challenge. It’s one many thought he would get in March when he was scheduled to take on former world champion Jose Luis Castillo in a title elimination bout, but Castillo - as has been his habit in recent years – couldn’t make weight for the bout, leaving Bradley at the scale without a fight. “It was definitely unprofessional on his part,” said the Palm Springs native of Castillo. “I was very professional, I was ready to go, I trained extensively for almost ten weeks for the fight, I was down in weight, I was feeling great, and I was ready to test myself against the old racehorse. I definitely felt bad for boxing because a lot of people wanted to see me fight someone that could punch and be in my face the whole time so they could see what I could do. I was really disappointed to not have that opportunity to show the world and to prove to myself that I’m one of the best junior welterweights out there and that I can hang with anybody. The good thing is that (WBC President) Jose Sulaiman granted me the spot to fight for the title and that’s exactly what I came here for, so it all worked out.” As for the question of whether he’s ready or not… “It’s time to step up in class and fight for a world championship,” said Bradley, making it clear where he stands on the issue. “I’m blowing these guys out of the water and I’m ready for that elite level step. I definitely have a big challenge ahead of me, but I’m looking forward to it. It’s gonna be a real tough fight for me, but I’m going all out on this one, and I’m giving it all I can give to win this fight.” Give Bradley credit. He’s an amateur star who wasn’t given the breaks a lot of fighters with a couple of national titles are given, and he had to make his bones on the California circuit as a boxer fighting aggressive local heroes almost every time out. In other words, he’s probably a lot more battle-tested than many would give him credit for, and with his amateur travels taking him to fight in the UK before, Saturday’s bout at the Nottingham Arena may not be a recipe for disaster, but - win or lose - a coming out party for a new 140-pound star who has every intention of coming home with a world title belt in his luggage. “I want to be recognized and I definitely want to be respected,” said Bradley, “and I think after this fight, people will look at me differently.” Now available, Thomas Gerbasi’s latest boxing compilation: Fightin’ to Writin’ – More Ring Ramblings. For more information, click here http://www.amazon.com/Fightin-Writin-More-Ring-Ramblings/dp/0595486665/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF 8&s=books&qid=1202272469&sr=8-12 Discuss this Topic - Go to the forums E-Mail Thomas Gerbasi at tgerbasi@mindspring.com or visit www.myspace.com/gerbasi