Timothy Bradley vows he’ll be patient while Devon Alexander plans on being the aggressor when the unbeaten Americans meet in a unification fight for 140-pound (63½-kilogram) world titles in the Silverdome on Saturday.
Alexander, a southpaw, is the WBC super lightweight champion with a 21-0 record and 13 knockouts. Bradley is the WBO junior welterweight champ with a 26-0 record and 11 KOs.
The winner in Pontiac, Michigan, might cash in with a fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Manny Pacquiao, two superstars who have failed to figure out a way to meet in the ring.
Bradley and his trainer would welcome a fight against Amir Khan, who successfully defended his WBA 140-pound (63½-kilo) title against Marcos Maidana in December.
Alexander’s trainer, Kevin Cunningham, disagreed.
“The winner of this fight deserves a megafight,” Cunningham said. “Why should these guys fight just to get Khan. Who’s Khan? The winner should get Mayweather or Pacquiao.”
Bradley’s plan is to pick his spots.
“The key is going to be smart and patient,” said Bradley’s trainer, Joel Diaz. “We don’t want to rush it, and to keep composure.”
Alexander said that won’t be easy.
“I’m not going to sit back and wait on him,” he said. “I’m going to be busier than him because I’m always going to be the aggressor.”
The former home of Detroit’s NFL Lions and NBA Pistons has been configured to put the ring in a corner of an end zone, putting curtains up to create a relatively intimate venue with 9,000 seats on the floor and lower bowl.
Despite the Motor City’s rich boxing history — with superstars Joe Louis and Tommy Hearns, star trainer Emanuel Steward and the famed Kronk Gym - fight fans in the area haven’t lined up to buy tickets for the chance to witness the next chapter.
“All the naysayers are going to be pleasantly surprised,” co-promoter Gary Shaw said.
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