Is Tim Bradley "The FUTURE" of the 140lb Division???

I've been on the Bradley bandwagon since watching him obliterate Manuel Garnica on ShowBox but Saturday wasn't one of his better performances. He's very susceptible to the right hand and tends to square up when releasing combos...and drop his hands. Bad, bad flaws. I can see him getting KTFO one day.

That said, the skills that made me sit up are still apparent. His right hand is a thing of beauty and he's very well-schooled. Always in great condition as well. I think he will improve and perhaps rule 140 but that's his limit.

 

I like Bradley, but what leads me to believe that he WON'T improve is that he's not really all that different from when he first started appearing on ShoBox. My hunch is that what we see is what we get.

So far, he's winning on Saturday, but not all that memorable come Sunday.The Witter fight had people talking because it was a considerable upset, but the fight itself was kinda ass. He had a smaller fighter in front of him, almost always a recipe for making a fighter look better (read: stronger/exciting) than he really is, but Bradley never really kicked it into overdrive.

He's a great kid and personality/honesty wise, the sport can use more like him. But I've yet to sense that we're watching someone special, no matter how much the SHO crew shills in taking up his cause.

To compare, Rock Allen, with whom I've never been impressed, showed me something in his fight the night before. He was forced to settle for a shutout, but never stopped gunning for a knockout. He didn't get it, but delivered an entertaining performance in the process, making the most of his televised debut and to where I'm anxious to see his next step-up fight.

 

Bradley has only beaten Shitter and a lightweight Cherry. Let's not overrate the guy just yet.

 

Hatton's Most Recent Performance INDICATES as Much...

Lazcano was Supposed to B a "Safe" Comeback Fight, which is why HBO & Showtime PASSED on that Bout Altogether...Nonetheless, Hatton Had some SCARY Moments w/Lazcano, who ISN'T a World Class Fighter Anymore, N REED's Opinion...Lazcano's a Glorified OPPONENT These days...

More than that, Hatton's STYLE was NEVER Built for LONGEVITY...Couple That w/Hatton's LACK Of Discipline btwn Fights & U've Got a Fighter who's CLEARLY Watching his Career CIRCLE the Proverbial DRAIN...

It's HIGHLY Doubtful to REED that Ricky Hatton will STILL B "The Man" @ 140, by this Time NEXT Year...Shit, REED CAN'T Even Predict Hatton to Beat Malignaggi, w/ANY Degree of Certainty...

Malignaggi, Holt/Torres & Bradley Represent "The TOP Level" @ Jr. Welter...Hatton is just about DONE Being on that Level...If Not THIS Year, then CERTAINLY by this Time N 2009...



REED:kidcool:

 

That's exactly it. A high energy, aggressive style like Hatton's has a short shelf life as it is, couple that with his lifestyle between fights, and it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that he has regressed significantly and rapidly in the last couple of years.