A head-butt led to an early stoppage of the junior welterweight title unification bout Saturday, as Timothy Bradley won on scorecards to keep his undefeated record intact and Devon Alexander lost for the first time.
Bradley won many of the early rounds, but Alexander was making a late charge until the 10th-round head-butt. Ringside physician Peter Samet ruled Alexander unable to continue.
Alexander was the faster fighter, but was controlled by the busier and stronger Bradley, who despite the victory expressed disappointment over the way the night ended.
“That’s just the way it is,” he said. “I really wanted to finish the fight. I felt strong in there. I felt like I was coasting through the fight. It was pretty easy in there for me.”
Coming into the fight, it was expected that the winner would have a chance to further his career and get in line for another big matchup. That’s exactly what Bradley has in front of him now. While HBO can call for a rematch, and Alexander said he would be glad to do it, Golden Boy Promotions’ Richard Schaefer and Bradley’s promoter, Gary Shaw, seem to have targeted junior welterweight champion Amir Khan.
Khan, who is coming off a 12-round decision win over Marcos Maidana, had said before the fight that he would like to face the winner of Saturday’s fight.
Turns out the winner would also like to face him.
“Khan is probably number one on the list," Bradley said afterward. He also said he has his eyes on Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.
First things first, though.
“I think I’ve got to take Amir Khan out next,” he confidently stated. "Then there will be no doubt who the best 140-pounder in the world is.”
So did boxing find its next star Saturday? It may be too early to tell. Bradley, however, put himself in a position for a second important fight in a row, and perhaps bigger things.
The refreshing thing about the California native is that he is not afraid to name names and is willing to get in the ring with any and all fighters.
“I’m ready for any of them," he said. "I’m not ducking any of them.”
