"Bradley didn't need to fight that type of fight. You have a great body, but you're not a big banger. You know that. Do what you do best; box, move, and not sit there and try to trade fire with somebody who's got more firepower. He definitely left a little bit of himself trying to prove something he didn't have to...And another problem he had is he let his weight get too far up there. So not only is he compounding damage to his body reaching the high 180's, and then having a toe-to-toe fight is just not in his best interest," stated world-class trainer Ron Frazier, who shared his thoughts on a number of subjects, including Bradley/Provodnikov, Rios/Alvarado II, Floyd Mayweather, Showtime, HBO, and much more. Check it out!
PC: We witnessed a very brutal fight between Timothy Bradley and Ruslan Provodnikov, as well as Brandon Rios and Mike Alvarado. What did you think of the fights and their aftermath?
RF: I think they left a little bit of their career in the ring those nights. We've seen it time and time again. If you look at the first Corrales/Castillo fight, they were never the same afterwards. And the fact is Bradley didn't need to fight that type of fight. You have a great body, but you're not a big banger. You know that. Do what you do best; box, move, and not sit there and try to trade fire with somebody who's got more firepower. He definitely left a little bit of himself trying to prove something he didn't have to. You know what? You are the champ and whether or not you won a decision you weren't supposed to is not your fault. On paper, you got the W against Manny Pacquiao. You did your job that night. If the judges didn't do theirs, that's their fault. He can't get caught up in those situations and try to prove he's this warrior and a fighter. And another problem he had is he let his weight get too far up there. So not only is he compounding damage to his body reaching the high 180's, and then having a toe-to-toe fight is just not in his best interest.
PC: Does the time between fights bother you for such a young fighter like Bradley, because this wasn't his first extensive layoff?
RF: The rest is needed sometimes, but it's damaging as far as money-making opportunities are concerned. As far as the health of a boxer, it may not be as damaging and if he goes back to fighting smart, it may help him on the back end of his career because he's not getting in those wars like he was in a few weeks ago. But financially, he's not out there; he's not in the limelight or marketing himself for a fight. He didn't capitalize on the Manny Pacquiao situation by fighting soon afterwards, so people can remember his name. He became the forgotten man out there and that's never good financially.
PC: When you see HBO severe ties with Golden Boy Promotions and losing Floyd Mayweather, do you see Showtime as the premier boxing network now and that this is a changing of the guard?
RF: Absolutely, and I think the writing has been on the wall for the last 5 or 6 years. There has been rumblings about some of the HBO boxing contracts expiring and some of the fights going on to Showtime and people getting fired and leaving. So you can kind of see where HBO was maybe like, yeah we will still do some boxing, but we're not gonna be the major player that we were. Unless they got some trick up their sleeve that I don't know about, looks like Showtime is going to be the place.
PC: What does it mean for the sport of boxing that Floyd Mayweather signed the richest deal in sports history in your opinion?
RF: It's good for boxing. To attach his name to the largest contract is great for boxing. But the thing is this, Floyd is 36 years old now, so how many more fights does he have in him. I don't know if he has 3 more years in him. After he beats Guerrero, well, assuming he beats Guerrero, which I believe he will, and then he gets Canelo or a Trout in September and he beats one of those guys, what's left for him? The Pacquiao fight is dead. There is nothing really left for him to do. So it's great that he can generate all of this money, but who is the next guy after him that you can hitch your wagon to for the next 10 to 12 years?
PC: Some seem to think it's going to be Adrien Broner to be the guy who you can hitch your wagon to and carry the sport. He's recently made headlines in and out of the ring. What are your thoughts on him?
RF: People gotta start being honest with him and not be yes men. Right now, he thinks he can do whatever he wants to do. Somebody needs to grab him by the collar, somebody that's close to him and he will listen to, and say, "Hey, the stuff you are doing right now is not cool. You can't be doing this." He is an immense talent and he could be the next guy, but he has to stay out of trouble. You can't fight if you are in jail or if you are in and out of courtrooms. People get turned off by that really quick. He has a ton of talent and he has an engaging personality; somebody just needs to check him. Somebody that he respects need to just be like, "Yo, this ain't cool," and go from there.
PC: What are your thoughts on Keith Thurman?
RF: I would like to watch him a few more times. I like what I have seen so far. I just haven't seen enough of him. I would like to see more of him and be able to say, "Okay, this kid really can be something special."
PC: Switching gears to MMA really quickly, Melvin Guillard tried to go back to Greg Jackson's camp and I guess he was denied. He is someone I would like to see you work with. Is that someone you would be interested in training?
RF: Yeah, I have always liked Melvin. I don't know him well, but we know each other and yeah, I would love to work with somebody like that. He's at a crossroads. He's at a point where he either makes it or the UFC will send him packing. He's an exciting guy; he just gotta learn how to be smarter in his approach in a cage fight. I think his training has been fine. I think his in-cage generalship has been a little bit off and that's what he has to work on.
PC: What do you have going on out there at "The House of Ryu?"
RF: I got a lot of young amateurs that are fighting and improving each time out. I'm taking 3 guys up to a small town on the 13th. Two of them are my guys who have titles back here in Vegas, Shai Lindsey and Dylan Jahrling. They will be fighting there, as well as Boston Salmon. He will be fighting and he's making the transition from being a boxer or working with his hands to being an MMA guy. He's gonna be a problem at 145.
PC: I appreciate the time as always and we will definitely keep our eyes open for your guys. Is there anything you want to say in closing?
RF: I appreciate the time on FightHype. You guys keep doing your thing and I will keep tuning in and seeing what's next with you guys.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]