Will welterweight star Tim Bradley (31-1-1, 12 KOs) be mightily tested tonight when he faces undefeated Jessie Vargas (26-0, 9 KO) in a welterweight showdown at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif?
Tim hasn’t faced a polished, hit-and-move technician like Vargas in quite some time so it will be interesting to see what be the fighter dubbed ‘Desert Storm’ showcases from his bag of tricks.
(Image courtesy of Top Rank)
Heading into this showdown, Bradley vs Vargas odds shouldn’t be a surprise. According to the arithmetic mean of top odd-makers, Tim is a 18 to 5 favorite while Jessie is the decisive underdog at 7 to 2.
Also, SkyBet has Bradley as high as 5 to 1.
It’s hard to bet against Tim Bradley because he’s already defeated the likes Nate Campbell, Kendall Holt, Miguel Vasquez, Devon Alexander, Carlos Abregu, Lamont Peterson, Ruslan Provodnikov, Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao (controversial).
Vargas, on the other-hand, is nowhere near as accomplished as Tim. Last year, he earned close but unanimous decision wins over Antonio DeMarco and Khabib Allakhverdiev (then 19-0), and previously trumped Josesito Lopez in 2011 via a split verdict. He also has wins over Vivian Harris and Steve Forbes who were well past their respective primes.
Heavy-handed pugilists Manny Pacquiao and Ruslan Provodnikov are the only fighters thus far who have been able to unleash terror on Tim, but with only 9 knockouts in 26 fights Jessie’s explosiveness and punching power are not expected to pose a problem for the durable Bradley.
So, can Vargas outclass Bradley?
Probably not. Simply put, Tim is one of the sport’s craftiest, most versatile technicians today and odds-makers undoubtedly believe he boasts too much experience and too many weapons for his 26 year old foe.
Tim Bradley doesn’t get the respect he deserves. He’s an action-packed, throwback boxer who can do it all. He fights well on the inside and outside, can box on his toes while using fine movement and can transform into an effectively aggressive brawler at a moment’s notice.
More odds… bet365 Bradley (2/9), Vargas (7/2)
betfair Bradley (2/9), Vargas (10/3)
bWin Bradley (1/4), Vargas (13/4)
The fight card headlined by Bradley vs Vargas will be broadcast live on HBO at 9:45 PM ET and on BoxNation at 2 AM ET London.
