By GREG BEACHAM, AP Sports Writer
Timothy Bradley’s 140-pound WBC title belt will be at stake Saturday night in the high California desert. It just won’t be Bradley who’s fighting for it.
That’s because Bradley made the gutsy decision to give up his title so he could risk his unbeaten record against Nate Campbell, the motormouthed former lightweight champ, instead of defending the belt against Devon Alexander, his WBC-mandated challenger.
Alexander will fight Junior Witter for the WBC belt on the undercard at the Agua Caliente Casino, while Bradley (24-0, 11 KOs) will fight for his WBO belt— and the pride of knowing he took the biggest challenge available. A little extra money from Showtime doesn’t hurt, but Bradley already knows what he wants out of boxing.
“I want to fight the best fighters in the world. That’s it,” said Bradley, who beat Witter in Nottingham, England, last year to claim the belt.
Because Bradley put the sport before its politics, fight fans get the unexpected pleasure of a matchup between two hard-punching champions who otherwise might not have the motivation to meet each other.
“I couldn’t get fights,” said Campbell, who has fought just once since winning three lightweight titles last year with a stunning upset of Juan Diaz. “I had three of the four belts in the world, and I couldn’t get fights. Nobody was going to fight me for the simple reason they couldn’t take the chance.”
In his first fight in his native Palm Springs area, Bradley will risk his WBO belt against Campbell (33-5-1, 25 KOs), who knocked off Diaz in March 2008 in Cancun. Bradley was scheduled to fight Jose Luis Castillo on that same card in a Mexican bull ring, but Castillo couldn’t make weight, so Bradley instead became a surprised spectator.
“I lost money on that fight—five pesos,” said Bradley, who had bet his promoter that Diaz could come back to beat Campbell. “When I saw Nate put those hands on Juan, I was just like, ‘Wow, this dude is unbelievable.”’
Bradley frequently has fought close to home in Ontario, Calif., and he trains for every fight in the high elevations and stifling temperatures of Palm Springs. He’s still reveling in his first chance to headline at home in front of what he expects to be about 300 family members and friends.
“It’s pretty cool,” Bradley said. “I’ll be driving around in my car, walking around at WalMart, and people are coming up to me and saying, ‘Hello, how you doing, champ?’ A lot of people see the billboards, so that’s great.”
While Bradley looks forward to a homecoming, Campbell hopes to get his career rolling again. The 37-year-old power puncher lost out on a big payday last fall when Joan Guzman failed to make weight and refused to fight anyway, scrapping both fighters’ purses.
Campbell then lost his lightweight titles on the scales in February when he couldn’t make weight for a narrow majority decision victory over Ali Funeka. Realizing his 135-pound days were done, Campbell moved up to super lightweight and agreed to fight Bradley, who’s 12 years younger but not much less experienced than Campbell, who didn’t turn pro until shortly before his 28th birthday.
“I’m an angry guy every day,” Campbell said. “When I look back over my career over the last year or so, a lot of guys did me dirty. … I really don’t understand why fans worry about my age. I didn’t start boxing until I was Timmy’s age. I take care of my body. I don’t drink. I don’t smoke. I’ve always been an athlete, (and) fighters are fighting longer, and fighting better.”
Campbell has been a showman in the weeks leading up to the fight, gleefully taunting Bradley over the phone and at news conferences. He knows he’ll be the underdog in front of a sellout crowd in the desert, but the odds don’t bother him.
“Like Timmy said, he sat ringside (in Cancun) and he bet against me, so he knows I can explode at any moment,” Campbell said. “I’m the danger guy throughout. I can beat you up and get you out at all rounds, any round. I have nothing to prove to anybody in Palm Springs. They all think Timmy is going to win. I just have to go out and do my thing.”
Timothy Bradley’s 140-pound WBC title belt will be at stake Saturday night in the high California desert. It just won’t be Bradley who’s fighting for it.
That’s because Bradley made the gutsy decision to give up his title so he could risk his unbeaten record against Nate Campbell, the motormouthed former lightweight champ, instead of defending the belt against Devon Alexander, his WBC-mandated challenger.
Alexander will fight Junior Witter for the WBC belt on the undercard at the Agua Caliente Casino, while Bradley (24-0, 11 KOs) will fight for his WBO belt— and the pride of knowing he took the biggest challenge available. A little extra money from Showtime doesn’t hurt, but Bradley already knows what he wants out of boxing.“I want to fight the best fighters in the world. That’s it,” said Bradley, who beat Witter in Nottingham, England, last year to claim the belt.
Because Bradley put the sport before its politics, fight fans get the unexpected pleasure of a matchup between two hard-punching champions who otherwise might not have the motivation to meet each other.
“I couldn’t get fights,” said Campbell, who has fought just once since winning three lightweight titles last year with a stunning upset of Juan Diaz. “I had three of the four belts in the world, and I couldn’t get fights. Nobody was going to fight me for the simple reason they couldn’t take the chance.”
In his first fight in his native Palm Springs area, Bradley will risk his WBO belt against Campbell (33-5-1, 25 KOs), who knocked off Diaz in March 2008 in Cancun. Bradley was scheduled to fight Jose Luis Castillo on that same card in a Mexican bull ring, but Castillo couldn’t make weight, so Bradley instead became a surprised spectator.
“I lost money on that fight—five pesos,” said Bradley, who had bet his promoter that Diaz could come back to beat Campbell. “When I saw Nate put those hands on Juan, I was just like, ‘Wow, this dude is unbelievable.”’
Bradley frequently has fought close to home in Ontario, Calif., and he trains for every fight in the high elevations and stifling temperatures of Palm Springs. He’s still reveling in his first chance to headline at home in front of what he expects to be about 300 family members and friends.
“It’s pretty cool,” Bradley said. “I’ll be driving around in my car, walking around at WalMart, and people are coming up to me and saying, ‘Hello, how you doing, champ?’ A lot of people see the billboards, so that’s great.”
While Bradley looks forward to a homecoming, Campbell hopes to get his career rolling again. The 37-year-old power puncher lost out on a big payday last fall when Joan Guzman failed to make weight and refused to fight anyway, scrapping both fighters’ purses.
Campbell then lost his lightweight titles on the scales in February when he couldn’t make weight for a narrow majority decision victory over Ali Funeka. Realizing his 135-pound days were done, Campbell moved up to super lightweight and agreed to fight Bradley, who’s 12 years younger but not much less experienced than Campbell, who didn’t turn pro until shortly before his 28th birthday.
“I’m an angry guy every day,” Campbell said. “When I look back over my career over the last year or so, a lot of guys did me dirty. … I really don’t understand why fans worry about my age. I didn’t start boxing until I was Timmy’s age. I take care of my body. I don’t drink. I don’t smoke. I’ve always been an athlete, (and) fighters are fighting longer, and fighting better.”
Campbell has been a showman in the weeks leading up to the fight, gleefully taunting Bradley over the phone and at news conferences. He knows he’ll be the underdog in front of a sellout crowd in the desert, but the odds don’t bother him.
“Like Timmy said, he sat ringside (in Cancun) and he bet against me, so he knows I can explode at any moment,” Campbell said. “I’m the danger guy throughout. I can beat you up and get you out at all rounds, any round. I have nothing to prove to anybody in Palm Springs. They all think Timmy is going to win. I just have to go out and do my thing.”
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