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Former two division world champion Timothy Bradley has agreed to fight the rugged #10 ranked contender Diego Chaves on December 13th of this year.
First Career Loss
The fight marks Bradley’s return to the ring after suffering his first professional career loss at the hands of Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao last April 12th. Bradley previously defeated Pacquiao via a controversial split decision during their first encounter in 2012 but lost via scores of 118-110, 116-112 and 116-112 during their highly anticipated rematch.
On the other hand, Chaves is coming off a controversial fight, himself. The 28-year old Argentinian was disqualified in the ninth round of his scheduled 10 round bout against former lightweight champion Brandon Rios last August. Chaves and Rios fought in an ugly fight that was marred with warnings and point deductions. Before he was disqualified by referee Vic Drakulich, Chaves had been warned for throwing an elbow to Rios’ face then deducted two separate points for holding and a heabutt.
Dangerous Opponent
Bradley believes that there is more to Chaves than just a dirty fighter. He thinks that Chaves is a dangerous opponent who has what it takes to pull off an upset if he is not fully prepared.
The Argentine holds a professional record of 23-2 with 19 knockouts to his credit. Chaves’ only other loss came at the hands of rising star Keith Thurman. Chaves was a former WBO Latino welterweight champion and a former WBA interim welterweight champion before losing to Thurman via 10th round knockout in 2013. Bradley says that Chaves reminds him of Ruslan Provodnikov, the Russian brawler who fought Bradley in boxing’s 2013 Fight of The Year. Bradley lost the Provodnikov fight because he chose to brawl rather than box Provodnikov. Chaves he said will be no match against him once he uses his movement and speed.
Just the same, Bradley says that he is ready for any dirty tactic that his opponent will employ. He added that whoever the referee will be should take control of the fight once it starts getting dirty. Or else, Bradley joked that they might take off the gloves and fight MMA because he’s going to submit Chaves instead. The mention of MMA is in obvious reference to his regular sparring sessions with fellow Cathedral High School graduate and top UFC contender Cub Swanson.
Getting Ready to Rumble
During the loss to Pacquiao, Bradley severely tore his calf causing him to be out of action for months. But that injury has healed and Bradley’s started training more than a month ago. During Monday’s press conference, Bradley was in a light mood and seemed to be more at peace with himself than the last two years when he had to deal with the Pacquiao controversy. Bradley’s wife Monica also said that her husband is “in a better frame of mind” right now despite losing to Pacquiao last April.
Bradley feels that he is now finally getting the credit for his achievements and that he has moved past the first fight with Pacquiao. He hopes to bounce back to the winning column with a convincing win over Diego Chaves on December 13. After that, Bradley is planning to move up two weight classes to face the winner of the Cotto-Alvarez bout, should that fight materialize in 2015.
