Is Timothy Bradley really backing out of Khan fight???

as the title say, is Tm Bradley pulling out of this unification fight?

Surely he must required by his governing bosy to fight Khan? personally if they do not fight I think it will be more down to Khans outragious demands, 70/30 splits, ring size ect......

Personally I think Bradley would win by TKO anyway so why back out, if Khan wants to be greedy tell the world of his demands and leave it there. that will show that it is Khan who is makoing this fight impossible.

Khan knows this will be his hardest fight to date so wnats to (rightly) make alot of money but how can he expect his opponent (also world champion) who is fighting "at home" to take a lower pay cheque?

Typical Khan......

Olefaithful wrote:Surely he must required by his governing bosy [sic] to fight Khan?

No, champions don't become mandatories.

I had a feeling that this fight wouldn't come off.

Thoughts on Khans possible opponants?

Rematch with McCloskey?

hope not, Prescott, it has to be Prescott....

Zab. Might as well get anothter strap, and then challenge Bradley for a true 4 belt unification later on in the year.

Khan is well past Prescott now.

Apparently Bradley has one fight left on his contract (or til June for it to expire) and will make a set amount for it. He wants to wait til it expires so he can double or triple his money in a fight against Khan.

They should set up a double header for July, Khan - Judah and Bradley - Maidana, then the winners can fight in November / December.

good info wow_junky, that makes better sense than "bottling" it as Khan is stating!

The reason for Bradley not fighting Khan has been mentioned here and other places many times. He has a $1.2m guarantee to fight his next fight on HBO against any opponent that they deem 'acceptable'. So with Khan offering him $1.3m, then Timmah is bound to take both fights and therefore get two guaranteed big paydays.

This has nothing to do with him 'ducking' Khan (and I think it's been a cheap shot for Khan, who obviously understands this situation, to claim this). Both want the fight, that's clear. Providing both win in the meantime, it'll take place not this one but the next one.

If I were Khan I'd fight Judah. This is a tough fight, but I think Khan's reputation would be shot to pieces if he were to take another 'tune up' after the flat performance vs McCloskey. It's a fight Khan can win and it will lift his stock if he does so,

Bradley should fight a decent (but not abolutely top tier) LWW or WW. If both win they should get it on in late 2011/early 2012 to see who's the undisputed LWW king.

was Khan really demanding 70/30? i find that outrageous as well considering Bradley's the man at 140, easily the best in the world he's beat Witter, Holt, Alexander all former world title holders (all world title holders at the time), Bradley would destroy him, also Tim holds 2 titles

I would stay well clear of Zab if I were Khan. That man is capable of beating anyone when switched on.

Steven_89 wrote:was Khan really demanding 70/30? i find that outrageous as well considering Bradley's the man at 140, easily the best in the world he's beat Witter, Holt, Alexander all former world title holders (all world title holders at the time), Bradley would destroy him, also Tim holds 2 titles

Its he who brings most cash to the table that commands the bigger fees. Tim cant draw flies.

As far as i understand he can get $1.3m for fighting a mandatory from HBO.....

I'm pretty sure everyone here would do the same.

Pretty sure they'll meet later in the year

azania wrote:

Steven_89 wrote:was Khan really demanding 70/30? i find that outrageous as well considering Bradley's the man at 140, easily the best in the world he's beat Witter, Holt, Alexander all former world title holders (all world title holders at the time), Bradley would destroy him, also Tim holds 2 titles

Its he who brings most cash to the table that commands the bigger fees. Tim cant draw flies.

Very true. Tim isnt a big draw at all. Could have been if he dismantled Alexander, but that fights was pants. On the same level as Manny vs Shane.

Bradley is still the real champion though in my view.

i agree, fight trhe last fight with HBO then broker you own deal directly with the Khans, oh, maybe not. I'd rather stick pins in my eyes than negotiate with Daddy Khan and the other Khan numpties...

Scottrf wrote:Bradley is still the real champion though in my view.

That is true but also irrelevant.

Steven_89 wrote:was Khan really demanding 70/30?

I haven't heard this 'fact' anywhere but here. The impression that I'm under is that Bradley has been offered $1.3m for the fight. I think that's about as much as he can expect given that he has no name recognition, no fans, and his last big fight was a stinker (despite the fact that he's 2-belt champion). Perhaps if he were to beat someone like Maidana and Khan to beat Judah then a far bigger fight could be built - that's probably what he and his promoters have got in mind.

Not sure it's about Khan low-balling him (although there probably is an element of that because Team Khan are building a rep for being miserly in negotiations). I think it's just a case of the Khan fight can't quite produce the money that Bradley thinks he deserves at this stage. Better for Bradley to take his $1.2m guarantee. I'll revise my earlier statement in which I said that Bradley should fight a good but 2nd tier LWW or WW. I was thinking in terms of low risk to guaranteed reward. Instead he probably should fight someone like Maidana. A win over someone like that would probably build his name recognition to a point where, coupled with a Khan victory over Judah, this fight could be huge.

ps I hope Khan avoid Guererro - I think he loses that fight - too classy an operator for Khan imo

Not really. Haye makes more money than Wlad and only got 50%. You have to bring credibility to the bout too.

Dazstarr wrote:

azania wrote:

Steven_89 wrote:was Khan really demanding 70/30? i find that outrageous as well considering Bradley's the man at 140, easily the best in the world he's beat Witter, Holt, Alexander all former world title holders (all world title holders at the time), Bradley would destroy him, also Tim holds 2 titles

Its he who brings most cash to the table that commands the bigger fees. Tim cant draw flies.

Very true. Tim isnt a big draw at all. Could have been if he dismantled Alexander, but that fights was pants. On the same level as Manny vs Shane.

The Pac vs Mosley fight was bad but the Bradley vs Alexander fight was whole new level in bad!

Both should have had part of their purse taken for that farce.

The US boxing people were fuming as it was meant to be the first big fight of 2011 with a unification fight in a top division between 2 unbeaten Americans with HBO committing to it and they completely stunk the place out.

The winner should have been turned into a star.

Awful fight the whole way through and then topped off with Alexander quitting.

Scottrf wrote:Not really. Haye makes more money than Wlad and only got 50%. You have to bring credibility to the bout too.

But the earning gap between Haye and Wlad isn't huge (from what I read). And it's universally accepted that Wlad is the man at HW, with Haye essentially being a challenger. Khan and Bradley are a lot closer in terms of rep and achievements. Most have Bradley in front, but Khan would be a close second in terms of credibility. But, in this case Khan is clearly the bigger draw.

Scottrf wrote:Not really. Haye makes more money than Wlad and only got 50%. You have to bring credibility to the bout too.

Wlad comands huge TV and audiences in his fights. Cant say the same for Tim. That's the difference imo. Plus Wlad is the more credible champ I believe.

@ Valero

I was massively disappointed with it. Alexander screaming like a girl and then quitting. It couldnt have got any worse.

It also exposed Alexander as slightly over rated - I still think Kotelnik won that fight (just).

Scottrf wrote:Not really. Haye makes more money than Wlad and only got 50%. You have to bring credibility to the bout too.

Thats only because of Sky Box Office though and the Klitschkos being on regular tv. He doesnt have remotely a big fanbase overall. If Sky pull the plug on him he loses all financial power.

Part of the reason I think this fight is happening now is because Sky toughened up on Haye and he had exhausted their patience. The Valuev and especially Harrison fight were dreadful spectacles that significantly disappointed the casual fan. I think Sky basically told him to serve up the big fight or risk being downgraded because after the Harrison fight I couldnt have seen the general public or Sky getting behind a Chagaev fight for instance.

Alot of Hayes support and backing has come from the idea that he would eventually deliver the big fights with the Klitschkos and the longer he went without delivering I think the more the public and Sky began losing confidence in him.

Khan sold, what, 60k PPVs against McCloskey, not like he's printing money whether he fights Bradley or not. If Bradley is getting $1.3m their earning potential isn't that far apart. When you consider Bradley just unified and Khan just alienated the biggest TV company in his home country, can't see Khan getting a big deal more.

Bradley is an exciting fighter so i dont know why he supposedly cant draw flies, his speed is unbelievable, throws lots of punches and is often tagged which adds to his exciting style. Khan for me was utter arrogant after the McCloskey fight and would be destroyed by the American if they fight, Bradley would be too seasoned and clever for him, i've heard all this the Alexander fight was boring, etc, who won? Bradley didnt he, against a genuine world class light welterweight who destroyed Witter, Urango, and will come again to lift a world title imo, Bradley is the better fighter of the two and doesnt need Khan anyway, he wasnt the guy who stunk the joint out and was baffled by an unproven southpaw last time out. He had a below par fight with another world champ and unified the titles, end of.

Steven_89 wrote:Bradley is the better fighter of the two and doesnt need Khan anyway, he wasnt the guy who stunk the joint out and was baffled by an unproven southpaw last time out. He had a below par fight with another world champ and unified the titles, end of.

It's hardly the 'end of'. Despite you thinking Bradley is great (yes I agree he's a good fighter) the fact is that he doesn't draw big crowds and that his only big televised fight was one of the worst title fights in years. When it comes to negotiating payment for fights, Bradley is not in a great position. He doesn't draw many fans (that's the 'end of' - for now).

Scott, you're probably right about Khan. He's hardly a huge draw. It's probably just an impression I have in my head of Khan being a former sky goldenboy and ppv fighter.

I think we can leave this debate at:

- Bradley is not ducking Khan and is just making a sensible financial decision
- Both want the fight
- The fight will probably be bigger (at least closer to the level that a pick 'em unification fight deserves) if Khan and Bradley beat decent opponents in the meantime.
- Khan is taking a bit of a cheap shot calling Bradley a 'ducker', he must understand full well Bradley's position
- When it comes to negotiations neither of the fighters are so significantly above each other in terms of drawing power or championship rep/credibility to be able to low-ball the other (although Khan will probably try). Hopefully a build up of interest will increase the overall revenue for the fight and make both sides a bit happier when it comes to negotiating time in the future.

Bradley is in desperate need of khan, because there isn't really another option at or around that weight that will put him on the map, save Floyd and Manny.

The same could be said of Khan with Bradley. Both need each other to get the unification fight. Meanwhile there are other fights out there. I'd be into watching any combination of Khan, Bradley, Maidana, Alexander, Judah, Matthyse, Guererro

Just a pity if the fight does not happen fairly soon. I rate Bradley and Khan has improved but neither fighter looks unbeatable and with Bradley already having tested the water at welter could be a case that that is where he feels his long term future is, particularly if Manny or Floyd start waving cheques under his nose.

Am always a bit worried when a fight is a natural and it is put on the backburner, there are too many factors that can derail it and for me makes sense to strike whilst the iron is hot.

The same could be said of Khan with Bradley. Both need each other to get the unification fight. Meanwhile there are other fights out there. I'd be into watching any combination of Khan, Bradley, Maidana, Alexander, Judah, Matthyse, Guererro
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Bradley's unified the titles twice, with Holt and Alexander, two very dangerous and good fighters, he dont need another unification, if i was Bradley's manager and offered anything below 50/50 i'd urge Tim to move on.

Steven_89 wrote:Bradley's unified the titles twice, with Holt and Alexander, two very dangerous and good fighters, he dont need another unification, if i was Bradley's manager and offered anything below 50/50 i'd urge Tim to move on.

He may be considered to be the top guy at LWW by most, but he's hardly undisputed champion. Khan won his belt from tough (and underrated) customer Kotelnik and defended against a feared fighter in Maidana. He has a claim to being top dog (fair enough it's not as strong, but it's still a legitimite claim). I agree that Bradley shouldn't let himself be lowballed by Khan, but I definitely don't think he has such supremacy in the division that he can dictate terms to others (particulalrly given his inability to draw a crowd). He may have to take a bit less than he's probably due until he can match his abilities with a decent crowd. So Bradley doesn't 'need' Khan per se. But he does need one or two big wins with top guys in order for crowds to take notice. If he wins well on HBO, that should do the trick. Khan would be prime target for a big fight, but there are others that I have mentioned - Judah for example would be a great fight for him to win.

Bradley ducked out of the fight Khan offered him 1.5 mil too take it which is a decent offer.

On the regards on who Khan now fights next theres been rumours about him possibly fighting Zab Judah.

I definitely don't think he has such supremacy in the division that he can dictate terms to others (particulalrly given his inability to draw a crowd).
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i never said he did i said if he was offered anything below 50/50 he should walk away, he's beat Alexander and Holt there better wins than anything Khan's done, he's the numero humero number 1 on the planet @ 140, end of. Its facts

Steven_89 wrote:The same could be said of Khan with Bradley. Both need each other to get the unification fight. Meanwhile there are other fights out there. I'd be into watching any combination of Khan, Bradley, Maidana, Alexander, Judah, Matthyse, Guererro
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Bradley's unified the titles twice, with Holt and Alexander, two very dangerous and good fighters, he dont need another unification, if i was Bradley's manager and offered anything below 50/50 i'd urge Tim to move on.

Its not as easy as that. 30% could be a huge career high for Tim. Why turn that down because someone else is getting more? 30% could be $2.5m. Who else can generate that kind of income for him. Unless he fights Manny or Floyd, only Amir can give him a career high payday.

Thems the brakes mate.

Would actually take wins over Kotelnik, Maidana, McCloskey and Malignaggi over what Bradley has beaten to be honest. Quite how Alexander got the decision against Kotelnik despite being dominated is beyond me and Maidana is a far more dangerous fighter than Holt.

The Mighty Atom wrote:Would actually take wins over Kotelnik, Maidana, McCloskey and Malignaggi over what Bradley has beaten to be honest. Quite how Alexander got the decision against Kotelnik despite being dominated is beyond me and Maidana is a far more dangerous fighter than Holt.

Holts a bigger puncher than Maidana would put them on the same level tbh. Bradley is looking for an easy defence and a nice payday because of his contract with HBO can't blame him.
If I was team Khan I would stay away from Judah imo he beats both Khan and Bradley if he is on top form and he says he has rededicated himself and I beleive him he's a bit of a religious nutter now. He's to quick powerful and skillful for two fighters who have huge flaws in their make up. When Zab is on top form he doesn't have many faults.

Would have Maidana as a bigger puncher than Holt myself

Those talking about Judah seem to be forgetting he's not been at his best for over 5 years now and don't see that suddenly changing

The Mighty Atom wrote:Would have Maidana as a bigger puncher than Holt myself

Those talking about Judah seem to be forgetting he's not been at his best for over 5 years now and don't see that suddenly changing

He seems to have changed his lifestyle he's not been at his best since Tszyu. He fought at WW a lot he isn't a WW he is a LWW and has always performed better at that weight. He looked very good against Mabuza who was awkard and I couldn't see either Khan or Bradley dealing with Mabuza as easily as Judah did.

I think people are getting a bit too carried away by some OK performances by Judah. I think that's a good fight for Bradley that he'll win if he needs one more before Khan. Also Ortiz at Welter might be worth looking at as he's a decent draw but plenty beatable and a world champion.

He looked decent against Mabuza, was a brilliant KO but the overall performance wasn't anything to write home about, think Khan looks more impressive beating him than say Bradley but his style is more aesthetically pleasing.

My problem with Khan is he has the tools to dominate that division but doesn't use them and when he gets hit he panics. Judah would catch him with a big shot at some point and Khan might take them on the chin a bit better now but he doesn't react well. He flaps his arms and tries to trade or run away in a straight line. Judah would take his head off he did that.
Bradley is just right for Judah he isn't that talented and is always open to a right uppercut which Judah throws better than anyone at 140lbs. Small differences like that have him winning the fights imo.

Khan didn't seem to panic when he got hit hard by Maidana, kept his composure and tried to keep as far away as possible, didn't try firing back at all.

Judah hasn't shown anything like that for years though and your doing Bradley an injustice saying he isn't that talented, there would only be one winner of that fight Bradley.

Steven_89 wrote:I definitely don't think he has such supremacy in the division that he can dictate terms to others (particulalrly given his inability to draw a crowd).
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i never said he did i said if he was offered anything below 50/50 he should walk away, he's beat Alexander and Holt there better wins than anything Khan's done, he's the numero humero number 1 on the planet @ 140, end of. Its facts

Well in a perfect world, you'd be right: Bradley has done enough to deserve 50/50. But, as was pointed out above, it's not as simple as that. if the situation arose, Bradley could and probably would take a career high payday at a lesser percentage. This would probably allow him to build a fanbase (if he won) and then maybe he'd get the split he deserves in the future. It's clearly not as simple as "Bradley is top guy in the division, he should walk away from anything less than 50/50". And that is, to use a well-worn, annoyingly ridiculous, and often inaccurate 606v2 phrase, the 'end of'

The Mighty Atom wrote:Khan didn't seem to panic when he got hit hard by Maidana, kept his composure and tried to keep as far away as possible, didn't try firing back at all.

Judah hasn't shown anything like that for years though and your doing Bradley an injustice saying he isn't that talented, there would only be one winner of that fight Bradley.

He id try and fight back at times and did walk backwards in straight lines Maidana just wasn't good enough to finish him off.

Mate I have Bradley to beat Khan if it ever happens. Probably worded that poorly he lack the slick skills and speed of Khan and Judah but is a good fighter. He is strong, powerful and works his way inside very smartly with nice drops of his shoulders. He is wide open to a right uppercut though.

The Mighty Atom wrote:Khan didn't seem to panic when he got hit hard by Maidana, kept his composure and tried to keep as far away as possible, didn't try firing back at all.

I disagree with this. When Khan got hit he tried to move away, but he had no idea how to tie his man up and slow down the momentum of the attack. Khan is a superb boxer from distance, but any boxing brain he has leaves him when he gets tagged.

Some boxers can handle pressure well - Khan isn't one of them. Watched the 1st SRL vs Duran fight the other night and, even though Ray fought far from his best fight that night, I was thoroughly impressed by the way he slowed down the attacks of Duran when he got in trouble (in the 2nd I think). It made me think of Khan - If he'd been there he'd have been murdered.

if khan took the fight 50/50 and it was promoted by gbp then i think it works out that the khan team would actually get less than bradleys.

eddyfightfan wrote:if khan took the fight 50/50 and it was promoted by gbp then i think it works out that the khan team would actually get less than bradleys.

How does that work out? If I was Bradley and Khan was demanding 70/30 after the McCloskey fight and the awful numbers it done I would tell him to get lost.

Its not as easy as that. 30% could be a huge career high for Tim. Why turn that down because someone else is getting more? 30% could be $2.5m. Who else can generate that kind of income for him. Unless he fights Manny or Floyd, only Amir can give him a career high payday.

Thems the brakes mate
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Nah i wouldn't take 30% if i was Bradley, Khan's just had a disaster on box office, he thinks he's more popular than he is, the only seriously popular boxer who could do huge ppv, demand more is Hatton in his prime, Khan's not as popular as he thinks he is, i hope they fight because Bradley will destroy him, too clever, he was baffled by a unproven domestic southpaw

So baffled he won every single round comfortably