It takes a special kind of breed to be a prizefighter, but it doesn’t mean that all prizefighters are built alike.
There are those who make it all the way to the top, then manage to preserve their lead by engaging in fights where the reward always outweigh the risks. They don’t remain at the top forever, but earn millions for their troubles, though leaving behind a sea of “What If” scenarios regarding the contenders and titlists they glossed over in pursuit of fortune and fame.
In the opposite direction exists fighters who never gain a gull grasp of their fair market value, and wind up standing in line for opportunities that never come. They toil in obscurity due to constantly pricing themselves out of meaningless fights, only to get clipped somewhere along the way for far less than the paydays they’ve previously rejected.
Somewhere in the middle lies the type of fighter that doesn’t really give a crap who’s standing in the other corner or how many zeroes are to be found on his paycheck. All they want to know is that a fight is in their future, knowing that if they keep fighting and beating good opposition, they will earn the public’s respect, which in turn creates demand for future fights.
This weekend’s SHOWTIME main event features two such fighters, which is what makes the junior welterweight scrap between Tim Bradley and Nate Campbell such a delectable treat.
Even more befitting is the fact that both fighters are willing to ignore past signs suggesting it was never meant for their paths to cross. Barring history repeating itself, they not only appear on the same show, but against one another in headlining a televised doubleheader live from the Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, California (SHOWTIME, Saturday, 9PM ET/PT).
For Bradley (24-0, 11KO), the 20 minute drive from his Palm Springs hometown to the venue represents a homecoming after having spent the past year traveling the globe and collecting titles. The Californian had never fought outside of his home state prior to 2008, yet has traveled to four separate countries for his past three fights.
The numbers read like they should probably appear in reverse, but the fourth trip resulted in his being a spectator rather than a participant. His 2008 campaign – which served as a breakout year – was to begin in a Mexican bullring, where he was supposed to face former lightweight king Jose Luis Castillo for the right to challenge for one of the alphabet junior welterweight titles.
Bradley was fit and ready to go, but the same couldn’t be said of his opponent. Infamous for his follies at the scales, Castillo never bothered to show up for the weigh-in after reportedly being told by a physician that he was at serious risk if he proceeded with the fight. An unofficial pre-fight weight check had him at 144½ lb, 4½ over the junior welterweight limit.
Rather than fighting for the right to challenge for a major championship, Bradley would instead get his first up-close and personal look at Nate Campbell (33-5-1, 25KO).
It was unknown at the time that the two would eventually collide, nor did Bradley have any particular interest in chasing after the born-again boxer, who turned back the clock in dismantling previously unbeaten Juan Diaz in the evening’s co-feature to collect a gaggle of lightweight belts.
Two months later, Bradley would scoop up a belt of his own, traveling to Nottingham, England to face the UK’s own Junior Witter. It was a huge leap in competition for Bradley, a regular on the Shobox circuit (which also played host to this bout in what was billed a special presentation) but largely against gatekeepers and fringe contenders.
Witter was considered at the time the top threat to the lineal crown held then by his elusive in- country rival Ricky Hatton. Twelve rounds later, Bradley replaced Witter at the top, riding a sixth round knockdown en route to a well earned decision win and his first championship.
Though never specified to be on a collision course, Bradley and Campbell were once again slated to appear on the same card. A Showtime doubleheader in September was to feature the duo making the first defense of their respective titles in separate bouts, Bradley facing Edner Cherry and Campbell in a typically tough fight against undefeated Joan Guzman.
For the second straight time, plans to have both appear on the same show fell by the wayside.
This time, it was Campbell forced to sit ringside and take in a night of boxing action, after Guzman missed weight by a lot and was later admitted to a nearby hospital for dehydration.
Campbell was willing to allow the fight to go on under any circumstances, regardless of his opponent’s weight. His stance was in line with his genuine tough guy persona; all he wanted to do was just fight.
Unfortunately, Guzman’s actions also fell in line with the longtime perception surrounding his career; long on talent, short on results. Gone was the fight, as well as Campbell’s chance to recover from bankruptcy since he lost out on a $300,000 payday.
It would be another five months before Campbell would finally make his way to a boxing ring, only for the Floridian to be on the humbling end of a weigh-in controversy. Coming in 2 ½ lb heavy for what was supposed to be his first lightweight title defense against mandatory challenger Ali Funeka, Campbell was forced to concede his belts at the scales.
He went on to win the fight, scoring knockdowns early and late to overcome a mid-rounds surge by his beanpole opponent to escape with a well-deserved majority decision win in their HBO headliner this past February.
What was lost from the fight was the opportunity to go in with any sort bargaining power for a desired showdown against lineal lightweight king Juan Manuel Marquez. Such a fight never had much of a chance of occurring anyway, but there would always remain demand so long as one had lineage and the other had a collection of belts and the public’s respect.
It’s what propelled Campbell to headlines upon the win over Diaz, when demand suddenly came for a rematch with Joel Casamayor, the lineal king at the time. The two met in 2003, with Campbell suffering his first defeat and spending the next five years trying to scratch and claw his way back towards the top.
The rematch would never happen, despite negotiations and a purse bid taking place for such a fight. A showdown with Marquez never reached the negotiating stage, not so long as Campbell refused to become part of Golden Boy Promotion’s endless stable of lightweight contenders.
Instead, the 37-year young fighter was forced to look elsewhere for his next payday.
He only had to wait another six weeks and the return of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, which came April 4, headlined by Bradley’s third fight in as many countries in facing fellow junior welterweight titlist Kendall Holt.
It turned out to be both his best performance and biggest scare, as his boxing clinic was bookended by knockdowns in the first and last round of their alphabet unification match in Montreal, Canada. His performance from rounds two through 11 were enough to escape with a convincing decision win, and his managing to recover from two knockdowns against a talented athletic fighter like Holt proved his mettle.
However, his efforts weren’t enough to keep both belts for very long. A decision had to be made of which mandatory challenger to face – Campbell or Devon Alexander.
This weekend’s top billing provides the answer, and also the opportunity for Alexander to perhaps get next in line.
Bradley giving up one belt creates a Six-Degrees-Of-Separation scenario for the evening’s undercard. The contender he was asked to face – Alexander – now faces Junior Witter, the man whom Bradley replaced as champion last year.
Given the in-ring history of Bradley and Campbell, there’s no reason to believe that the main event winner couldn’t next defend against the evening’s co-feature.
Sure, more lucrative bouts are out there, such as a dream fight with divisional leader and the sport’s biggest draw in Manny Pacquiao. Emphasis on dream, as the Filipino’s schedule remains booked for the remainder of the year and hardly figures to fill up in 2010 with the likes of anyone from this weekend’s show.
Given all that he’s accomplished through the years, Pacquiao has earned the right to pick and choose who gets to punch – and get punched by – for pay; the run he is on is truly priceless.
There are plenty of fighters waiting in line for their turn at the sport’s pound-for-pound king, many of whom believe they will one day hit the jackpot, but stand the chance of growing stale waiting for that dream to come true.
Fortunately for fight fans, there are also fighters like Tim Bradley and Nate Campbell, who prefer to break open the door rather than wait for opportunity to come knocking.
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