Timothy Bradley Juan Marquez
Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez will fight for the Welterweight title. Reuters

On Saturday night, Timothy Bradley puts his WBO Welterweight title on the line against Juan Manuel Marquez. The fight takes place at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Bradley last fought on March 16, retaining his belt against Ruslan Provodnikov. Marquez hasn’t competed since Dec. 8 when he knocked out Manny Pacquiao. Both boxers defeated Pacquaio in 2012.

The match was originally set for September, but was moved because Floyd Mayweather and Canelo Alvarez scheduled their bout for the same day. At 30 years old, Bradley (30-0) is looking to avoid his first ever defeat. The veteran Marquez (55-6-1) will try to win his fifth different championship.

Marquez is prepared for a tough fight against a boxer that has known nothing but success.

"I know this is a challenge. Bradley is an undefeated fighter, an undefeated champion,” the veteran said before Wednesday’s press conference. “You are always looking for a big challenge and this is one of them. I know it's a difficult fight because he's a good boxer. But this is something I want to do. He has that title, and that title is something I want very badly."

In the days leading up to the fight, Bradley has been more vocal about his chances of coming out on top. The champ has yet to lose a fight and doesn’t expect to start on Saturday.

"Man, I am going to whoop his ass and the judges are going to give me the fight. Just like the U.S. government I am going to shut down Juan Manuel Márquez on October 12th," Bradley said on a conference call last week. "I am going to win the fight – that is the bottom line. I'm not concerned about any judges or any ref. I am going to get in there and do my job and beat Márquez. And that's it. And the world's going to see it."

Undercard

Featherweight title: Orlando Salido vs. Orlando Cruz

Light Heavyweight title: Sean Monaghan vs. Anthony Caputo-Smith

Featherweight: Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Jose Ramirez

Betting Odds

Marquez-150, Bradley+120

Salido-450, Cruz+325

Lomachenko-2250, Ramirez+950

TV Channel/Start Time

The event will begin with the undercard at 9:00 p.m. ET, though the main event might not get underway until around midnight. It can be seen on a number of platforms, including HBO Pay-Per-View and Sky Sports 1. Viewers can also watch a live stream online for $54.99 with Top Rank TV. HBO will eventually air a replay for customers with a subscription.

Prediction

Marquez may be 40 years old, but he’s in the best shape of his career and coming off his most impressive victory in 20 years. The record books show that Bradley is undefeated, but he should’ve been named the loser in his bout with Pacquiao. He was lucky to get by Provodnikov after being knocked down in the 12th round, and be might not be as fortunate if Marquez can connect with a few good power punches.

Marquez by KO

Boxing