Why Controversial Draw Won't Derail Tim Bradley's Plans to Move Up in Weight

Timothy Bradley found himself on the wrong side of a judging controversy on Saturday night at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, but it probably won’t derail his plans to move up to 154 pounds.

Bradley seemed to box the ears off Diego Chaves over 12 rounds but was stuck with a draw after judges Julie Lederman, Craig Metcalfe and Burt Clements handed in scores split three different ways: 116-112 for Chaves, 115-113 for Bradley and 114-114 even.

According to ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael, the ringside media scored the bout unanimously for Bradley, while most boxing fans on Twitter echoed the same sentiment.

Was it karma for Bradley’s gift decision over Manny Pacquiao in 2012? Maybe.

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Since drooping his head down low in the moments after finishing those 12 rounds against Pacquiao, Bradley changed his post-fight tune once scores were read in his favor.

Since then, he’s long maintained he believes he won the fight, one of the most controversial decisions in boxing history, though the rematch between the two earlier this year played out similarly in an easy Pacquiao win.

Regardless, most boxing folk agree Bradley soundly defeated Chaves on Saturday night, and fans of CompuBox punch statistics would see things the very same way. Bradley was credited with landing 225 of 572 punches (39 percent), while Chaves landed only 152 of 570 blows (27 percent).

So despite the draw, Bradley would seem to remain one of the elite forces in boxing, poised for setting plans for whatever he wants next in his career.

Bradley, a welterweight, now has his eyes set on moving up to 154 pounds.

There are several lucrative fights at the weight for Bradley. Floyd Mayweather holds the Transnational Rankings, The Ring magazine and WBC titles at the weight. Cuban southpaw Erislandy Lara is the WBA champ. Former U.S. Olympian Demetrius Andrade has the WBO belt, and rugged slugger Cornelius Bundrage holds the IBF title.

Other notable contenders include Canelo Alvarez, Austin Trout and twin brothers Jermell and Jermall Charlo.

Bradley’s draw wouldn’t keep him from moving on to any of those fights should they come along. After all, since fighting Pacquiao twice and besting Juan Manuel Marquez, Bradley has firmly established himself as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport.

He’s durable, hardworking and solid at all facets of the fighting game. Bradley can box on his toes, slug like a brawler and is defensively sound when he wants to be. Moreover, his hands and feet are fast, and he’s highly skilled and among the most agile fighters in the sport.

But here’s the problem: Bradley, a former junior welterweight champion, probably doesn’t have any business fighting at 154 pounds.

Of the aforementioned title holders in the division, he’d probably only be favored against the crude Bundrage. Lara and Andrade seem too big and fast for him, and Mayweather is the preeminent fighter in the game.

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Even contenders might give him trouble. Would Bradley be able to throw any punch hard enough to keep Alvarez, Trout or the Charlo brothers off of him? Is he tall enough to get past their longer reach?

He seems to carry a heavy enough burden at welterweight doing those very things, and junior middleweights are used to much harder punches flying at them from much farther away than Bradley could offer.

Case in point: There’s no way judges—even terrible ones—would have scored the Chaves fight a draw if Bradley were a power puncher who could land from range at 147 pounds.

But he’s not, and he can’t. And while he’s a sound boxer, he’s not the type of craftsman who would easily move up to junior middleweight without suffering substantial risks.

So while Bradley’s controversial draw with Chavez won’t upset his plan to move up in weight, his fans and supporters should hope it does—because Bradley simply isn’t cut out to be a junior middleweight.