The Sweet Science 06.30.09: Victor Ortiz, Bradley vs. Campbell
Posted by Igor Frank on 06.30.2009
How can the junior welterweight showdown between Timothy Bradley and Nate Campbell play out? Also a look into Vanes Martirosyan following his win on Saturday and thoughts on Victor Ortiz.
Photo by Chris Miller
We will start this week with homework and I'll need your responses...
If the fight was not stopped by the doctor, do you think Victor Ortiz could have pulled it off, being that he was three points ahead on all of the judges scorecards?
Is there anybody in the heavyweight division that could challenge Dr. Steel hammer?
Last Wednesday I drove out to Pasadena where the old Langham Huntington Hotel played host to a press conference to announce an upcoming WBO light welterweight championship bout between Timothy 'Desert Storm' Bradley and Nate 'The Galaxy Warrior' Campbell. The fight is to take place on August 1st at the Agua Caliente Casino, Rancho Mirage in Southern California and to be televised by Showtime Championship Boxing.
"This is a fight for fight fans," declared Bradley from the podium: "There will be no excuses." Indeed it is a bout for fight fans; both pugs come in top shape and ready to fight for every minute of every round, which translates into excitement for the fans.
Even though 37 years old (Campbell is twelve years the senior to the young champion and he is moving up in weight for this challenge), many pundits give him a very good shot at winning the title. I asked him where he thought he had an advantage over Bradley.
"I can punch," said Campbell with a smile. Campbell also asked the young champion not to eat the day of the fight alluding to a punishment he will administer.
"I am not going to eat that day," was Bradley's quick witted comeback:" Because I am going to make me some Campbell soup." Despite the fact that Campbell has advantage in power, Bradley hits hard with both hands and he is a consistent and vicious body puncher.
Promoter Gary Shaw expressed a concern about his charge Bradley practically fighting in his back yard, which adds a lot of distractions." Timmy will have no tickets for family or friends, "said Shaw: "if you need tickets then go to the Box office." It is hard to imagine Bradley losing focus for this fight, because his major assets are hard work, dedication, supreme conditioning and consistency.
One of the major reasons for his success and his work ethics is the man who has been guiding his career from the beginning, Mr. Bradley Sr. A father who has been able to instill discipline and value of hard work, has not profited a dime from his sons rising career.
Ironically, there will be another title fight the same night, WBC light welterweight title, the same title that Bradley won last year beating Junior Witter in England and the same belt that he had to vacate in order to fight Holt in Canada. The irony is that Junior Witter will get the chance to get his title back without beating the real champion; instead he will face an unbeaten prospect Devon Alexander. Despite bizarre boxing politics, it is a very good match up and fans will be treated to two very competitive fights.
I saw Yonny Perez' title elimination fight in South Africa against Silence Mabuza and have to report that Mr. Perez is the real deal. He was pressured and roughed up for eleven rounds. He had to fight off the ropes for some periods of time. He withstood a heavy body attack and even though he was behind on the scorecards, he was always in the fight using crisp combinations and found a way to win in the twelfth. His promoters Kenny Thompson and Gary Shaw he will be a world champion very soon. That victory put Perez in line to fight the winner of Agbeko, Darchinyan fight. Yonny Perez will be a handful for anybody.
Light middleweight contender Alfredo El Perro Angulo , after suffering his first loss to Kermit Cintron last month, is scheduled to be back in the ring on August 28th. No opponent has been named for the outing that would be televised by ESPN.
The Student of the Week
The student of this week is definitely Vanes Martirosyan. The undefeated light middleweight prospect rediscovered himself and demonstrated all his skills as a boxer puncher. He moved effortlessly around the ring, used a stiff jab to keep his rugged foe busy and fired a variety of sharp punches, hurting Tsurkan repeatedly. Tsurkan's corner saw the futility of their situation and stopped the fight after the 6th stanza. Granted it was a perfect opponent, but so flawless was the performance of Vanes Martirosyan that it prompted his hall of fame promoter Bob Arum to jump in the ring and give him a big smile and a hug. I Expect this 2004 U.S Olympian's ranking to go up and I could see a title shot in the near future.
Refresher Course
Victor Ortiz needs a refresher course in sweet science. The 22 year old could have won this fight using his boxing skills and his speed and movement; instead he decided to get into a firefight and gave his opponent a good chance to win. This was first lesson for young Victor that sweet science is a tough way to make a living. Hopefully, growing up without parents have prepared a young man for rough times. He had thrilled around 8,000 in attendance and many more on HBO. He will be back with a bang.
