There is no clear lead on who Floyd Mayweather may be facing this coming September, but the possible names are now piling up. Though only two have been mentioned by Mayweather (Andre Berto and Karim Mayfield), the rumor mill has been adding new names as the days go by.
Amir Khan is still a favorite, though several names like Shawn Porter and Kell Brook have at one time been tossed in the hat. This time, it is Timothy Bradley Jr.'s name in the circle, though many feel that this could bring in more trouble.
The controversy revolves around his last bout against Jesse Vargas for the interim WBO welterweight title, which Bradley won by unanimous decision.
Bradley's dominance is not really in question. There was no doubt that Bradley outboxed Vargas for 11 rebounds and most of the 12th and last round. But in the world of boxing, one hit can make a difference, and apparently that seemed to be the case at least in the last 10 seconds or so.
In the dying seconds, Bradley received a vicious punch from Vargas and was seemingly on the verge of falling. Pat Russell stepped in and Vargas thought the fight was over.
But as it turned out, he stepped in thinking that it was the end of the fight. There were about seven seconds left before the final bell actually sounded.
As it stands now, Bradley did win the victory but in controversial fashion. Remember that he had already had one against Manny Pacquiao in 2012, where he also won via unanimous decision.
With that in the air, does he deserve to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr.? Perhaps yes, but only if he proves that his win over Vargas was no fluke.
There is no question he can dominate. However, the question right now is, can he really take a punch and last?
Though the word out now is that Bradley is moving on, Vargas wants a rematch. Apparently, Vargas believes he had Bradley despite being brought to boxing school for 11 rounds and more than two minutes in the 12th round.
