Fresh off a life and death victory over Ruslan Provodnikov, Tim Bradley was on hand to witness the war that was, Brandon Rios and Mike Alvarado, version two. ThaBoxingVoice.com spoke with Tim Bradley regarding the war that he had just gone through himself just weeks ago.
Many people thought Bradley did Provodnikov favors by slugging it out with him instead of boxing his way to an easier victory, even to the point of people feeling Bradley went in there with something to prove. Tim disagrees.
“Not really something I wanted to prove, Provodnikov just has a style that tough to figure out. My trainer told me to box and I think if I would have boxed the whole time, it would have been an easier fight. Part of the fight was kind of easy but he made adjustments, at times I couldn’t escape, he got me with some good shots. I persevered and I went to hell and back and won the fight,” explained Bradley.
He did go to hell and back and even got some raucous boos from the crowd on hand which most media members and pretty much everyone in social networks felt was undeserved regardless if they felt Providnikov won. Bradley went from getting death threats after the Pacquiao fight, so in comparison, the boos were nothing to him.
“Booing and all that, it doesn’t even bother me. I have been through a lot my whole career. I never really got the respect I deserved, so it really doesn’t bother me, I just move on and keep winning and that’s it,” explained Bradley.
Bradley told Max Kellerman that he was concussed in the fight from round 1 on, and there was even mention on the HBO telecast that Bradley’s trainer, Joel Diaz might stop the fight if Bradley didn’t change the way he was fighting. Bradley has no memories of that taking place.
“If the conversation was that, he probably told my father not me, especially because he saw me taking some big shots. There were times I went to the corner, and I would ask him, ‘Did I got dropped that round?’ He would be like man, ‘Man, are you here?’ I’m perfectly fine; all the tests came back negative. I’m ready to get back in the gym next week.”
