Bradley dominates Peterson, calls out the champions
Timothy "The Desert Storm" Bradley was so wicked against challenger Lamont Peterson that the previously unbeaten challenger was simply swept away.
Bradley, the WBO light-welterweight champion, was just too fast, too slick and too powerful for the taller Peterson, whom he dominated on the way to a unanimous, 12-round decision in defense of his world title in a Showtime-televised main event.
Bradley set the tone in the first round, staggering his former amateur teammate and roommate with one of the many rights that he would land and trouble his rival with all night long, this one over Peterson's lazy left jab.
That blistering attack continued through the second round, where Bradley ripped home more rights behind his rapier-like jab, pounded Peterson to the midsection, and, after switching to southpaw, further befuddled his rival with his wizardry.
And the three right hands that effectively backed up Peterson in the second round were only a preview of what would happen in the third. For that's when Bradley's clubbing right behind Peterson's left ear floored the previously unbeaten fighter for the first time in his career.
"I told Lamont that he's a beast. He came out and he made me fight like nobody else did ever in my career. He stepped up when he had to, but he came up a little short, and I was ready," said Bradley, who consistently spun off to one side or the other following his offensive surges, rarely, if ever, squaring up to or standing directly in front Peterson.
"I knew that he was coming to fight. And he put on a great show. He's a tough, tough, tough fighter and I have all the respect for him. He's the hardest fighter that I've ever faced." said Bradley, who stands 5-foot-6 to Peterson's 5-9.
Bradley won every round on the card of Fritz Werner, who had it 120-107, while Jose Cobian had it 119-108, and Denny Nelson 118-110.
"My conditioning was really superior. They came in with a game plan to break me down and to slow me down in the later rounds, and they did what they were supposed to do. I felt a little gassed in there after about the sixth or seventh round." said Bradley.
"But I caught my second wind around the eighth or ninth and tried to step it up, he kept stepping it up and stepping it up. And I just knew that I had to keep on using my jab and listening to my corner." said Bradley.
Bradley (25-0, 11 KO's) now looks to bouts perhaps with WBA champ and former Olympic silver medallist Amir Khan (22-1, 16 KOs) or Paulie Malignaggi (27-3, 5 KOs), the latter of whom decisioned Juan Diaz on the same night.
"We would love to fight Amir Khan. Timmy is no Dmitriy Salita." said Bradley's promoter Gary Shaw, referring to Khan's first-round knockout of Salita on December 5.
"And if Manny Pacquiao can't fight Mayweather, Timmy is available. Malignaggi also won tonight, that sets up another opponent. Other than Manny, Tim Bradley is the best light-welterweight in the world." said Shaw.
The 25-year-old Peterson, who slipped to 27-1 with 13 KOs, called the knockdown the turning point in the fight.
"My plan was to come out and win the early rounds and to put pressure on him so that I could box in the end, but then the knockdown happened, and I lost a few rounds. That kind of put me in a situation where I wanted to pressure him." said Peterson.
"Regardless of whether he was orthodox or southpaw, he wasn't an easy target to hit, I wanted him to fight with me more, but he was smart and he was on the outside using the ring and doing his job." said Peterson.