WBO light-welterweight champion Timothy Bradley is mad as hell and he’s not going to take it anymore. Fed up of being disregarded and not afforded the respect he deserves, the unbeaten Palm Springs man took aim and vented his frustration on several targets, including Golden Boy Promotions and rival 10st fighters who Bradley feels are ducking him.

“I have worked so hard and now nobody wants to fight me,” Bradley exclaimed. “Amir Khan wants other things, he wants to go after Juan Manuel Marquez, but we were supposed to have a date early this year. Obviously Khan leaving Frank Warren messed all that up.

“We tried Victor Ortiz but he doesn’t want to fight, so right now we’re trying Marcos Maidana and I’m pretty sure he wants to fight but I’m not so sure his camp will. We talked to Juan Urango and he took Devon Alexander instead [on march 6]. I guess I just have to wait until the day when somebody’s going to have no dance partner and then they need me.”

Bradley’s anger is as palpable as it is understandable. Regarded by many as the division’s kingpin fighters should be clamouring to challenge him, rather than Bradley having to chase fights.

“I’m not looking to chase the [alphabet] belts,” Bradley added. “I want the Ring belt and I want to face the top guys. I think I’ve established myself as the No. 1 in this division, with Khan at No. 2, and Ricky Hatton at No. 3. So now I want the elite fighters – Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, I need a huge star.

“I tried to capture all the titles and I ended up getting stripped of one [the WBC] because of winning the WBO belt. There are a lot of promoters protecting their fighters. The best should fight the best and it’s not happening; everyone is picking the easy fight. There was all this talk of Mayweather fighting [Paulie] Malignaggi or Nate Campbell and I’m thinking, ‘Dude! What about me?! I’ve earned my shot at the big dogs.”

Bradley’s tirade is all the more powerful because he is usually such a complete gentleman. He generally refuses to trash-talk or self-promote and carries himself with an unassuming dignity. But it’s clear the lack of meaningful fights and the action of one promoter in particular have pushed him to the egde.

“Golden Boy have so many fighters who can fight amongst themselves, three or four top 140lb-ers, so they’ll shut the others out,” adds Bradley. “they can easily have a round-robin between them and keep all the money in-house. It’s garbage and it’s not fair on the little guys like me who want an oportunity. It’s time for me to speak out!

“Maidana can punch and I think that would be a crazy fight. He’s Khan’s mandatory and even Khan doesn’t want to fight him. It’s an interesting fight – you can’t hit what you can’t see but will I be able to keep away from that power for 12 rounds? But he’s with Golden Boy and I’m getting frustrated waiting by the phone, with everyone keep turning me down. I just love to fight and in I’m in the No.1 position, so if anyone wants to be No. 1 they have to go through me.”

While the American is seething at Khan’s handlers, he rates Bolton’s WBA light-welterweight champion very highly.

“I thought the [Breidis] Prescott defeat was a fluke, if you’ve got power anybody can knock anybody out,” Bradley opined. “He got caught, that’s the simple fact.

“But he has the skills, the ability, he’s tall, rangy and a phenomenal fighter, with great handspeed. Losing like that makes you stronger, he’s got a lot stronger since and he’s a big threat in the division.

“That’s what gets me up, it’s a 50-50 fight to me. He has the handspeed, the power, the ring generalship. I’m coming to get him, there’s no way I can outbox him, he’s too rangy, too tall. I want those back-against-the-wall-type fights, that’s what gets me motivated.”

Despite his fury towards Golden Boy and his own situation not once in our 15-minute conversation does gentleman Bradley raise his voice or swear. He is one of boxing’s nice guys, a humble hero, and you only hope 2010 brings the sort of fights, and recognition, Bradley deserves.