Bradley vs. Abregu Welterweight Fight Preview
Timothy Bradley’s dance card has come to resemble a roller coaster ride in 2010. Originally set to fight Luis Carlos Abregu for his July debut on HBO, that fight was scrubbed due to promotional conflicts and a match with big puncher Marcos Maidana scheduled instead.
Then Maidana withdrew due to a back injury and BAM! Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley is now set once again to fight Luis Carlos Abregu in a non-title welterweight showdown on July 17 on HBO. The uncertainty surrounding Bradley’s next opponent has percolated since March, so hopefully the Abregu fight is a done deal and no further hiccups are in the works.
Luis Carlos Abregu (29-0, 23 KOs)
5’10”, 72″ reach, 27 years old
Argentine
Abregu, a former South American welterweight champ, is a slugger in the classic Argentine mold. Hailing from Salta, in the northwestern Andean foothills of Argentina, Abregu spars with former champ and Argentine tough guy Carlos Baldomir. His style is marked by bullish aggression, fast hands and a tendency to get himself hurt and in trouble before storming back, but he remains largely untested against top-flight competition. Abregu’s best win to date was a Split Decision over trialhorse David Estrada. Estrada is a guy most world class boxers manage to knock out, but do not be misled by the Split Decision verdict, as the fight was not that close and Abregu won it handily.
Timothy Bradley (25-0, 11 KOs)
5’6″, 69″ reach, 26 years old
Current WBO Light Welterweight Champion, former WBC Light Welterweight Champion
American
Bradley is a boxer-puncher who first exploded onto the scene by edging Junior Witter in Witter’s backyard of Nottingham, taking his WBC title. He then took Kendall Holt’s WBO strap in a solid points win. He dropped the WBC’s belt, and his showdown with Nate Campbell was aborted when “The Galaxy Warrior” was cut over the eye by a head butt. He then beat undefeated Lamont Pearson, putting on a boxing clinic in the process.
Bradley is fast, skillful and has the will to win, but he has his drawbacks. First, Bradley is something of a featherfist, as attested by his low knockout ratio. He has a hard overhand right, good enough to put Witter and Pearson on the canvas anyway, but neither man was badly hurt. Bradley also has a suspect chin, as demonstrated by the two knockdowns he suffered at the hands of Kendall Holt, who is by no means a puncher.
Although the second of those knockdowns was due more to Bradley being off-balance, Bradley was truly hurt in the first knockdown of the fight. This is a bad combination for a man whose style is fundamentally that of a boxer-puncher. Bradley should box more and punch less.
Bradley vs. Abregu Prediction & Fight Analysis
Count on Abregu to come forward, apply pressure and look to land his left hook. Bradley will no doubt play matador and counter-punch well, but his tendency to trade will leave him in a position to get nailed early in the fight. Abregu has fast hands too, and expect him to land a big left hook during an exchange in the 2nd or 3rd Round, sending Bradley down to the canvas hard.
Bradley, fighting at 147 lbs. for the first time, will need to hang on for dear life to survive the round, but survive he will. Bradley will start to fight back in the 5th, and will soon time Abregu’s left hook sufficiently to counter with his own overhand right. That punch is Bradley’s hardest, and while it has the potential to shut Abregu’s offense down, I doubt it will be enough to send an Argentine-tough welterweight down.
Abregu, who has never tried a boxer as remotely talented as Bradley, will be unable to adjust. Bradley will sweep the last third of the bout, banking enough rounds to win a Unanimous Decision.
Bradley UD10
