What Tim Bradley Must Do vs. Diego Chaves to Stay in Line for Marquee Fights

When it comes to recognition, Tim Bradley has advantages some others do not.

For example, he’s already been a champ at two weights (140 and 147 pounds). He’s already had fights with two pay-per-view mainstays (Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez). And he’s long been aligned with Top Rank, so a high-end hyperbolic promotion is never more than a phone call away.

Not to mention, he’s a pretty good fighter too.

Though he’s not competed in eight months and he’s not won in 14, Bradley is still a top-four welterweight commodity among contenders listed by the International Boxing Federation and rises to No. 2 in the eyes of both the World Boxing Organization and International Boxing Organization.

The nonpartisan arbiters at The Ring also hold him in high regard, as evidenced by a No. 2 contender position at 147 pounds and a No. 5 slot on the pound-for-pound list, which he’s been a part of at one position or another for the last 222 consecutive months.

By the way, only Pacquiao, Marquez and Wladimir Klitschko have longer streaks among those currently ranked from Nos. 1 to 10.

So the practical answer to what must be done against Diego Chaves to stay relevant is simple: win.

Excitement would be nice. Violence would be memorable.

But victory, which is clearly possible by out-boxing a foe who's most often labeled as "rugged," is the only real mandate from his position as an 8-1 favorite.

Truth told, even beating a 28-year-old Argentine who’s lost two of his last three will probably not sway naysayers who remain after Bradley’s 10 years as a professional. But what it will do is keep the 31-year-old Californian within a signed contract of the superfight level he feels entitled to be on.

Whether that means a third go-round with Pacquiao for the WBO welterweight belt they traded over two fights, a pursuit of the vacated title if the Filipino dips to 140 pounds or perhaps the most intriguing possibility—another move up the ladder to 154 pounds—one thing seems crystal clear.

Bradley has no intentions of shying from the fray.

“It’s in me, man. I’m a dog. It’s in me,” he said. “I like to fight. I’ve got a big heart.

“It’s in me. Once I get going in there, the tougher it gets, the harder I swing and the more I go. It’s the dog in me. My mental game is what got me to the top. The fire in this dog is still there, and I’m on a mission. The determination will always be there.”

Bradley initially won belts at 140 with defeats of Junior Witter (Would Boxing Council) and Kendall Holt (World Boxing Organization), but his star truly began rising with a defeat of a then-unbeaten Devon Alexander in 2011. He was in with, and defeated, Pacquiao two fights later amid controversy in 2012 but galvanized support with subsequent 2013 wins over Marquez and Ruslan Provodnikov.

The Provodnikov fight was deemed Fight of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America.

“But when I come back, it’s great, because everybody seemed to miss me,” Bradley said.

“I know I’m right back in people’s minds as soon as they start mentioning my name again. I’ve gained more fans over the last few years of this boxing game than ever before. You should see the reception I get when I’m walking around anywhere, it’s been fantastic.”

Bradley conceded he’d love to measure himself in a match against Floyd Mayweather Jr., whom he deemed “the best fighter in the world,” but continued to doubt that fight would ever come off because of persistent conflicts between Mayweather’s team and Top Rank’s boss, Bob Arum.

So, when he went ahead and insisted that his true aim was to build a Canastota-worthy resume based on the best possible competition, it wasn’t difficult to imagine that “Money” was on his mind.

“A lot of people look at it and say ‘Hall of Fame’ and they look at it like you’ve got to have a perfect resume, you’ve got to be 46 or 47 or 50-0,” he said. “No. No. No. No. No. A lot of guys that are in the Hall of Fame have a loss, but they fought against the best. That’s what it’s all about.

"Fighting against the best. In your weight class, above your weight class or below your weight class. That’s what I’m going to continue to do.”

NOTE: All quotes were obtained firsthand.