By Jim Dower: A unification fight between IBF/WBC light welterweight champion Devon Alexander (21-0, 13 KO’s) and WBO light welterweight champion Timothy Bradley (26-0, 11 KO’s) just came one step closer to becoming reality, as Team Alexander accepted an offer from promoter Don King for the unification bout with Bradley for January 29th, 2011. Team Alexander is now waiting for a bout agreement. Hopefully, this can be taken care of soon, because this is so boring and not interesting to see the two sides haggling forever.

I want to see the fight already. It may be a little early for both of them, but this probably the only way that Bradley and Alexander can become bigger stars. Without a huge star like Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Manny Pacquiao helping them out by fighting them, they’re just going to have to become big stars on their own by fighting each other and hopefully guys like WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan and Marcos Maidana.

Khan says he wants to fight the winner of the Alexander-Bradley fight, but I’ll believe that when I see it. The winner of the Bradley vs. Alexander fight can really help themselves if they can clear out Khan and/or Maidana. We’re still not sure if Khan will get by Maidana in December, but whoever emerges victorious from that fight, they need to be knocked off by the Alexander-Bradley winner.

Bradley, 27, has beaten Lamont Peterson and welterweight Luis Carlos Abregu in his last two fights. Bradley moved up to take on Abregu so that he could get his feet wet in the welterweight division, where he’s hoping to get a chance to fight either Mayweather or Pacquiao at some point in the future. Alexander is coming off of a disappointing 12 round decision over former WBA light welterweight champion Andriy Kotelnik in August.

Alexander was hit a lot in that fight and didn’t look at all good. It was a step up fight for Alexander and he looked like he wasn’t ready for that big of a step. Alexander has got to look better than that if he hopes to have any chance of beating Bradley next year. Bradley’s a lot faster than Kotelnik, harder to hit and throws a lot sharper punches.