MOSCOW, March 17 (R-Sport) - Timothy Bradley has defended his WBO welterweight title in a bruising points defeat of Russian challenger Ruslan Provodnikov.

Bradley won a unanimous decision after the 12-rounder in Carson, California, but Provodnikov came close to knocking out the American late in the fight.

“One of the punches in one of those rounds concussed me. I’m dizzy right now,” Bradley said in comments reported by boxingscene.com.

“At some point, that warrior instinct kicks in, the determination, the will to win, and that’s what I counted on.”

Bradley paid tribute to the Russian’s power and said Provodnikov is “going to be a world champion someday.”

“He’s much more powerful than [Manny] Pacquiao,” he said, referring to the Filipino eight-division world champion who he beat in controversial circumstances in June.

Bradley moves to an undefeated 30-0 record, while Provodnikov is now 22-2.