This past Saturday night a rarity in boxing that has not occurred in more than 25 years took place. Timothy Bradley and Devon Alexander, both undefeated jr. welterweight champions, fought in a title unification bout (even though The Ring championship is still collecting dust on the shelf). Both fighters are young, Bradley 27 and Alexander 23, both are willing to trade, both were undefeated, and both were champions. The hype surrounding this fight was at times hyperbolic and at times just what boxing needed. The fight as it turned out, was not what boxing needed.
This being the first big fight of 2011 I was actually looking forward to this bout with slight apprehension. I have seen at least 3 fights from each boxer and prior to Alexander's fight with Juan Urango I was able to sneak a peak into one of his training sessions. The first thing I noticed about Alexander was how hard he was ripping the heavy bag with tight looking uppercuts. At the time I had no idea what I was looking at but if you don't know what happened in that fight...well, just watch this. Bradley on the other hand is well known to be a pressure fighter with pillows on the end of his arms. This isn't a knock against Bradley but his last KO of an opponent was back in 2007. Nevertheless Bradley's skill and unreal work ethic have carried him to the top of a loaded division. To be considered the best in a division with Alexander, Khan, Judah and Maidana does not come easy. Below are my scores and comments.
