In round three, while Bradley and Campbell were infighting along the ropes at the Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, California, a clash of heads sent Campbell backpedaling to the corner, pointing to his right eye. Bradley followed his injured foe to the corner and cut loose with dozens of punches, refusing to relent until the bell sounded.
Campbell complained to the ring doctor that he couldn't see out of his eye and that he was seeing spots. With that, the doctor immediately stopped the fight.
According to the Unified Rules of Boxing, if a fight is stopped due to injuries from an accidental butt before the end of four rounds, the fight is ruled a No Contest. Referee, David Mendoza, while acknowledging the headbutt, claimed that the cut was caused from a punch subsequent to the butt, therefore giving Bradley, 25-0 (12) his TKO victory.
After the fight Bradley said that it wouldn't have mattered anyway. "He was getting older, round by round," said the 25-year-old WBO junior welterweight champion. He may have been right.
From the opening bell, Campbell 33-6-1 (25) looked sluggish. His punches were long and slow and his balance seemed poor as he often stumbled backward after throwing his punches. While Campbell, 37, has never been a textbook prizefighter, the contrast between him and Bradley, who showed light, balanced footwork and speedy combinations, was especially startling.
Devon Alexander Defeats Junior Witter
Devon Alexander, the 22-year-old from St. Louis, Missouri won his first title, a WBC Junior Welterweight belt, by forcing Junior Witter (35) of Great Britain to retire on his stool after round eight. Witter complained of an injured right elbow, stating that it was impossible to continue.
In typical Witter fashion, the Brit kept his switched from southpaw to orthodox on numerous occasions, kept his lead hand low, occasionally flicked a jab, swung wildly, and fell down swinging. All in the first round. Alexander 19-0 (12) kept his composure and jabbed Witter backward, held his gloves high to parry Witter's wild punches and stuck to his fight plans. "We had a plan A, a Plan B, and a Plan C," said Alexander after the fight, referring to his veteran opponent's unpredictability in the ring.
A dejected Witter, 37-3-3 (22), said he wasn't sure what he would do next, knowing that at his age opportunities to regain a title are getting harder to come by.
With a Bradley/Campbell rematch unlikely (unless the California Athletic Commission declares their fight a No Contest. Equally unlikely, though just) Boxing fans have the prospect of Timothy Bradley vs. Devon Alexander to look forward to in the, hopefully, not-to-distant future.
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