'Amir Khan ducked me...eventually, we'll get it on' says Timothy Bradley
Unbeaten WBO light-welterweight champion Timothy Bradley believes he will fight WBA title holder Amir Khan - when the time is right.
The Californian, known as 'Desert Storm' (27-0) seemed to want no part of a fight with the Bolton man earlier this year - but says things have changed now that he (Bradley) has signed with Bob Arum's Top Rank organisation.
Bradley defends his title against Joel Casamayor on the same November 12th Las Vegas card as Manny Pacquiao v Juan Manuel Marquez.
"If I had fought Amir Khan and beat him I don’t think it would have done anything for my career," said Bradley.
"A lot of people thought it would have been great but I didn’t think I was with the right promotional company. I felt like they didn’t push me to make me into a superstar, to promote me to not only the boxing fans but the crossover to the housewives that don’t work but love boxing. I never got that type of exposure.
"Top Rank brings that. If I fought Amir Khan with Top Rank I think it would be huge. You’d have the top promotional company advertising the fight, doing what they are supposed to do – spend the money to advertise the fight to make money and to make their fighter a superstar. Sitting back and thinking about it, my team and I made the right choice.
"I have never had the opportunity to fight on a huge mega-card like this. A month or two ago I just signed this contract with Top Rank and now I’ve got this opportunity to fight on Manny Pacquiao’s undercard as a co-main event. I am like “wow.” This is a completely different level. There a going to be millions of people around the world, not just boxing fans, watching this fight because of all the promotion going on.
"With Márquez, you have two great fighters that have met before and it’s the third meeting – they want to see who’s going to win this fight. And these fans are going to get a chance to see Timothy Bradley and they don’t know who Timothy Bradley is and have never seen me before but will now get a chance to see me fight. They will then say this guy is good and he should fight the top guys in the world.
"It (criticism) doesn’t bother me at all. Criticism doesn’t pay the bills. One day Amir Khan and I will get in the ring and settle it. I was actually supposed to fight Amir Khan after I fought Lamont Peterson then he went on to sign with Golden Boy and Golden Boy didn’t want any part of it. We tried to call Golden Boy but they didn’t pick up the phone.
"We kept calling and they didn’t pick up. He ducked me first if people want to say that I ducked him. They can say whatever they want but I have a plan and a new team that is behind me and going to make Bradley a brand. Eventually, Amir and I will get it on. Right now, at 140, Amir Khan can’t move without me. He needs me. I don’t need him.
"I am going to get in there and fight my fights and that’s it. I went over to England and fought against Junior Witter in front of 10,000 fans of his – I don’t think it can get any scarier than that. I was over there on his soil and I had never fought outside of California. If I can handle that kind of pressure, going over there where everybody expected me to lose the fight and I win…I can do anything."
