Five Fighters Follow a Familiar Outline

by Kieran Mulvaney

When boxing fans of a certain age look back on what is generally regarded as the most recent Golden Era of boxing, they reflect not only on the fact that the sport then boasted a quintet of exceptional talent – Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler and Wilfred Benitez – but that they (and this must always be pointed out with earnest, brow-furrowed emphasis) fought each other.

Of course, they did not always fight each other at the perfect time. Leonard had hinted at wanting to fight Hagler earlier than he did, and in November 1982 even held a press conference that everyone expected was to declare his challenge to the middleweight champion – heck, he even specifically invited Hagler for the occasion – only to instead announce his retirement from boxing (his first of many, as it turned out). Not until almost three years later, after he saw signs of rust in Hagler’s aging chassis, did Leonard emerge from what was already his second retirement to stick-and-move his way to the middleweight crown. None of them fought Duran at anything close to the Panamanian’s prime – except for Leonard, which is one reason why he is the only one of the group to lose to him. And Leonard, Duran and Hearns continued to fight each other long past the time when they should have been warming their feet in comfy slippers by the fireside.

But still, at their peak, they locked horns with enough skill and tenacity to burn themselves into the sport’s lore. “No mas!” and “You’re blowing it, son!” are shorthand for the second Leonard-Duran contest and Leonard’s comeback victory in his first battle with Hearns. The two-plus rounds in which Hagler and Hearns went to war are reverently regarded still as perhaps the greatest eight minutes or so in boxing history.

(Benitez is the Joey Bishop or Peter Lawford of this pugilistic Rat Pack, but he played his role with skill, losing to Leonard and Hearns and defeating Duran.)

It would be premature – and to many, borderline sacrilegious – to compare any group of fighters around the welterweight division to those legends of 1980s vintage, but there is a nice five-person round-robin rivalry underway that kicks into high gear with a pair of bouts later this year: one in Las Vegas, one in Macau.

Timothy Bradley spent plenty enough time calling for a big fight; his 2011 meeting with Devon Alexander was expected to be it, but turned out to be a damp squib. His challenge the following year for Manny Pacquiao’s welterweight crown was his first shot on the biggest of big stages, but it didn’t exactly work out the way he wanted. He appeared to lose the fight, albeit valiantly; instead he was awarded a victory that earned him opprobrium from fight fans. He emerged from seclusion to engage in an enthralling Fight-of-the-Year-quality battle with Ruslan Provodnikov, and now earns another turn in the spotlight, against Juan Manuel Marquez.

Bradley is one of the few guys Marquez hasn’t fought so far in a career that has included tilts against Marco Antonio Barrera, Floyd Mayweather and, of course, on four separate occasions Manny Pacquiao. After their rivalry reached its violent crescendo last December, there was inevitably an assumption that Marquez and Pacquiao would tangle a fifth time, but Marquez apparently thought about the last scene of their rivalry – in which Pacquiao lay face-first and unconscious on the canvas – and decided that he was quite happy to leave it there, at least for now.

So Marquez fights Bradley in Las Vegas, and in China Pacquiao will fight Brandon Rios, who is himself in the midst of an epic rivalry with Mike Alvarado. Having stopped Alvarado in their first encounter last year (in what would surely have been Fight of the Year had it not been for Pacquiao-Marquez IV), he lost a decision in another Fight-of-the-Year caliber matchup in March. For now, while he heals from hand surgery, Alvarado is on the outside looking in, but there's a good chance he'll be up next for the winner of either of these two contests.

Five men, fighting each other, and creating epic battles and unforgettable moments along the way.

Sounds kind of familiar, doesn’t it?

Staggering: Bradley Survives a Brutal War with Provodnikov

by Eric Raskin

There were echoes of the Thrilla in Manila. There were shades of Chavez-Taylor. There was even a taste of what an unscripted Balboa-Creed might look like.

This is not to say that Tim Bradley vs. Ruslan Provodnikov was as thrilling, as memorable, or as iconic as any of those (real or fictitious) fights. There would be varying levels of blasphemy involved in making such direct comparisons. All we’re saying is that Bradley-Provodnikov provided elements of all of the above. And that it was thrilling, memorable, and instantly iconic in its own right.

At the conclusion of 12 heart-pounding rounds, including a final round in which he was quite literally saved by the bell, Bradley retained his welterweight belt by a single point on two scorecards. He successfully followed up his highly disputed decision over Manny Pacquiao and subsequent nine-month layoff with a far less disputed victory. Before the opening bell of Bradley-Provodnikov, ring announcer Lupe Contreras injected the unpopular opinion that Bradley’s “previous performance catapulted him to boxing superstardom.” Twelve rounds after Contreras’ proclamation, however, the case could rightly be made that Tim Bradley had arrived as a boxing superstar.

Read the Complete Timothy Bradley vs. Ruslan Provodnikov Fight Recap on HBO.com.

CompuBox Analysis: Bradley vs. Provodnikov

by CompuBox

Zahir Raheem can certainly feel Timothy Bradley's pain. In September 2005 the tricky "Z-Man" comprehensively out-pointed Erik Morales to score the biggest victory of his career and he had every right to think he would be vaulted into the elite in terms of standing and purse money. Neither happened; the Pacquiao-Morales superfight Raheem supposedly scuttled was made anyway while Raheem sat on the sidelines for seven months before losing a split decision to Acelino Freitas and fading into obscurity.

As for Bradley, his victory over number-one pound-for-pound Manny Pacquiao last June 9 has merited no fanfare whatsoever, mostly because the split decision in his favor was almost universally panned. The "mandated" rematch clause was never exercised -- who'd want to see that fight again? -- and thus Bradley lost out on a second huge purse. Few times in history has a career-defining win resulted in so little reward. Coming into Saturday's fight with Ruslan Provodnikov, Bradley has endured a 280-day layoff -- the second longest of his career -- and that comes on the heels of a career-long 287-day hiatus.

Will "Desert Storm" be motivated enough to fight at his best Saturday or will Provodnikov score his own massive upset? If he does, he'd better hope he has better luck than Bradley had with his.

Read the Complete CompuBox Analysis of Bradley vs. Provodnikov on HBO.com.

Bradley Looking to Erase Doubts

by Nat Gottlieb

It's hard to imagine that after beating the great Manny Pacquiao, nine months later people are saying Timothy Bradley still needs to prove himself when he fights Ruslan Provodnikov on March 16 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. But such is life when you win a highly controversial decision against one of the most beloved and respected boxers in the sport.

Since that victory over Pacquiao, not a lot of things have gone right for Bradley. In addition to having to rehab painfully sore feet, he has seen marquee matchups fall through and suffered some pretty vicious slings and arrows shot at him by media and fans.

Read the Complete Timothy Bradley vs. Ruslan Provodnikov Fight Overview on HBO.com

HBO Boxing Schedule Packed with Hot Young Stars and Tested Veterans

by Kieran Mulvaney

Next week HBO returns with its second boxing broadcast of the year, a card that kicks off a series of bouts between now and the end of March. Here’s what’s on tap to take us through the first quarter of 2013:

February 16: Adrien Broner vs Gavin Rees
Atlantic City, New Jersey

Adrien Broner has come so far, so fast, and has established himself with such authority as one of the stars of the sport, that it is sometimes surprising to realize how young he is. Still only 23, he is already a two-weight world champion. Fresh off seizing a lightweight crown with the destruction of Antonio DeMarco, he takes on once-beaten British and European champ Gavin Rees in his first defense.

March 9: Bernard Hopkins vs Tavoris Cloud
Brooklyn, New York

Bernard Hopkins began his professional boxing career before Broner was born, and yet he continues to operate at the championship level. He already holds the record for the oldest boxer to win a world title, a record he secured when outpointing Jean Pascal in Montreal in 2011. He was a youngster of 46 then; now a fully mature 48, he takes on the challenge of undefeated light heavyweight titleholder Tavoris Cloud.

The undercard sees the return of always popular heavyweight Cris Arreola, and exciting young welterweight prospect Keith Thurman.

March 16: Timothy Bradley vs Ruslan Provodnikov
Carson, California

After securing a hugely controversial win against Manny Pacquiao last May, Bradley found himself with his nose pressed against the window as Pacquiao eschewed a rematch in favor of furthering his rivalry with Juan Manuel Marquez. And so, 10 months after his last ring appearance, Bradley is taking on little-known but dangerous Provodnikov, a hard-punching pressure fighter. The Desert Storm will need to be blowing at full strength to avoid the upset.

March 30: Brandon Rios vs Mike Alvarado
Las Vegas, Nevada

The first fight between these two junior welterweights was the consensus fight of the year in 2012 until Marquez flattened Pacquiao in December. It was a bruising, brutal, back-and-forth slobberknocker that ended in the seventh round when Rios unleashed a flurry that had Alvarado in trouble on the ropes and prompted a referee stoppage. There’s no reason to think the rematch will be any less compelling. Honestly, there’s nothing to be said about it except, in the words of Mills Lane: “Let’s get it on.”