Updated: October 12, 2013
We all know how the fight with Manny Pacquiao turned out. Whatever your opinion, Tim Bradley proved that he was a force to be reckoned with. Tonight he takes on Juan Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas. Bradley, who is 30-0 with 12 knockouts, weighed in at a cut 146. He’s looking for respect in this fight. Currently the odds slightly favor Marquez, but being the underdog only serves to motivate Bradley.
Alan and I, and the Cross Country team were fortunate to bump into Tim Bradley at Starbucks last year. As someone who works to help and motivate young people, as well as being a former cross country coach himself (Cathedral City High School), Tim was very generous with his time, asking the team about their race that day and giving them lots of encouragement.
The original post was about Tim Bradley’s vegan training diet, which he continues to adhere to. Please read on for more about his diet.
Well, it looks like undefeated light welterweight, boxer Timothy Bradley will finally get his big break, a fight with current WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao (on June 9, in Las Vegas). (note: Bradley won in a controversial decision)
Well, for two reasons. While I can appreciate the training and dedication involved, the whole idea of fighting as spectator sport troubles me. The fighters themselves don’t bother me nearly as much as the audience. The blood lust and the cheering for the serious injury of the combatants really disturbs and scares me.
The reasons that I am interested in Tim Bradly are 1) He is from Cathedral City, California, just down the road from La Quinta. He actually worked at Cathedral City High School a few years back, and even coached cross country while he was there.
The second reason, actually the main reason that I’m writing this post, is that when Tim Bradley is in training for a fight, he adheres to a plant based diet. Yes, that is right, serious athlete, serious training, serious muscles, vegan diet. In fact, Bradley gives credit to his diet for giving him a distinct advantage in the ring.
Bradley first tried a plant based diet in 2008, when an adviser suggested he try it because it wold give him more energy and endurance. His training went so well, and was so successful, that it became a regular part of his training program. He has been quoted as saying that he loves it so much because it makes him feel so connected to the world. “My thoughts are clear, crisp. Everything is working perfectly-I feel clean.”
While Bradley follows a vegan diet only during serious training, many other athletes have found athletic success by following a plant based (or vegetarian) diet , including baseball player Prince Fielder, body builder Robert Cheeke, ultra endurance runner Scott Jurek, MMA athlete Mac Danzig, cyclist Adam Myerson, triathlete Brendan Brazier, and ultra endurance athlete Rich Roll.
My hope is that someday, the myth that meat is required for athletes to get enough protein to fuel their training will finally be put to rest. Timothy Bradley, and other vegan athletes, prove that a plant based, compassionate diet is not only possible, it can be a key to success in sport.
I am a huge boxing fan and always have been, its drilled into my from an early age as my dad was a pro boxer but retired just before I was born.
Its interesting that someone can get into that shape as a vegan, we are lead to believe that this is not possible, however, it clearly is. Its probably a lot more hard work and the 20 year long boxing fan inside me tells me that this fight will not go the way of the vegan but it will make an interesting twist for the marketing teams and fight promotors.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving your comments. If you read the links, Bradley chooses the vegan diet only during his training and he just started this several years ago (and he has been pretty successful during this time). He doesn’t do it because of the animals, or the environment, but because he believes it helps him train better.
If he loses his upcoming fight, I don’t believe it will be because of his diet. Same as if he wins the fight. Athletic success comes from talent, hard work, proper nutrition. My point is that one can achieve that proper nutrition through an animal-free diet.
I’m a boxing fan myself and just recently start learning about a vegan diet this year. I tried it for a week only because of what Dr. Fuhrman said about toxic hunger. He said that our stomachs aren’t supposed to growl when we get hungry. I was just fascinated by that statement and decided to try it for a week. It took about 4 full days for me to really notice a serious difference. But I wasn’t really expecting much in only a week but I really did feel better. I felt cleaner and usually when I’m picking up or pulling stuff at work I get this crash feeling after a while. But instead I felt like I got a second wind when eating plant based foods. I wasn’t as thirsty either. Also, my body seemed to work like it’s supposed to work. For instance when I started to sweat it felt different. It felt more like an air conditioner on the back of my neck or something. It appeared that the sweat actually cooled me down. Usually when I sweat I just feel dirty.
But anyway, because of my experience and from everything that Bradley has said about his diet during training I believe it will allow him to train harder. I believe he fasts for 5 days before training too. I think that helps his body detox before his training begins. I’ve really given it some serious consideration and I think some time in the near future I may end up a vegan myself.
Thank you for your well thought out comments. I can’t tell you how excited I get when I hear someone honestly considering changing to a vegan diet. Obviously it has worked for Tim Bradley, training at the highest levels. Many other athletes have also decided that a plant based diet is the healthiest way to fuel their workouts.
Would love to know Tim’s exact pre fight diet. I used to box many yrs when younger any edge is something I always looked for .Would just like to hear what exactly he is eating how much protein and when is he taking it in ? I developed electrical sensitivities I have been trying all these different devices for the house some I feel good with some horrible but having a lot of side effects so was wondering if diet could totally over power my sensitivities instead of relying on these whole house devices just not sure if they are a good thing or bad thing
Thanks