Tim Bradley Blasts Shakur Stevenson Over Rumored Manny Pacquiao Bout

International Boxing Hall of Famer Timothy Bradley Jr. and WBO welterweight champion Shakur Stevenson do not like each other. The pair have exchanged heated barbs and direct insults for weeks.

Now, with rumors of a proposed fight between Stevenson and boxing icon Manny Pacquiao surfacing, Bradley took aim at Stevenson for a perceived avoidance of top competition, accusing the elite pound-for-pound fighter of ducking tough fights.

The ducking accusation seems as old as the sport itself. However, Bradley compared Stevenson's walking away from big fights to Floyd Mayweather's tactic of carefully curating his record and evading the tougher fights.

Bradley's unhappiness stems from the fact that Stevenson, while in his prime, could face Pacquiao, who is on the doorstep of 50. Additionally, Stevenson seems willing to verbally spar with retired fighters and ex-champions, rather than putting his energy into making better fights.

Shakur Stevenson | IMAGO / Torsten Helmke

At the heart of Bradley's tirade is the criticism of modern boxing, which seems intent on protective matchmaking. The current approach to matchmaking often prioritizes financial gain over the best competition, leading to the avoidance of significant fights.

Bradley calls on Stevenson to take a stand, forge his own identity in the sport, and disregard Mayweather's strategy of carefully selecting opponents.

Bradley blasts Stevenson over potential Pacquiao fight

Bradley took to his YouTube channel to post a 7-and-a-half-minute rant about Stevenson's potential matchup against Manny Pacquiao, saying Stevenson is only interested in the "free money" vs. fighting tough fights.

“Ain’t nobody waiting on no damn Manny Pacquiao and you to fight, boy,” Bradley said. “This whole generation is straight up soft. I’m thinking you growing some big balls – you want to face Gary Antuanne Russell. Yeah, you can beat him. But guess what? You want to fight him at 135 or 132, probably. You not willing to leap out and test your damn self."

Bradley thinks Stevenson is attempting to silence critics by potentially signing an easy fight against a fighter who looks a decade past his prime. Financially, placing Pacquiao and Stevenson on the Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua card makes sense, however.

Pacquiao is the most famous and beloved boxer of Asian descent. Turki Alalshikh wants Zuffa to expand into that market, and what better way to promote Pacquiao than by featuring him on the biggest card of the year? While it makes no sense from a rankings or title standpoint, it will draw attention.

Stevenson taking a page from the Mayweather playbook?

As mentioned, Bradley truly believes that Stevenson is ducking tougher fights to keep his record unblemished while cashing checks. This strategy annoys the former champion.

"Hey, he's picking up game from Floyd and all this stuff. Yeah. He's picking up the game. Oh yeah. On how to duck. On how to duck the competition and fight the right competition at the right time. That's what he's picking up. Yeah. I already know Floyd got something to do with this."

Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

“You used to talk so much trash about Tank, but you’re turning right into Tank Davis. This dude is literally trying to make a fight happen just with Manny Pacquiao. Nobody likes this s--- – Manny Pacquiao [is] way over the damn hill.”

Bradley's displeasure isn't rare. Many in and around the sport do not want to see a world champion fighting a legend who should be retired.

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