Timothy Bradley a better fighter after pissing blood following Ruslan Provodnikov bout

Timothy Bradley claims that fighting Ruslan Provodnikov has changed how he sees boxing. In that fight, Bradley veered away from his gameplan and almost paid for it dearly. Provodnikov, a student of Freddie Roach, is known for his unforgiving power. He's a hunter who has good combinations to the head and body.

Bradley saw first-hand just how strong the Russian warrior was.

Back in March of 2013, nine months after winning a disputed decision against Manny Pacquiao for the WBO welterweight title, Bradley had no other choice but to fight the dangerous Provodnikov. The undefeated American thought a win over Pacquiao would catapult him into superstardom, but he failed to get the big fights he thought he deserved.

In the end, Bradley was forced to take on Provodnikov. In the first two rounds, Bradley fought angry. He was mad at the people ridiculed him after beating Pacquiao. He was mad at the boxing world that refused to believe he was a real champion. To get back at them, Bradley wanted to demolish Provodnikov. It ended up being a huge mistake as slugging it out with the Russian almost cost Bradley his belt.

For 12 rounds, the two engaged in a brutal battle with Bradley landing more, but Provodnikov landing harder. In the 12th round, the Russian knocked down the American but time ran out before he could go for the kill. In the end, Bradley won the battle 115-112, 114-113, and 114-113 in the judges' scorecards but Provodnikov apparently won the war.

"In 20 years of boxing, man, I've never, ever pissed blood before. After that night, I pissed blood, man," said Bradley in an interview with Ring Magazine's Lem Satterfield. "I gave the fans and I gave the world and just everybody a piece of me, man. I left it all in that ring."

After flirting with disaster, Bradley returned to his old style to defeat Juan Manuel Marquez by decision last October.

"I got a lot off of my chest that night. That's the reason why I came back in the Marquez fight calm, poised and didn't have nothing to prove, really...It was sweet. It was easy. I had fun that night, and I haven't had fun in a while. That night, I had a lot of fun."

Joel Diaz, in a separate interview with Ring Magazine, said that Bradley has a distinct advantage over Pacquiao because of his movement.

"Manny, if you make him think, he doesn't know how to fight," Diaz said. "If you just come straight to get him, he's going to demolish you. But when you make him think, and you've got footwork, he gets lost every time."

"He matured as a boxer. Going through hell and back with Ruslan and beating Marquez, his confidence level is high, and he's more mature as a fighter. That's the big difference. That plays a big role," added Diaz.

"I don't know that I now have a psychological advantage going into the fight, but I just honestly feel that I have to prove to the fans, once again, that I won the first fight," Bradley said. "I have to definitely prove it this time around. I have to prove that, without a doubt, that I won this fight coming up on April 12." - AMD, GMA News