Tim Bradley Sparks Firestorm After Accusing Gary Antuanne Russell of Ducking Shakur Stevenson

Hall of Fame fighter-turned-analyst Timothy Bradley Jr. never holds back from expressing his opinions, regardless of the controversy they may provoke.

He recently took to social media to accuse WBA super lightweight champion Gary Antuanne Russell of ducking Shakur Stevenson, even mentioning an alleged $2 million purse. This accusation ignited a response from the boxing community all eager to weigh in.

The label of "ducking" can linger on a fighter's reputation, whether or not it holds any truth. The boxing world, from casuals to hardcore trainers to promoters and managers, all wanted to chime in.

Gary Russell Jr., the former WBC featherweight champion and the champion's brother, fired back at Bradley. In asserting that the previously mentioned $2 million was never a viable option, he stated that his brother's team is still working to make the Stevenson fight a reality. Bradley decided to double down.

Shakur Stevenson during a March 7, 2024 press conference. | IMAGO / Torsten Helmke

Bradley butts heads with Stevenson and Russell

Stevenson and Bradley are not fans of each other, as the latter regularly criticizes the former, who strongly replies. Stevenson last fought in January, a decisive 12-round unanimous decision over current welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez. The undefeated Stevenson has been fighting for and winning world championships since 2019 and is a big-fight boxer who excels in the spotlight. But finding a worthy challenger has been a struggle.

Bradley took to his YouTube page to post a video that veered between comedy and direct opinion. He did not wince at what he said.

"I saw the little video y'all put out. Y'all are framing me and saying, 'It wasn't $2 million.' The first offer probably wasn't $2 million; it was $1.5 or $1.7 million. But it got to $2 million dollars, so stop trying to lie. You contradict yourself in your video, saying that if it was 42 million, you still wouldn't take the fight."

Meanwhile, Russell seems like the fighter that many would rather overlook. With a height advantage (5'10") for his weight, the 140-pound champion attempts to detonate his punches, ending fights in rapid fashion. While Russell's last three fights went to the judge's scorecards, he maintains an 89.4% knockout percentage.

For context, Team Russell posted a video to dispute Bradley's allegations of ducking. Yet Bradley does not seem likely to retract anything. Te Russell camp states that they are trying to work out a deal with Stevenson.

Bradley believes the Russell team is not telling the truth. In fact, he referred to them as liars. And although Bradley engaged in a weeks-long debate with Stevenson, he is now seemingly defending him. Whether this spurs on a deal remains to be seen. Still, the eyes of the sport are upon them.

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