Timothy Bradley’s anticipated return to action looks to be heading to Las Vegas on December 13 as Top Rank lines up a triple bill of eye-catching fights at the Cosmopolitan at the end of the year.
Bradley, 31, is being strongly linked to facing tough Argentine Diego Chaves on top of the card as the American looks to put his long-running and disappointing saga with Manny Pacquiao behind him.
‘Desert Storm’ was gifted one of the most controversial decisions of recent times against the Filipino in June 2012, a hollow victory that came with a barrage of abuse from fans, before Bradley lost out to Pacquiao once again last April.
The two-weight world title holder will now hopes to set-up another world title shot with a win against Chaves who was recently disqualified against Brandon Rios in the ninth round as the messy fight was heading to a close decision on the scorecards.
Bradley vs Chaves bill
Also on the bill in Nevada, undefeated Matt Korobov will get the chance to win his first world championship when the Russian meets Irishman Andy Lee for the vacant WBO middleweight belt.
The 31 year-old has put together a decent 24-0 record, albeit without turning any heads, and makes the step-up to world level when he swaps punches with dangerous southpaw. Lee is moving back to middleweight from a short stint at 154lbs having dispatched of John Jackson at the lower limit over the summer.
Finally, Mauricio Herrera’s first defense of the interim WBA light-welterweight title is set to complete the triple-header as youngster Jose Benavidez is being primed for his first real test in 21 contests.
Undefeated Benavidez, 22, has flown under the radar in knocking out 15 of his opponents so far, although a match-up with the seasoned Herrera seems an entertaining prospect as ‘El Maestro’ rarely participates in a dull encounter.
Russian lightweight Denis Shafikov is also being considered for a place on the event – with more details expected in the coming days.
