Timothy Bradley Jr. vs. Jessie Vargas: Fight Time, Date, Live Stream and TV Info
"Desert Storm" Timothy Bradley (31-1-1, 12 KO) returns to the ring Saturday night at the StubHub Center in Carson, California. He'll fight Jessie Vargas (26-0, 9 KO) for the interim WBO welterweight title. It's a bout that figures to be an all-action scrap between two hungry fighters who both hail from the Golden State.
Both will be looking to add to their personal trophy case.
When: Saturday, June 27 at 9:45 p.m. ET
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Where: StubHub Center in Carson, California
TV: HBO
Live Stream: BoxNation
If Bradley wins, it'll be his fifth world title in an illustrious career. It's a career Bradley hopes lands him in Canastota, New York, the site of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Bradley said as much when speaking with Bleacher Report's Kevin McRae:
"Motivation for me is the Hall of Fame. That’s the motivation for me. I’ve captured four world championships, and this is my fifth opportunity. People are going to say whatever. Critics will be critics. I learned a long time ago that I can’t be worrying about what everybody thinks of me. I know what I’ve done. Five-time world champion [with a win Saturday night]. If that doesn’t say Hall of Fame, I don’t know what will.
"
The 31-year-old Bradley has done a ton in his career for sure. The Cathedral City native and Floyd Mayweather Jr. are the only fighters in history to earn a win over both Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao. Even if he doesn't win a fifth world championship, his HOF resume still looks pretty solid.
Vargas hasn't reached that point in his career. The 26-year-old from Los Angeles is the WBA regular champion at 140 pounds, but he's still looking for a signature win. He stepped up to welterweight in search of it.
Without question, beating Bradley would be the most significant victory of Vargas' career.
Previously, Vargas had been trained by future HOFer Roy Jones Jr., but he made a change due to Jones' decreased availability. Vargas turned to another future HOFer to take over the training duties in Erik Morales. Vargas talked about the change in the video below from Fight Hub TV:
The stakes are clearly high for both fighters. The winner will be in position for big things in their next fight.
Last Time Out
Bradley
In a hard-fought bout, Bradley had to settle for a draw against rugged Argentine Diego Chaves. Most would have likely scored the bout for Bradley, but he only got the nod on one of the judges' scorecards.
Aside from the win over Marquez, Bradley hasn't really looked the same since he scored his controversial victory over Pacquiao in 2012. The decision was widely criticized throughout the boxing community, and it seemed to change something in Bradley's approach.
As evidenced by his modest KO totals, Bradley has never been a big puncher. However, after receiving so much backlash after his win over Pacquiao, Bradley seemed to attempt to step outside of himself to take guys out.
That strategy hasn't worked well for him. In his next fight after the win over Pacquiao, he single-handedly created the myth that Ruslan Provodnikov was anything more than a one-dimensional, plodding slugger. By insisting upon trading with Provo, Bradley allowed the slow-footed Siberian to stay competitive in a fight Desert Storm could have won easily.
Though he won a thrilling bout by unanimous decision, Bradley took some massive punishment in the fight. He experienced prolonged concussion symptoms afterward and has rarely looked like a slick and masterful boxer since.
Bradley has since beat Marquez, lost a rematch to Pacquiao and drawn with Chaves. When you look at the fallout from the first Pacquiao fight and the Provodnikov bout, it's hard to remember a time when a fighter lost as much from a pair of wins.
Vargas
In his most impressive win to date, Vargas won a unanimous decision over the recently retired Antonio DeMarco, per Boxing Clever for Boxing Scene. All three judges scored the bout 116-112, and it appeared Vargas was ready to turn the corner in his career.
In light of DeMarco's loss to Rances Barthelemy on Sunday and subsequent retirement, the weight of Vargas' win could be questioned. Because Vargas lacks elite punching power as well, he has never generated the buzz that most mid-20s, undefeated American fighters might enjoy.
If he beats Bradley Saturday, it'll help to validate everything Vargas has done and set him up for fights with other notable fighters in his weight region.
Prediction
Expect to see a ton of leather flying in this bout. It has the potential to be one of the best fights of the year. Because neither guy has big power, it's hard to see this one ending early. Eric Raskin of HBO.com sees it the same way. He wrote:
"Given the boxers' combined 35 percent knockout rate, this has the feel of a distance fight. The question is whether it's a fight that will be fought at a distance. If so, Vargas has a chance. He's about four inches taller than Bradley and utilizes the jab consistently, usually throwing 20-25 of them a round. The awkward, indefatigable Bradley will want to get inside and rough Vargas up, with little concern for Vargas' potential to hurt him.
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Bradley could use his speed and boxing acumen to win a relatively easy decision, but he won't go that route. He's going to try to knock Vargas out. Against a bigger puncher, that might be a costly strategy.
On Saturday night, Bradley will prove to be a tougher and more urgent fighter. Desert Storm is one of the most determined athletes you'll ever see. If his opponent isn't a comparable competitor, he'll overtake them.
That's what we'll see in this fight. Bradley will own the second half of the fight on desire and heart, and he'll take a unanimous decision.
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