Despite compiling a hall-of-fame-worthy boxing ledger, respect continues to elude Tim Bradley. Photo Chris Farina / Top Rank

Timothy Bradley’s dilemma as a boxer is a peculiar one. At 32 years of age, he’s already defeated 12 world titleholder and is a two-time welterweight and junior welterweight champion. He’s only lost to one man, Manny Pacquiao. However, if we can be blunt for a moment, nobody cares.

That’s been the story of Bradley’s career. For all that he’s accomplished, he still struggles to earn the respect that he rightfully deserves. Maybe it’s because of his lack of knockout power. Even without the great equalizer, he’s managed to put together some exceptional performances. However, as he is set to face Manny Pacquiao for a third time tomorrow night in Las Vegas, the hype surrounding this fight, which is supposed to be Pacquiao’s last, is almost non existent.

Nobody cares.

Back in 2011, I remember seeing Bradley walking around the MGM Grand Casino. It was a fight night (although I cannot remember who was fighting) and afterward, I spotted Bradley in the hotel lobby. From what I recall, nobody was taking pictures or really bothering him. At the time, he was in the midst of the controversial decision to pass up on a $1.3 million payday against Amir Khan and subsequently stripped of his WBC 140-pound title.

Many thought it was career suicide.

But, as always, Bradley bounced back. He inked a deal with Top Rank, scored a stoppage victory against the over-the-hill Joel Casamayor on the undercard of Pacquiao-Marquez III and landed the biggest fight of his career against Manny Pacquiao. He then won an inexplicable split decision against Pacquiao, halting the Filipino’s 15-fight win streak and momentarily derailing the momentum of the proposed mega-fight between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

But nobody cared.

Bradley didn’t get a call from Team Mayweather to face the pound for pound king. He wasn’t celebrated for winning the biggest fight of his life. He was criticized and browbeaten by fans and boxing scribes. But it wasn’t his fault. He didn’t control the judges. He fought, managed to stay upright and won. Bradley was miserable despite taking home a massive payday and notching a huge win under his belt. In order to prove that he was worthy, Bradley went out a fought an ill-advised but endearing brawl with the heavy handed Ruslan Provodnikov. It was a fight that earned him THE RING magazine “Fight of the Year” honors and showcased just how gutsy the little guy from Palm Springs, California could be. You know what he did next? Defeated the guy who flat lined Manny Pacquiao, Juan Manuel Marquez. But, you know what?

Nobody cared.

Sure, those fights moved the needle a few notches. But for a still undefeated fighter with a resume that included some of boxing’s finest, the respect that Bradley deserved still eluded him. Meanwhile, Mayweather continued to stack millions while not exactly putting together the most exciting fights around. Bradley was an all-around likable guy who never had trouble with the law and simply doesn’t rub people the wrong way. Shouldn’t he be rewarded for being all of that and an undefeated world champion?

Nope. Not in this society. Not in an era where there are reality show TV “stars” that are rewarded for bad behavior. You’ve got to have an angle and the only angle Bradley has is that he’s a family man who loves to fight. That’s simply not good enough.

Photo by Naoki Fukuda

In 2014 Bradley suffered a loss to Pacquiao in the rematch and an inexplicable draw against Diego Chaves – which most saw as the boxing gods getting their revenge for the Pacquiao debacle. But considering all that Bradley had been through to that point, it wasn’t the worst that could happen. He was well paid and could take care of his family. But that damn thing called respect continued to stay out of his grasp.

A victory against Jessie Vargas where Bradley was nearly stopped in the waning moments of the final round caused him to make a change. Out went longtime trainer Joel Diaz and in came former trainer turned color commentator Teddy Atlas. Altas helped Bradley to a stoppage of the usually durable Brandon Rios last November and helped him score a third fight with Pacquiao for the Filipino’s farewell over Terence Crawford.

So, here we are with a rejuvenated Bradley facing off against Pacquiao in a fight that should be a bigger deal than what it is. It’s crazy to think that this is one of the least talked about trilogies in boxing. But that’s probably because most people see Bradley as 0-2 against Pacquiao. While most see this as a big fight for Pacquiao, it’s arguably bigger for Bradley. A win for Pacquiao doesn’t do much for his career. However, if Bradley were to score an emphatic win on Saturday night, it could finally garner him the respect and attention he has long deserved.

If Bradley were to finally get the monkey off his back, it would be hard to deny him any longer. But a loss will just make him a footnote in Pacquiao’s ledger. He doesn’t deserve that. He deserves more. This is his chance to prove it. And if he were to do the unthinkable and knock Pacquiao out?

Oh yeah, maybe then they will care.