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Fight Previews: Bradley-Campbell and Witter-Alexander

Will Timothy Bradley retain his WBO junior welterweight title, or will Nate Campbell take the crown? (via www.boxnews.com.ua)

Will Timothy Bradley retain his WBO junior welterweight title, or will Nate Campbell take the crown? (via www.boxnews.com.ua)

Bad Left Hook will have live, round-by-round coverage and scoring for this junior welterweight title double shot. I'm going to try to figure out a way to automate the picks standings sometime, but for now I'm not really able to keep up with them. Still, it's fun to make picks and talk about the fights.

Timothy Bradley v. Nate Campbell (12 Rounds - Bradley's WBO junior welterweight title on the line)

Bradley, 25, and Campbell, 37, will meet in the main event in California, giving Bradley something of a home field advantage. But that shouldn't much bother Campbell, who figures to serve as the toughest test of Bradley's career. Bradley (24-0, 11 KO) is on quite a roll after upsetting Junior Witter last year for the WBC title, which he gave up after unifying it with the WBO strap against Kendall Holt in April. Between those fights, he beat Edner Cherry.

Campbell won in February against lightweight Ali Funeka, forfeiting his titles on the scales when he couldn't make the 135-pound limit. He gutted out a victory over an awkward, dangerous, younger fighter, and promised a move to 140 afterward. This is his first official fight at 140 pounds.

Campbell probably isn't quite as old as he is on paper. He didn't turn pro until he was 28 in 2000, so his body hasn't taken the 15-20 years of punishment that can be standard for a 37-year old pro fighter. Since a 2006 loss to Isaac Hlatswayo, Campbell (33-5-1, 25 KO) has been near dominant, destroying both Matt Zegan and Ricky Quiles in back-to-back IBF lightweight title eliminators. He didn't get his shot until Julio Diaz lost the strap to Juan Diaz, which set up a fight in Mexico between fellow Don King fighters Juan Diaz and Campbell. Campbell upset the then-unbeaten Diaz, but a fight with Joan Guzman was scrapped when Guzman pulled out, which led Campbell to declare bankruptcy. It was nearly a year between the career-making win over Diaz and his first fight back, the win over Funeka.

Bradley has shown a lot of talent and a really well-rounded game since emerging from prospect to titleholder and top line fighter with the win over Witter. He's also got more power than his KO rate suggests, but if Campbell's power translates five pounds up, I don't think there's any question that Nate is the better puncher. Bradley is also the smaller man; Campbell officially has an inch of height (5'7" to 5'6") and three important inches of reach (72" to 69") on the titlist.

This is one of those 50-50 fights, and promises to be a pretty good action bout. It probably won't be a war, though Campbell may try to gut-check Bradley and make it one, the same as he did against Diaz, who at the time was higher-regarded than Bradley is now as a young star. Campbell has taken promising young fighters to depths they'd never seen before. But Bradley has beaten good veterans before, too. I'm going with my gut on this one more than anything else, because a great case can be made for either man. Campbell SD-12

Junior Witter v. Devon Alexander (12 Rounds - vacant WBC junior welterweight title on the line)

This is a crossroads fight. If 35-year old Witter loses, he's reduced entirely to "regional fighter" status. The loss to Bradley in '08 was closer than a lot of people remember it being. He wasn't outclassed, he just didn't seem on top of his game. Alexander, 22, is about where Bradley was. He's highly-regarded, but the questions are still there. How will he handle a tricky pro like Witter? He does have a win over former titlist Chop-Chop Corley, who is faded, and since then has been beating trial horses like Miguel Callist and Jesus Rodriguez.

Speed will be no problem for Alexander. Past perhaps Pacquiao, he might have the quickest hands in the division. He's not particularly heavy handed, but he can put shots together really well. Alexander (18-0, 11 KO) will have truly arrived if he can pull off a win over Witter (37-2-2, 22 KO) whose only losses ever have come to Bradley and Zab Judah.

Witter has spent a lot of the build-up talking about what he wants to do next, particularly a fight with fellow Brit Amir Khan. Witter says he isn't getting ahead of himself, but I've got the feeling he is. I see Alexander outhustling and out-"wow"ing Witter to a decision win. Alexander UD-12

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Is this like the predictions thread?

If it is, I’ll just pick Campbell by a closely contested UD-12 (I’m tempted to take SD, but I’ll take this). I’d like for the older man to pull it off once again.

by Fj-3 on Jul 31, 2009 4:51 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Oh, I forgot

Alexander by UD. Thanks.

by Fj-3 on Aug 1, 2009 7:26 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Hmm

Bradley close but contested UD
Alexander wide UD

Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."

by Brickhaus on Jul 31, 2009 5:07 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Funny how everyone likes Campbell now

But when the fight was announced, everyone was on Bradley. I guess people started to remember what Campbell did to Diaz.

Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."

by Brickhaus on Jul 31, 2009 5:35 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

so campbell was the guy who hired diaz’s awful cut man?

The Dude Abides

by battle axe of doom on Jul 31, 2009 6:35 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Campbell was mauling Diaz, cut or no cut.

Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."

by Brickhaus on Jul 31, 2009 8:07 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Yeah Nate was up in his shit from the start. I remember round two or three ended and Nate was crowding him back, which is how Juan made his living, and Nate goes, “ALL DAY! ALL DAY!” Great stuff.

by SC on Jul 31, 2009 8:49 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

What I remember most about the fight…

His corner said… How do you feel?

Campbell’s reply… “I feel like the fucking champ”

"Boxing is dirty," said Casamayor. " The day I’m not ready to be a dirty fighter is the day I don’t fight anymore because it will mean that I have no heart for it anymore."

by Zocalo on Aug 1, 2009 8:05 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

If for official predictions

Campbell – UD
Alexander – UD

The Dude Abides

by battle axe of doom on Jul 31, 2009 5:24 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

picks

cambell UD. a bit too much for bradley now. if this fight was a couple more fights from now for both guys id pick bradley by ud.

alexander UD. not even close. alexander schools him for 12 rounds.

by sonofapsycho on Jul 31, 2009 7:12 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I’m going to try to figure out a way to automate the picks standings sometime, but for now I’m not really able to keep up with them.

is there someone like mmaplayground.com but for boxing? there must be this is the internet afterall.

by sonofapsycho on Jul 31, 2009 7:26 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

picks

bradley UD
alexander UD

by TXroyal on Jul 31, 2009 7:30 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I think it’ll be close, but i’m leaning for a Bradley split decision win. Also certain Witter is gonna lose pretty convincingly on all cards.

by keyz on Jul 31, 2009 10:15 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Bradley SD
Alexander UD

by schraubd on Jul 31, 2009 10:30 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Campbell by late rd stoppage
Alexander by SD

by SmittytheCutman on Jul 31, 2009 11:03 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Bradley UD- Bradley’s more multi dimensional than Juan Diaz and I think his workrate will win out.
Alexander UD- Alexander is young and hungry and it doesn’t look like Witter is taking him seriously, which is exactly what happened when Witter was upset by Tim Bradley. Also Witter’s getting longer in the tooth and he leaves his chin out to dry and a fighter can get away with that for only so long. And, I think Witter has reached the point where if he doesn’t get his hands up and his chin down; he becomes a regional stepping stone fighter without any hope of winning a world title again

by dervish686 on Aug 1, 2009 12:24 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

picks

Bradley SD/MD

Tough fight to call. I’ve really gone back and forth because Nate is a nightmare matchup especially for a relatively young guy like Bradley. Ultimately, two things put me into Bradley’s corner: 1) the size. Weigh in pictures do not make a fight but Bradley as usual looks like a machine and frankly Campbell looks like he should be fighting at 135. 2) Bradley was able to overcome Witter, another guy who makes people look bad. Also, Bradley overcame adversity against Rated R. He is the kind of guy who can pull one out of the fire and I like that about him. Plus he is at home. Bradley in a competitive fight that may not be easy to score.

Witter TKO 11

Too much too soon for Alexander in my opinion. Alexander has always impressed me but he hasn’t fought anyone on the world class level yet, outside of a shot Corley. The parallels to be drawn to the Bradley/Witter fight are dramatic but I see a different story being written. Alexander doesn’t have as much in his arsenal as Bradley had when he met Witter. Alexander will likely win some early rounds but his offense tends to run into a pattern. I’ve been thinking for a while that a veteran counterpuncher could time him and begin punishing him in the middle rounds of a fight. Well, here we are as Witter is pretty much your prototypical veteran counterpuncher. When “sparring with Cory Spinks” is your best answer as to why you are ready to be world champion, you might need to do some more work.

by BabyBull1289 on Aug 1, 2009 4:20 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Don’t want to miss picks if they end up counting…

Bradley UD
Witter UD

Looking forward to watching some fights tonight…been a while since I watched anything.

-Brian

by bp on Aug 1, 2009 9:44 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Campbell UD

I think Bradley is a fine, determined young fighter. I do think that Campbell is just a bit above his class at this particular moment, and I think that Bradley will be unable to make the fine adjustments when a round isn’t going his way. I think this will be a very close fight that will see Bradley starting strong and rallying late, but losing the fight in the middle.

Witter UD

BabyBull puts its very well above. I’m not overly impressed with Witter, and I don’t think he is a major talent. But so far Alexander has looked his most impressive against a diminished Chop-Chop, and when I watched that fight again recently, he looked a little less impressive to me. He’s fast, but not so fast that he’s going to beat Witter on speed alone. Witter will enter the stronger puncher, with more then twice the number of pro rounds than Alexander. I do think that Devon’s stance and reach will neutralize Witter’s counterpunching somwhat, and maybe even allow Alexander to bust him up a little. But I see the fight starting competitively and then curving downhill for Alexander, until he’s too cautious to to fully engage Witter and win rounds. Moderate points win for the Hitter keeps him around for a few more fights.

"This fight'll be the nastiest thing you'll ever see. I been sober for six weeks, and that makes me vicious."
-- Randall 'Tex' Cobb

by jrok on Aug 1, 2009 12:33 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Bradley UD
Alexander UD

"Boxing is dirty," said Casamayor. " The day I’m not ready to be a dirty fighter is the day I don’t fight anymore because it will mean that I have no heart for it anymore."

by Zocalo on Aug 1, 2009 8:05 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Bradley UD
Alexander UD

by Brett87 on Aug 1, 2009 8:35 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Bradley (unfortunately, since I’m a Nate fan) by close SD
Alexander UD

Boxing writer: "Iran, what are you going to do when you retire?"
Iran Barkley: "Rob your house"

by Matt Miller on Aug 1, 2009 8:53 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

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