TIMOTHY BRADLEY vs LAMONT PETERSON

The old year winds down with yet another outstanding fight when Timothy Bradley defends his WBO junior welter title against Lamont Peterson in a clash of unbeaten boxers on Saturday, with Showtime televising.

Bradley has the home-ground advantage in the Rancho Mirage, CA, casino setting, and his form is so good that it is difficult to see him losing. Peterson, however, might be the best fighter that Bradley has faced.

These are skilled, fast, intelligent fighters and their meeting should provide 12 superb rounds of boxing.

Both were top-level amateurs. Bradley lost to Andre Berto in the national Golden Gloves finals and defeated Darren Barker in a U.S.-England international match in London; Peterson won U.S. and national Golden Gloves titles. Their records as professionals are similar. Bradley has 24 wins in 25 bouts but the no decision against Nate Campbell would surely have been a victory if it hadn’t been for the head clash that gave Campbell a trap door; Peterson has won 27 bouts in a row. Neither man is known to be a particularly hard hitter, although Peterson, from Washington, DC, seems to be getting more leverage on his shots lately with five stoppage wins in his last seven fights.

Bradley, 26, is the shorter, stronger-looking fighter, and he has fought a higher standard of opposition, but Peterson, 25, has hardly lost a round.

These are boxers of the highest quality and although Bradley is the betting favourite there doesn’t seem to be a lot to choose between the two men.

Bradley went to the U.K. to win his title by outfighting Junior Witter and in his three title defences he easily outpointed Edner Cherry outworked Kendall Holt and then was running over Campbell when the head clash brought the disappointing finish.

I think that Bradley’s punching power might be a little underestimated — he dropped Witter and Cherry. Although a full-distance fight looks almost guaranteed I think that Bradley and Campbell are capable of hurting each other.

Bradley has amply demonstrated his heart and determination. Holt — a dangerous banger — floored him with a cracking left hook in the opening round but Bradley was soon steaming forward again as if nothing had happened and I think that Holt’s confidence was seriously dented at this point. Although Bradley went down again in the last round he had the fight well won at that late juncture. When Bradley says he would die rather than lose, the remark has the ring of authenticity.

As ever with Bradley he will be setting a fast pace, jabbing his way in, moving his head, firing off his punches in rapid bursts.

The biggest danger for Peterson, as I see it, is if he tries to box a measured, stylish fight and finds himself being outhustled and outscored. Peterson doesn’t want to find himself in the position of playing catch-up against someone as busy, durable and unyielding as Bradley.

What I think Peterson has to do is to try to challenge Bradley from the start, and meet him almost punch for punch. If Bradley rattles off a sequence of punches, Peterson must be prepared to come right back with a barrage of his own. Whatever Bradley does, it is imperative that Peterson answers it and, if possible, adds something extra.

Peterson and his trainer know what they are up against, of course. They surely realise that they cannot let Bradley keep snaring rounds the way he was allowed to do in the fight with Holt, for instance.

I do think, though, that Peterson is more of an in-the-trenches type of fighter than Holt. Although Holt is quick, talented and sometimes deadly, he doesn’t like it when he is subjected to the sort of intense pressure that Bradley can bring to bear on an opponent. Peterson, it appears to me, will be much more willing to dig in and fight — which he will have to do on Saturday if he is to spring the upset.

We know how good Bradley is, and what he can do. With Peterson, we can’t be sure because he hasn’t fought at this level before. I was very impressed with Peterson, though, when he pounded the French former amateur star Willy Blain in seven rounds in his last fight. Blain might be what was once known as a powder-puff puncher, but he knows how to box — but Peterson walked through him, hurt him to the body and utterly outclassed him. Although Blain officially retired with an injury to his right hand it seemed obvious that he was looking for an escape route very early in the fight.

There was a fighting-machine look to Peterson that night. Everything seemed to be coming together — the balance, timing, speed, combinations and, I thought, the punching power.

Obviously there is a world of difference between fighting a clever but perhaps somewhat faint-hearted individual such as Blain and getting in the ring with a proven, never-surrender warrior such as Bradley. I did think, though, that Peterson looked like a fighter ready to move to the next plateau as he bullied Blain around the ring.

Bradley is favourite for a reason, but I sense in Peterson a fighter capable of producing the sort of performance we have not yet seen from him. I’m leaning by the barest margin in Peterson’s direction, by decision, after a close, tough and skilful contest.