I saw Timothy Bradley fight for the first time on a club card in Ontario, Calif., in late 2006, and the just-turned 23-year-old prospect made an immediate impression by destroying Alfonso Sanchez in the first round.

Bradley reminded me of a young Shane Mosley as he ripped left hooks to the former fringe contender’s body. Eleven years earlier, I witnessed Mosley tear through normally durable Mexican journeymen in much the same way in club show main events.

Like Mosley, Bradley was talented enough to jump directly from the Southern California club circuit to a world title bout, which he won by outpointing British junior welterweight standout Junior Witter last year.

Bradley (24-0, 11 knockouts) defends one of his two 140-pound titles against Lamont Peterson on Saturday in a Showtime-televised main event from Rancho Mirage, Calif.

It should be a good fight, and a victory over Peterson (27-0, 13 KOs) will further solidify Bradley’s No. 1 junior welterweight ranking in THE RING, but it won’t do much to change his status within the sport.

The 26-year-old beltholder is in the same place Mosley was at the end of the 1990s. He’s an accomplished, undefeated titleholder. But only hardcore fans give a damn about him.

Mosley’s status changed in 2000 when he got a shot at Oscar De La Hoya. Mosley’s had his up and downs since that breakthrough victory but there’s no denying that he’s one of the most influential fighters of the decade.

Mosley and Bradley have so much in common that I can’t help but wonder whether Bradley can emulate his success.

Both had solid, two-parent middle-class upbringings at least an hour’s drive outside of the mean streets of Los Angeles County (Mosley was raised in Pomona, Calif.; Bradley grew up even further east in the Palms Springs desert area).

Both took up boxing at a young age and had decorated amateur careers.

Both are athletically gifted African-American boxers with solid skills, but they possess aggressive fighting styles that were forged in Southern California gyms that are dominated by Mexican culture.

Both fighters are also friendly, down-to-earth gents who are dedicated to their families and to their sport, which sadly brands their personalities as “vanilla” in this era.

They have the talent, physical tools and character to be elite fighters but they lack the charisma to be stars. Luckily for Mosley, his old amateur rival had enough to share with him.

If Bradley gets by Peterson, he can get lucky in 2010.

Amir Khan’s trainer Freddie Roach said Bradley could be a potential opponent for the popular British beltholder.

“I like how Khan and Bradley matchup,” Roach told RingTV.com on Wednesday. “They’re both fast boxers, but I think Khan’s a little faster. I think he hits harder, too, but it would be a good fight.

“I would like for it to be built up a little, but Khan says he wants to fight in the U.S. and I’ve said that he’s ready for everyone at 140 pounds, so it’s a possible matchup if Bradley can beat Peterson.”

Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, which represents Juan Diaz, Marcos Maidana and Victor Ortiz, says Bradley can be a central figure in the junior welterweight division next year.

“There are some great matchups that can take place in the 140-pound division and we’ll know which combinations can come together in 2010 after this weekend,” Schaefer told RingTV.com on Wednesday. “We have three nail-biters with Diaz-(Paul) Malignaggi, Ortiz-(Antonio) Diaz and Bradley-Peterson on Saturday. Who knows who will win those fights?

“If Diaz, Ortiz and Bradley win, I can see either Diaz or Ortiz fighting Bradley. Of course, I would have to discuss those matchups with their managers, Willie Savannah (for Diaz) and Shelly Finkel (for Ortiz), but there’s no reason why those fights couldn’t be made.

“I think junior welterweight will be a prominent division next year. All of the fighters in action this weekend can mix and match with fighters like Marcos Maidana, Amir Khan, Devon Alexander and Nate Campbell. It’s unbelievable the fights that can be made. I don’t know of any other weight class with as much potential.”

Bradley showed his potential with his gutsy title-winning victories over Witter and Kendall Holt, who dropped him twice but was still outworked over 12 dramatic rounds in April.

Bradley gave up one of his title belts to fight former lightweight titleholder Nate Campbell in August. The sanctioning organization wanted him to fight undefeated but unknown Devon Alexander but Bradley opted to fight the veteran in hopes that an impressive victory would increase his profile in the sport. So the sanctioning organization did what they do best, they stripped him.

Bradley dominated Campbell for three rounds until a bad cut kept the older man on his stool. The bout was originally ruled a TKO victory for Bradley but it was later changed to a no-contest when the cut was proven to be caused by an unintentional head butt.

Bradley believes that the experience he garnered in the Campbell fight will aid him in Saturday’s showdown with Peterson.

“Having been in fights with fighters like Holt and Campbell helps my confidence going into Saturday’s fight because I know Peterson hasn’t faced anyone like them,” Bradley told RingTV.com on Wednesday.

Still, Bradley is respectful of Peterson, a fellow amateur standout who earned his mandatory-challenger status.

The 25-year-old Washington, D.C., native’s unblemished record was not built up.

Peterson defeated several tough (thought not word-class) boxers on his way to his first title shot, including undefeated former amateur star Willy Blain (20-0) and Brazilian banger Antonio Mesquita (34-0).

“His opposition is kind of limited, but so was mine before I fought for my first world title,” Bradley said. “I hadn’t been in with any world-class fighters before I fought Witter, but I was ready. I’m sure Peterson is as ready for me as he can be, which is why I’m not underestimating him.”

Bradley says he’s kept his eye on Peterson since watching him box in the same national amateur tournaments in which he participated.

“I won the 152-pound weight class; Peterson won at 141,” Bradley said. “Once I made the 140-pound division my home as a pro, I knew that one day our paths would cross.

“To be honest, I hoped it would happen after we both had established our names in the sport and it could be a bigger event. It kind of sucks that we’re meeting now because one of us will get knocked off and will have to start over and climb his way back up.

“Then again, if it’s an amazing fight, maybe both the winner and loser will gain the recognition we are looking for.”

Although both fighters are boxers by nature, Bradley believes that he and Peterson can combine to make a fight-of-the-year candidate.

“Lamont’s a busy fighter who throws punches in combination,” Bradley said. “He can move and box but he’s comfortable standing and trading. In a way, the two fights I had this year have prepared me for Peterson. Holt is fast and dangerous from the outside, but he can’t stand fighting on the inside, where I got to him. Campbell is very comfortable fighting on the inside, and I was able to nail him from outside and still outwork him in close during that fight.”

Bradley figures that he’ll have to do a little bit of everything to defeat Peterson.

“I’m ready for the fight of my life,” he said. “I think I’ve had the best sparring camp of my career for this fight. I had five different sparring partners. Big guys, tall and rangy boxers, veterans and prospects, different styles.

“I’d work with two partners for one or two weeks and as soon as I got used to them, my trainer Joel Diaz would switch them out for two more that I had to figure out, so that kept me real sharp.”

Bradley’s sparring partners included former lightweight titleholder Julio Diaz, the younger brother of Bradley’s trainer; unbeaten junior welterweight prospect Prenice Brewer (13-0-1, 6 KOs), and 17-year-old amateur phenom Jose Benavides.

“I always train hard but I really put the work in for this fight,” Bradley said. “I know that I have to be at my best this Saturday because I know that my promoters, Thompson Boxing and Gary Shaw, and my manager Cameron Dunkin have big plans for me next year.

“They never tell me what those plans are until after the job is done but I know that something big is right around the corner. I can feel it. All I have to do is keep winning and the opportunity will be mine.”


Doug Fischer’s column appears every Thursday.


Doug Fischer can be reached at dougiefischer@yahoo.com