Will Timothy Bradley Jr. finally come out with a much needed win to get his game back on track? Or will Jesse Vargas keep his undefeated streak intact?
Such are the sidelights heading into Sunday when Bradley and Vargas square off for the WBO Interim Welterweight title at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.
Bradley is a heavy favorite from Onlinesports books and has the experience to back up that claim. However his previous two fights were far from impressive.
Bradley last fought Diego Chaves in December which ended in a draw. Prior to that was his loss to Filipino boxing champ Manny Pacquiao. A convincing win is what Bradley is looking for, something that should get him back on track.
Despite those so-so performances however, Bradley is a favorite mainly because he is a more seasoned fighter and has faced credible fighters.
On the other side, Vargas is heading into the fight after defeating Antonio DeMarco and Anton Novikov. Vargas is on the rise and his collision with Bradley is a test on just how good and far he has come.
Vargas will be having boxing great Erik "El Terrible" Morales to guide him, someone who believes that Vargas is more than capable of pulling out a win.
"I've trained many fighters in Mexico," Erik Morales said at a recent gym workout. "But Jessie is the best fighter I will be working with and this is the biggest fight, against Bradley," said Morales. "We will win this fight. Jessie will put on pressure with intelligence and mix it up, using counter-punching… Morales said in an interview.
On the other side, Bradley is equally confident of coming out with a victory.
"I'm excited to be back in the ring with an undefeated champion," said Bradley. "I look forward to the challenge and to take his 0 away from him on June 27th."
Below are some of the odds from Online sportsbooks:
- bet365: Timothy Bradley -400 Jessie Vargas +300
- Sportingbet: Timothy Bradley -350 Jessie Vargas +250
- Bet Victor: Timothy Bradley -500 Jessie Vargas +350
- Sky Bet: Timothy Bradley -500 Jessie Vargas +333
Despite the being the clear favorite, Bradley has to come out of it impressively. The bout is expected to go the distance despite Bradley claiming he would go for the knockout.
The bout will be telecast via HBO Championship boxing starting at 9:45 p.m. ET/ 6:45 PT. Alternatively, Box Nation will be airing the fight in the United Kingdom on Sunday at 2:00 a.m.
