As 2014 comes to an end, the year of boxing has a so-so year as far as quality, entertaining fights goes, but Dec. 13 can help end the year on a bright note when former welterweight titlist Timothy Bradley takes on Diego Chaves at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
This will mark the second time Chaves will fight at the Cosmo, as he gave Brandon Rios all he could handle in a rough-and-tumble affair in August.
The bout was eventually stopped and Chaves disqualified in Round 9 of the scheduled 10-round bout, for an intentional elbow being thrownby Chaves on top of other offenses throughout the bout.
Bradley is coming into the fight fresh off his first loss as a pro to Manny Pacquiao in April and with how his bout with Ruslan Provodnikov went; an action-packed bout is expected.
Chaves is banking off that happening and hopes to give Bradley more than Provodnikov did, and walk away with a win.
“I give Timothy Bradley all the credit in the world for coming back after his first loss to face me, especially after seeing how I hurt Brandon Rios in my last fight,” Chaves said in a duel press release put out by both Top rank and Golden Boy. “We both have a lot to prove on December 13. If Bradley thought he had it rough against Ruslan Provodnikov, wait until he collides with me.”
Bradley expects a tough bout from Chaves even if isn’t as well-known in the sports world as he last few opponents like Pacquiao, and Juan Manuel Marquez.
“I’m excited to get back into the ring and showcase myself,” Bradley was quoted from ESPN.com in the release. “Chaves is not that well-known but the boxing fans know him. The boxing fans know that this guy can fight and that it won’t be a walk in the park for me. I think it’s going to be a great fight. I can’t wait.”
With one Fight of the Year-type bout under his belt this year, Bradley could give another performance worthy of such an honor and give everyone an early gift as the holiday season kicks off.
In addition to the main event, the co-feature will be a title showdown between interim WBA super lightweight champ Mauricio Herrera and Jose Benavides Jr., which also has a likely chance of fireworks in the ring, making for a solid show on HBO to help wind down the year.
