source: gmanetwork.com
Newly-crowned WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley is hardly enjoying his reign, having to deal with ankle injuries, death threats from fans, and allegations of a fixed fight.
He told ESPN Radio Chicago with Waddle and Silvy that he felt he was "the most hated fighter on the planet," citing the sheer amount of hate mail he was getting.
"Definitely on Facebook and Twitter, reading people's comments, emails and people are sending me like death threats, telling me to die, telling me to give the belt back, 'if you're a man' and all this hate mail. Just people being really rude like I'm the one to blame." Bradley said.
"I'm like 'dude I earned the belt and I'm not giving the belt back.' Anybody out there that thinks I should give the belt back, the belt is not going back. I deserve the belt. I won the fight regardless of what anyone thinks. The judges thought I won the fight and that is that. I'm not the one to blame here. Don't be pointing the finger at me, don't be sending me crazy emails and things like that because I don't really care."
Bradley's comments come amidst reports that both the Nevada State Athletic Commission and the World Boxing Organization plan to review the fight, with the latter bringing in five internationally accredited judges to get their point of view.
Even his own promoter, Bob Arum, is demanding an investigation, insinuating charges of "undue influence."
All of that though simply angers "Desert Storm," who can't believe people think the fight was fixed.
"I don't understand how people can think that honestly the fight is fixed. You can’t pay me enough money to bail on a fight or for Manny Pacquiao to bail on a fight. We’re fighters and we get in the ring and we’re going to win. We were knocking each other’s head off. I got hit with some big shots, I took them and ate them dude. For a fight to be fixed that’s just impossible," said Bradley.
"I think that’s just stupid. Being that Manny Pacquiao is his [Arum's] freaking cash cow, that’s the biggest fighter in boxing right now next to Floyd Mayweather so why would he want him to lose? That makes no sense to me. I really don’t understand how people can say that. I felt that I was going to win the fight from day one and I ended up winning the fight. On a controversial split decision or whatever but it is what it is but no, the fight is not fixed at all man.
"I fought the best I can and Pacquiao fought the best he can that night. The judges are the ones to look at. They scored the fight. Not Bob Arum, not myself and not Pacquiao. They have nothing to do with this. It all boils down to the judges so if anybody wants to come to anything, wants to sit down and watch the fight with the judges and let them explain to you why they did it the way they did it.”
Bradley once again also denied reports that he told Arum that he had lost the fight, prior to the actual decision. "My corner was telling me 'you won the fight, you won the fight' and that was the reason they raised me up after the fight. I felt that I won the fight....The first one said 'Pacquiao,' second one was for me, I heard the same 15-13 and I was like 'oh yeah I've got this without a doubt' and you saw me raise my hands up before the last score and then boom I knew.
"[For me] the judges were clued in and focused on the fight and they scored the fight according to what they saw."
Pacquiao dropped the title to Bradley last Saturday (Sunday, PHL time), in a controversial split-decision that went 115-113, 115-113, 113-115 in favor of the California native.
source: gmanetwork.com
No comments:
Post a Comment