Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley is built like an action figure. There is little to worry about when it comes to his conditioning. He will be chiseled out of stone when he and “Dinamita” Juan Manuel Marquez step on the scales for their official weigh-in.
Before Marquez’s last fight, he looked like he could have been manufactured by Mattel as well. Dinamita was as muscular as we’ve ever seen him when he knocked Manny Pacquiao out in December 2012. It will be interesting to see how big he is for this fight.
The weigh-in will be broadcast live by HBO on Friday at 6 p.m. ET from the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. Jim Lampley will host the hour-long event that will feature interviews and special guests on the eve of what could turn out to be one of the best fights of the year.
Bradley’s WBO welterweight title is at stake on Saturday from the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. He has already been involved in a bout in 2013 that many believe is the fight of the year so far.
His epic war with Siberian Ruslan Provodnikov saw Bradley take a knockdown in Round 12, but eke out a narrow unanimous decision. It was Bradley’s first bout since he defeated Pacquiao by controversial split decision in June 2012.
Bradley fought Provodnikov as if he had something to prove to fans who doubted the validity of his win over Pacquiao. He opted to slug with the powerful Russian and was nearly stopped on two occasions. It wasn’t a smart game plan.
The last time we saw Marquez in the ring, he was celebrating his epic KO of Pacquiao with a blood-stained smile on his face. With both fighters having faced and defeated Pacquiao, the comparisons are inevitable.
Obviously, Marquez’s punctuation to his series with Pacquiao was a more impressive win than Bradley’s. This fight is an opportunity for Bradley to best yet another great fighter of his era and capture some respect.
For Marquez, beating Bradley would just be icing on the cake he baked with that vicious counter right hand to Pacquiao’s grill.
It all draws closer when the two men step on the scales. Stay tuned.
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