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Devon Alexander vs. Timothy Bradley and the Top 10 Can't Miss Fights in January

First LastJan 2, 2011

January will feature the first major bout of 2011 as rising stars Devon Alexander and Timothy Bradley put their undefeated records on the line in a highly anticipated showdown on HBO. Fans will have to wait until the very end of the month to see it though.

In the mean time, the season premier of Friday Night Fights begins this week on ESPN2, and if last year was any indication, there should be plenty of fights to keep boxing fans entertained until the big fights come around. Boxers featured on FNF this month include heavyweight Chris Arreola and undefeated prospects Ruslan Provodnikov and Edwin Rodriguez.

The following is a list of the top 10 fights of the month.

No. 1 Devon Alexander vs. Timothy Bradley

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NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - MAY 10:  Timothy Bradley (R) throws a straight right against Junior Witter during their WBC Light Welterweight fight on May 10, 2008 at Nottingham Ice Arena in Nottingham, England. (Photo by John Gichigi/Getty Images)
NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - MAY 10: Timothy Bradley (R) throws a straight right against Junior Witter during their WBC Light Welterweight fight on May 10, 2008 at Nottingham Ice Arena in Nottingham, England. (Photo by John Gichigi/Getty Images)

Records: Devon Alexander (21-0, 13 KO), Timothy Bradley (26-0, 11 KO)

When: January 29

Where: Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan

Titles: WBC light welterweight title (Alexander), WBO light welterweight title (Bradley)

Televised: HBO

Notable wins for Alexander: Andriy Kotelnik UD12, Juan Urango KO8, Junior Witter RTD8

Notable wins for Bradley: Lamont Peterson UD12, Luis Carlos Abregu UD12, Kendall Holt UD12

No. 2 Ruslan Provodnikov vs. Mauricio Herrera

2 of 10

Records: Ruslan Provodnikov (17-0, 11 KO), Mauricio Herrera (15-1, 7 KO)

Division: Light Welterweight

When: January 7

Where: Cox Pavlion, Las Vegas, Nevada

Televised: ESPN2

Provodnikov Quick Bio: Amateur record 130-20. Gold Medalist in 2000 Olympics. Has TKO victory over Emmanuel Augustus.

No. 3 Chris Arreola vs. Joey Abell

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LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 26:  Chris Arreola Throws a left hand against opponent Vitali Klitschko on September 26, 2009 in Los Angeles, California.  (Photo by Jacob de Golish/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 26: Chris Arreola Throws a left hand against opponent Vitali Klitschko on September 26, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jacob de Golish/Getty Images)

Records: Chris Arreola (29-2, 25 KO), Joey Abell (27-4, 26 KO)

When: January 28

Where: Pechenga Resort and Casino, Temecula, California

Televised: ESPN2

Notable fights for Arreola: Tomasz Adamek L12, Vitali Klitschko RTD by 10.

*Arreola set compubox record in his last fight versus Manuel Quezada; No. 3 for most punches (988) thrown by a Heavyweight in a single fight.

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No. 4 Steve Cunningham vs. Enad Licina

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NEWARK, NJ - DECEMBER 11:  Steve Cunningham punches Tomasz Adamek during their IBF Cruiserweight Championship fight on December 11, 2008 at The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.  Tomasz won a split decision.  (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ - DECEMBER 11: Steve Cunningham punches Tomasz Adamek during their IBF Cruiserweight Championship fight on December 11, 2008 at The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Tomasz won a split decision. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Records: Steve Cunningham (23-2), Enad Licina (19-2)

When: January 22

Where: Jahnsportforum, Germany

Titles: IBF Crusierweight Title (Cunningham)

No. 5 Beibut Shumenov Vs. Juergen Braehmer (photo) *Canceled

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MUNICH, GERMANY - SEPTEMBER 30:  (L-R) Juergen Braehmer, WBO Inter-Continental super middleweight champion,  Dietmar Poszwa of Universum Box-Promotion and WBC Interim Middleweight World Championship Sebastian Zbik pose for a picture at the Hippodrom beer
MUNICH, GERMANY - SEPTEMBER 30: (L-R) Juergen Braehmer, WBO Inter-Continental super middleweight champion, Dietmar Poszwa of Universum Box-Promotion and WBC Interim Middleweight World Championship Sebastian Zbik pose for a picture at the Hippodrom beer

Records: Beibut Shumenov (10-1) vs. Juergen Braehmer (36-2)

When: January 8

Where: Ice Mansion, Shymkent, Kazakhstan

Televised: ESPN3

Titles: WBO light heavyweight title, WBA Super World lightheavyweight title, IBA light heavyweight title

*Braehmer withdrew on January 4th. This bout has been canceled.

No. 6 Ryol Li Lee vs. Akifumi Shimoda

6 of 10

Records: Ryol Li Lee (17-1-1), Akifumi Shimoda (22-0-1)

When: January 31

Where: Ariake Colosseum, Tokyo, Japan

Titles: WBA World super bantameight title

*Lee is coming off shocking upset win over Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym.

No. 7 Peter Manfredo Jr. vs. Daniel Edouard

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LAS VEGAS - DECEMBER 08:  (R-L) Peter Manfredo Jr. throws a left to the face of Jeff Lacy during their super welterweight fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on December 8, 2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada.  (Photo by John Gichigi/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS - DECEMBER 08: (R-L) Peter Manfredo Jr. throws a left to the face of Jeff Lacy during their super welterweight fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on December 8, 2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by John Gichigi/Getty Images)

Records: Peter Manfredo Jr. (36-6), Daniel Edouard (23-3-2)

When: January 14

Where: Mallory Square, Key West, Florida

Televised: ESPN2

Notable fights for Manfredo: Angel Hernandez TKO10, Sakio Bika TKO by 3, Joe Calzaghe TKO by 3

No. 8 Lucas Marcus Matthysse vs. DeMarcus Corley

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NEW YORK - JANUARY 19:  DeMarcus Corley (L) lands a left hand upper cut against Devon Alexander (R) during their WBC Continental Super Welterweight Championship bout at Madison Square Garden January 19, 2008 in New York City.  (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Ima
NEW YORK - JANUARY 19: DeMarcus Corley (L) lands a left hand upper cut against Devon Alexander (R) during their WBC Continental Super Welterweight Championship bout at Madison Square Garden January 19, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Ima

Records: Lucas Matthysse (27-1), DeMarcus Corley (37-15)

When: January 21

Where: Auditorio Angel Bustelo, Mendoza, Argentina

Televised: Telefutura

Notable fights for Lucas Matthysse: Zab Judah L12 (split decision), Vivian Harris TKO4

Notable fights for DeMarcus Corley: Marcos Maidana L12, Devon Alexander L12, Floyd Mayweather Jr L12

No. 9 Evander Holyfield vs. Sherwin Williams

9 of 10

Records: Evander Holyfield (43-10-2), Sherwin Williams (34-11-2)

When: January 22

Where: The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia

Televised: Integrated Sports PPV

*Holyfield turned 48 in October.

No. 10 Sebastian Sylvester vs. Mehdi Bouadla

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Records: Sebastian Sylvester (34-3-1) vs. Mehdi Bouadla (21-3)

When: January 22

Where: Jahnsportforum, Neubrandenburg, Germany

Titles: IBF middleweight title

Notable fights for Sylvester: Mahir Oral UD12, Roman Karmazin D12, Giovanni Lorenzo SD 12, Felix Sturm L12

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