ContinueTim Bradley has vowed to settle his differences with Amir Khan after he has beaten the Bolton fighter’s stable-mate Manny Pacquiao on Saturday in Las Vegas.
The two fighters once held four light-welterweight titles between them and it seemed only a matter of time before they met in a unification bout. While the match-up never came to fruition, the pair were involved in a war of words with Khan claiming that Bradley was ‘too scared’ to face him.
Khan has since lost his WBA and IBF titles to Lamont Peterson, a fighter who suffered his first ever defeat at the hands of Bradley, and will now face Danny Garcia in an attempt to win the WBC title after a rematch with the Washington based fighter was cancelled due to a failed drugs test.
While the two are now in different weight divisions, Bradley has revealed how desperate he is to get in the ring with the opinionated Khan.
“I pretty much know that I am the better fighter and I feel I proved that when I was at 140lbs,” Bradley said.
“He has gone on record to say that he will never fight me but we all know this business. I think it’s baloney and I think he knows we will get it on sooner or later. We need to get rid of some of this bad blood and animosity we have towards each other.”
Bradley is certain that he is the better fighter and believes that he has already proved this by defeating Peterson in a one-sided contest that saw him become the WBO light-welterweight champion.
“Amir Khan struggled with Lamont and while he is a tough fighter, I feel as though I faced the best Lamont. I displayed a lot of boxing skill and ability against a fighter who was desperate to keep his undefeated record. I think everyone knows I was the best fighter in that division.”
Before Bradley has the chance to end his bitter feud with Khan, he will first come face to face with the man many consider to be the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world after more than seven years without a loss.
Manny Pacquiao has earned a reputation as one of the most feared men inside the ring after defeating the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley and Miguel Cotto, but some pundits believe he is on the slide after a controversial win against Juan Manuel Marquez in his last outing.
In trying to emulate Mexican great Erik Morales, the last man to beat Pacquiao, Bradley has admitted that he is willing to lay it all on the line and die for the cause.
“The one thing my wife and family fear is that I will get hurt inside the ring,” Bradley said. “I have a lot of dignity and I am going to fight to the death. This is the game I chose and I can deal with the repercussions. I am not going to go out and play it safe, I am going out swinging. Not only for myself but also for my family.”
Bradley is certainly not entering the bout with any negative thoughts and he is confident that he can cause a major upset in Vegas. The two rarely take a step backwards in the ring, in what should make for a classic encounter between two warriors.
“They [Pacquiao and trainer Freddie Roach] know I’m coming. There are no ands, ifs or buts about that,” Bradley states. “They know I am coming forward as I need to take the title from the champion. I will try to use my strength and I know that he likes to move to the right to set up shots so I am prepared for that. I am a pretty smart fighter in the ring and I plan to put it all on the line.”
With Khan openly admitting that he would like to step up to the 147lb division, it may not be long before the two renew their verbal battle and Freddie Roach is once again preparing his fighter for a date with Timothy Bradley.
