Moments ago at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley successfully defended his title against very game challenger Ruslan Provodnikov. Things looked shaky for Bradley in the beginning, as Provodnikov consistently found a home for his looping right hand and left hook, rocking the champion multiple times. At one point, Bradley looked like he was nearly out on his feet, but he fought through it and continued to fire back and land his own shots. By round 3, Provodnikov appeared to be exhausted, throwing very few punches as Bradley began to take over control of the fight.
Approaching the middle rounds, it looked like the better technical skills of Bradley were beginning to shine as he picked apart the challenger with multiple combinations, but the heavier hands of Provodnikov would have the champion on unsteady legs again. Somehow, though, Bradley again weathered the storm, regaining control by using more movement and angles to stay out of harm's way and land more punches.
By the time the championship rounds arrived, it looked like it was all Bradley, who appeared to have pulled ahead on the scorecards with his superior work rate. In the 12th and final round, however, Provodnikov landed a series of shots that again had Bradley in serious trouble, forcing him to take a knee in the last 10 seconds of the fight. In the end, the judges scored the bout 114-113, 114-113, 115-112 all in favor of Bradley.
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