Timothy Bradley’s wild ride continues with fight against Brandon Rios

The past 18 months have certainly been full of twists and turns for Timothy Bradley.

In April 2014, Bradley was unable to prove that his 2012 victory over Manny Pacquiao was a fluke and was soundly beaten in a rematch. Then, Bradley ended up with a split draw against Diego Chaves in a fight that many observers thought he handily won. And in his most recent bout, Bradley looked dominant for 11 and a half rounds before an out-of-nowhere punch in the final minute nearly ruined his victory over Jessie Vargas, which earned him the interim WBO welterweight title.

Just when Bradley (32-1-1, 12 KOs) thought he was off the roller coaster, he sought a fight with Brandon Rios (33-2-1, 24 KOs) only to be told by the WBO – who had promoted Bradley to full-time champion – that his mandatory challenger was to be Sadam Ali (22-0, 13 KOs). Bradley, from Palm Springs, Calif., opted to not accept the mandatory fight and finalized a deal to face Rios in an exciting bout at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on Nov. 7.

However, the WBO stated that it will not sanction a Bradley-Rios bout for a world title unless Top Rank (Bradley’s promoter) secures a deal with Golden Boy Promotions (Ali’s promoter) for Ali to step aside. The deal would be for a six-figure amount that would lock in Ali to face the winner of the Nov. 7 fight.

However, Ali doesn’t appear to be willing to step aside and that will likely cost Bradley the opportunity to defend his title. Nevertheless, Bradley will move on with the Rios fight and formally announce the showdown at a news conference on Sept. 16 at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.

To complicate matters, Bradley has parted ways with longtime trainer Joel Diaz. The split has become particularly messy, with Diaz placing the blame for the falling out squarely on Bradley’s wife and manager, Monica.

Bradley addressed the issue and wanted to quell rumors that his wife was the cause of the split from his longtime trainer.

“It's unfortunate that after a long business partnership and friendship with Joel Diaz he has chosen to take a negative approach to us parting ways,” Bradley told Yahoo Sports. “Although he says he respects me, it saddens me that after 10 years he is choosing to share false information with the media and blame others for my decision.”

Diaz has spoken to numerous outlets and made it clear that he believed Bradley’s wife drove a wedge between them.

“As I said earlier in my interviews, there have been many factors that contributed to my decision-making,” Bradley, 32, said. “Our visions are not on the same page anymore and haven't been for some time. Over the past couple fights, I felt us growing apart as friends and felt his dedication as my trainer fading drastically. In this sport, without trust between a fighter and trainer, it’s nearly impossible to have success.

“I appreciate Joel, value the successful moments we shared, wish him, his team and family the best.”

Bradley has yet to secure a new trainer but will certainly be looking to make a decision sooner rather than later with his fight against Rios two months away.

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