It all started on Tuesday afternoon when former two-division world champion TIMOTHY "Desert Storm" BRADLEY JR. (31-1-1, 12 KOs), of Palm Springs, Calif., arrived at his fight week hotel and was asked about his upcoming welterweight world title fight against undefeated World Boxing Association (WBA) super lightweight world champion JESSIE VARGAS (26-0, 9 KOs), of Las Vegas, NV. One has to wonder if adding meat to the former vegan Bradley's training diet excited his blood!!!
"Jessie Vargas? I'm going to whup his ass on Saturday! And if [trainer Erik] Morales got a problem and he wants some he can get some at the end of the year too. I'm going to beat his boy," declared Bradley. "Then I can come back and I'll beat his [Morales] behind. He can come out of retirement. We can fight at a catchweight – 154 pounds…200 pounds -- and I'm going to whup your ass next! I'm fired up for this! Thank you for firing me up. That Saturday night is going to be a good night. It's going to be a good night for Team Bradley. I'm going to walk out that ring with another belt strapped around me."
When Vargas and Morales were confronted with Bradley's statements at their media workout today here is what they had to say:
"I'm not surprised. He is cracking up from the pressure of fight week," said Vargas. "He's obviously very intimated by what he is about to face on Saturday night. This fight will be his downfall. I have had the greatest training camp. I have never felt stronger or hit harder. Erik has been an incredible trainer and who better to learn from then one of the greatest pound for pound champions of his era? We know everything about Bradley. This was a Jessie Vargas training camp in an Erik Morales style."
"Bradley wants to fight me? Insane," responded Morales, a former four-division world champion and future Hall of Famer. "He should be worrying about Jessie giving him a rematch. Bradley needs to get by Jessie and he won't. I assure you Jessie will win on Saturday and from the way Bradley is acting out, it sounds like he knows it."
The Bradley vs. Vargas world welterweight championship fight takes place This Saturday, June 27, under the stars at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. The evening will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing, beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT. It will mark HBO's 1,000th televised fight. The telecast will open with two-time Mexican Olympian and undefeated human wrecking machine ÓSCAR VALDEZ (16-0, 14 KOs), from Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, making his HBO debut, in a 10-round featherweight rumble against one-time world title challenger RUBEN "Canelito" TAMAYO (25-5-4, 17 KOs), of Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico, Valdez, who represented Mexico in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics and was the first Mexican fighter to qualify for two Olympic games, is considered one of the bright lights of the featherweight division and a top prospect in boxing.
Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Tecate, remaining tickets to the Bradley vs. Vargas world welterweight championship event, priced at $150, $75, $50 and $25, (plus applicable taxes and fees), can be purchased online at http://www.axs.com, by telephone at (888) 929-7849 or at the StubHub Center box office, Monday - Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Suites are available by calling (877) 604-8777. For information on group discounts, please call (877) 234-8425.
For fight updates go to www.toprank.com, or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/trboxing, facebook.com/trboxeo or facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at twitter.com/trboxing, twitter.com/trboxeo, or twitter.com/hboboxing. Use the Hashtag #BradleyVargas to join the conversation on Twitter.
