Tim Bradley got on his soapbox this week to lecture Turki Al-Sheikh, telling him he's done nothing to improve boxing except put up some “good fights”. Tim thinks that once Turki leaves the game, the situation will be just as bad as it was before he arrived.

Commissioner Callout

Bradley said he wants to make Turk a commissioner-like figure who “oversees” the game, similar to the NFL and NBA. These leagues have appointed commissioners who oversee the management and track of the teams.

It is not clear that Turkey would want to shoulder such a responsibility, as it would be a very difficult task. He seems more interested in fighting well among the fighters he chooses. Being boxing commissioner for Turkey would be a full-time job if he could do it.

“Why don't you help us build a union so fighters can stand strong and get their promoters,” Tim Bradley said on social media to address Turki al-Sheikh. “Why don't you give us a World Boxing Council, which will look at the whole (sport)? I know we got the WBC, but you know what I mean.

“Someone to oversee, like the NFL (i.e., the commissioner to officiate the game, appointed by the league's teams) and the NBA (commissioners, like the NFL, appointed by the teams).

“You can have your headquarters in America, and you can have your headquarters there (Saudi Arabia) and they can all work together to get boxing back on the right track. If you do things like that, then you get my attention. You do something like that, then I fall behind you.

“I'll be behind you, Turk, for real, because that's what boxing is all about. When you leave, Turk, when you decide to leave, we'll be back to square one. You've had some great fights (like Fury vs. Usyk and Beterbiev vs. Bivol), but boxing hasn't changed a thing. You didn't change s***.

Fixing the future of boxing

“So, my view of boxing is different from everyone's view. You get all the fights that you want, which is great. That's great, but it's not going to solve all of boxing's problems. We need a governing body that overlooks the whole game,” Bradley said.

Tim Bradley says if Turki really wants to save boxing 🥊, “he needs to start a union for old and new fighters and put boxing under a governing body that rules over the entire sport like the NBA and NFL.

The Turk is just putting a Band-Aid on boxing.

🎥 @Timbradleyjr #Boxing pic.twitter.com/IRDdpYgurH

— Pound 4 Pounds (@pound4our4pounds) January 17, 2025

In the past, global promoters put on many high-priced, low-quality cards and much of the interest in boxing disappeared. Many events were placed behind a PPV paywall, preventing fans from watching fights unless they were willing to pay $70 to see most of the matches.

Promoters have made matters worse by always matching their fighters against opponents who haven't won. This continues today, and we've even seen on some cards in Turkey that promoters are stacking undercards into fights with no competitive value.