Jessie Vargas

The debate on whether boxing is the premium combat sport over mixed martial arts is generally a hollow argument dressed in ignorance.

Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley Jr., 32-1-1 (12KO) the favorite, did what was expected. He pounded out a unanimous decision over the until then unbeaten Jessie Vargas 26-1-0 (9KO).

Boxing is littered with bizarre incidents and controversy, from in-ring riots to Parachutist’s landing in the ring – yet last night’s welterweight clash between Tim Bradley and Jessie Vargas introduced us to a slightly different kind of strange when referee Pat Russell initially appeared to wave the fight off in favour of Vargas – who behind on all 3 cards – rocked Bradley badly in the dying seconds of the final round.

After expressing concerns about how much modern great Roy Jones Jr would be able to be there for him during training camp, Jessie Vargas has made the switch to another modern great – Erik Morales – employing the services of the former Mexican champion in the corner for Saturday’s fight with Tim Bradley that comes live from The StubHub centre in Carson, California – screened on HBO in the US and Boxnation in the UK.

This Saturday, “Desert Storm” Tim Bradley makes his first in-ring appearance of 2015 when he faces unbeaten Jessie Vargas for the interim WBO welterweight title, after Floyd Mayweather didn’t end up vacating the full version.