Timothy Bradley Interview: On Luis Carlos Abregu, Floyd Mayweather, Devon Alexander, Amir Khan, Teddy Atlas and much More!

Timothy Bradley Interview: On Luis Carlos Abregu, Floyd Mayweather, Devon Alexander, Amir Khan, Teddy Atlas and much More!

By David Tyler, DoghouseBoxing (July 13, 2010)

Tim Bradley has fought his way to the top of the Light Welterweight division. Will he be the fighter to replace Floyd Mayweather Jr. as the best in the business? Next Saturday he will take another giant step toward that goal when he fights undefeated Luis Carlos Abregu on HBO.

David Tyler - Tim or Timothy?

Timothy Bradley - Either one is fine with me.

DT - Tim would you please tell the readers how you got started in boxing?

TB - When I was younger I would always get in fights at school. I don't know if I was just an angry kid or the school bully. Eventually a friend of mine said that since you like to fight so much why don't you come down and join our boxing club. I was about ten years old and I begged my Dad to give me a chance in boxing and once he did, I immediately feel in love with the sport.

DT - Tim let's move to the fight July 17th on HBO against the undefeated Luis Carlos Abregu. The only advantage I see that Abregu has against you is that he is the taller fighter. How do you plan to counter this advantage?

TB - By bringing him down to my level with constant body shots. I will be working on the body all night long.

DT - Do you feel that Abregu has the power to hurt you?

TB - He has a lot of knockouts at 140 lbs. so yes I am very aware that he has power and will try to use that against me so I will be prepared with my skills to counter his power.

DT - Some fighters do not watch tapes of their opponents and leave that up to the trainer. Have you studied any film of Abregu?

TB - Yes, I do watch all available fights that my opponents have had previously. So I have watched a lot of Abregu's prior fights.

DT - What has he done so far that has impressed you?

TB - I have been impressed with his offense and that would be a straight right and a right uppercut.

DT - Tim I recently interviewed Teddy Atlas and we both came to agreement that the best fighters in the sport are the Light Welterweights. With all due respect to the best fighter in the sport, Floyd Mayweather Jr., do you agree that this is the most talented division?

TB - Certainly, there are some very tough fighters at 140 pounds and I have already fought some of them and of course there will be many others such as Devon Alexander, Amir Khan, and Marcos Maidana.

DT - How would you feel about a Light Welterweight tournament similar to the Super Middleweight tournament?

TB - I would consider a tournament but I would prefer to fight each one of those guys, one by one.

DT - You have had fights scheduled against Maidana and Alexander. We know that the Maidana fight did not happen because of a back injury that he suffered in training. What happened with the negotiations for the Alexander fight?

TB - Boxing is a business and at the time when we weighed the risk/ reward factors it just wasn't worth taking a fight against a top opponent unless I got paid for taking the risk. In other words the reward did not outweigh the risks. That is the business side of the sport. We actually felt that fighting Nate Campbell would be a bigger risk but the money was there. Like I said before, I feel that I will eventually fight all the top contenders including Alexander.

DT - Tim, all experts are in agreement that Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the best fighter in boxing at the present time. Floyd is 33 and you and your colleagues at Junior Welterweight are much younger and lack his experience. Do you feel that you might have a chance to fight Mayweather in the near future?

TB - No doubt Mayweather is the best now. I am not afraid to fight him but first I would like to beat everyone at 140 pounds and move up to 147 pounds maybe some will make it to 154 pounds. The current Light Welterweights just might be the future stars in boxing and one of us will eventually replace Mayweather as the best in boxing. As for me fighting Mayweather, we will have to see where he is with his career when the time comes. Just like me, I am sure that Mayweather would like to finish his career with an undefeated record.

DT - So you also view the current Light Welterweights as the next generation of super stars in this sport?

TB - Absolutely, to me this group of fighters present a situation very similar to the 80's and 90's when you had Hagler, Leonard, Hearns, Duran and other great fighters who fought each other often because they were the best at that time.

DT - Is it your goal to capture all the Light Welterweight belts and then move up in weight?

TB - Not necessarily. I will probably fight Devon next and then Maidana and then Amir Khan and continue on with the best fighters whether they are at 140 or 147 pounds. I have a tough road ahead but I will only get better by fighting the best in this sport at my weight.

DT - Teddy Atlas said you were his favorite fighter because there was no "bad" associated with Tim Bradley. He said you had a lot of character and carried yourself well as a professional. Is that the true Timothy Bradley?

TB - Absolutely, my character and reputation mean everything to me. Just because someone is a boxer doesn't mean he gives up being a good person. I want people to know me as a good person first and a boxer second. This is how my Mother and Father raised me to respect everyone and work hard and these ethics are exactly what I will teach my children. I been through some rough times just to get where I am right now and I strongly believe that it is because of my parents influence that if you work hard and treat people with respect, your time will come. I am very fortunate to have this kind of foundation. My family is my support group and I thank God to be so fortunate.

DT - Last question.....next Saturday, a knockout or decision win for Tim Bradley?

TB - I will take it as it comes. I have a lot of skills and I will have to use them all to beat a guy like Abregu who is also undefeated. I am sure that he wants to remain undefeated just like I want the same. That makes me train harder and study his fights for weaknesses because I know he will come to fight. I will be trying my best starting from round one.

DT - Tim, like Teddy Atlas, I believe that you have the skills and the foundation to go a long way in this sport. Good luck in your fight with Abregu and may God bless you in all your future endeavors.

TB - Sir, Thank you very much and may God bless you also.

Readers: You certainly don't want to miss the Bradley/ Abregu fight this Saturday on HBO. The Light Welterweight division is the future of boxing and Tim just might be the best of the best.

David Tyler.

***David Tyler replies to all his e-mails and loves to hear from the readers. Comments, Questions, Suggestions, E-mail David now at: dtyler53@cox.net