By Jake Donovan

Tim Bradley and Jessie Vargas collide in a 12-round bout, with an interim welterweight title at stake in their headliner Saturday evening at StubHub Center in Carson, California.  Both fighters tipped the scales at 146.4 lbs. for their bout, which will air live on HBO.  Photos by Chris Farina.

Bradley (29-1-1, 11KOs) is regarded as one of the best fighters in the world, but it's been 20 months since his last win. The former two-division titlist saw his welterweight title reign come to an end following a 12-round loss to Manny Pacquiao in their rematch last April. His lone bout since then came last December, fighting to a 12-round draw with Diego Chaves in a bout most felt should have went the way of the sculpted Californian. 

Despite his winless streak, Bradley remains fully confident in his abilities, even going so far as to call out reigning unbeaten middleweight titlist Gennady Golovkin. 

Such a fight remains a pipe dream, not to mention the stiff challenge awaiting him on Saturday evening.

Vargas (26-0, 9KOs) returns to the welterweight division after a brief stay as a 140 lb. titlist. His reign officially spans more than a year, but only has two fights to his credit as a belt holder—a 12-round decision over Khabib Allakhverdiev to win the crown last April, and a unanimous decision win over Antonio DeMarco last November in Macao, China. 

The Las Vegas native decided to move up in weight when presented the opportunity to face an elite talent such as Bradley. Saturday will mark his first fight at 147 lbs. since Oct. '13, on the same show that saw Bradley post his last win in a close-but-clear decision over Juan Manuel Marquez. Vargas was also victorious on the show, scoring a 10-round decision over Ray Narh on the undercard. 

Opening the telecast, unbeaten featherweight prospect Oscar Valdez—a two-time Olympian for Mexico—makes his HBO debut, as he faces countryman Ruben Tamayo. 

Valdez (15-0, 14KOs) tipped the scales at 127.4 lbs. for his first scheduled 10-round bout. Tamayo (25-5-4, 17KOs)—who was stopped in five rounds by featherweight titlist Jesus Cuellar last December in his most recent ring appearance—checked in at 129 lbs. 

Their co-feature attraction will mark the 1,000th bout to air on HBO since entering the boxing fray in 1973. 

WEIGHTS

Timothy Bradley Jr, 146.4 lbs. vs. Jessie Vargas, 146.4 lbs.—12 rounds, welterweight

Oscar Valdez, 127.4 lbs. vs. Ruben Tamayo, 129 lbs.—10 rounds, featherweight

Toka Kahn Clary, 125.2 lbs. vs. Jonathan Perez,. 126 lbs.—8 rounds, featherweight

Leonardo Chavez, 126.4 lbs. vs. Jair Quintero, 127.8 lbs.—6 rounds, featherweight

Ed Brown, 145.4 lbs. vs. Jose Maruffo, 145.2 lbs.—4 rounds, welterweight

Abraham Lopez, 140.8 lbs. vs. John Valenzuela, 139.4 lbs.—4 rounds, jr. welterweight

Rasheed Lawel, 145.4 lbs. vs. Jose Meija, 143 lbs.—4 rounds, welterweight

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of krikya360.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox