Bradley Survives Two Knockdowns to Outpoint Holt
In a junior welterweight title unification bout that promised action with two talented, young champions with opposing styles facing off against each other, undefeated Timothy Bradley survived being knocked down twice by Kendall Holt to win by decision.
It didn't take long for Bradley to feel the sometimes underrated power of Holt. It was in the middle of the first round that Holt launched a left hook with his full force and absolutely leveled Bradley. Bradley's entire body violently spun around and it looked as if the fight would be won via a round 1 KO for Holt.
However, Bradley was amazingly able to bounce right back up from the gigantic shot. He then intelligently went back down to a knee for the count of 8, allowing himself as much time as possible to fully recover. Holt wasn't able to capitalize on the knockdown and Bradley survived the round.
Learning from his mistakes, Bradley began to carry his hands higher and squared himself up a bit less while attacking. He also began focusing on Holt's midsection, time and time again launching hard combinations into Holt's body.
The body attack seemed to contribute to Holt slowing down in the middle rounds, as he wilted to Bradley's pressure. His punch rate dropped significantly, and Bradley continued to move forward in each round. Holt was able to land some hard shots in the process, but they were overshadowed by Bradley's more consistent efforts.
It took until the 12th round for Holt to land another shot of substance, and once again he put Bradley down to the canvas. But Bradley was able to survive the second scare, and make it to the end of the fight on his feet.
While he appeared tentative awaiting the judge's decision, it would be Bradley who would leave the ring as the unified champion with a unanimous decision. With the two knockdowns the fight was reasonably close on the scorecards, however it appeared Bradley won the lion's share of the rounds.
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Holt once again proved to be his own worst enemy, as a lack of focus in the middle rounds, as his work rate dropped and he fought Bradley's fight probably cost him the win.
For Timothy Bradley, undefeated and unified 140 pound champion, big fights are surely on the horizon. The junior welterweight division is no longer lacking for big names, with Ricky Hatton, Juan Manuel Marquez, Manny Pacquiao, Zab Judah and Nate Campbell all lurking around. Fights against Campbell or Judah are probably most realistic, however Bradley will have to fight a mandatory challenger first.
By Jake Emen
ProFighting-fans.com Staff Writer & Director of Boxing Content