By Michael Montero – This Saturday night Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley looks to inch closer toward a future ticket in Canastota when he faces Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. This will be the second fight of 2015 for both men, as Bradley scored a decision victory over Jessie Vargas in June and Rios stopped a shot Mike Alvarado back in January. Prior to that both men had lost decisively to Manny Pacquiao and struggled in rough fights with the rugged Argentinian Diego Chaves. But while Rios will have longtime trainer Robert Garcia in his corner Saturday, Bradley will be fighting with new trainer Teddy Atlas for the first time.

Months ago shockwaves went through the boxing community as news spread that Bradley had parted ways with Joel Diaz, the man who had guided him for most of his pro career. Throughout the history of professional prizefighting, it’s not uncommon for a fighter to change trainers following a loss – but not a victory. Although Bradley defeated Vargas at the StubHub Center in June, he took more punishment than necessary and barely skated by with the win, a common theme in recent fights. Undoubtedly that played a role in his decision. To the surprise of many, longtime ESPN boxing commentator Teddy Atlas got the nod. And although Atlas hesitated at first, he met with Bradley in his hometown to spend a few days with the fighter, and ultimately decided it was a good fit. He’s worked with some difficult personalities in the past, some big egos, and he’ll find none of that in Timothy Bradley. The Palm Springs, California native has a rigorous work ethic that won’t require any pushing. The challenge here is to get back to the basics. Can Atlas tame the machismo in “Desert Storm”, get him to remain disciplined and box more?

Based on everything we know about the two fighters doing the dance Saturday night, the best chance of victory for Brandon Rios to lure his faster and more athletic opponent into a brawl. Bradley fights with a chip on his shoulder and Rios plans to use that to his advantage. That “chip” wasn’t always there, but it’s clear how it formed…

Bradley’s first bout with Manny Pacquiao in 2012 ended in a highly disputed decision victory that many boxing pundits considered one of the worst high-profile robberies in the sport’s history, and he took a lot of backlash from the fans. From that point on Bradley has seemingly out to prove his worth to diehard boxing fans, willing to put himself through hell to win over his naysayers. His toe to toe battle with Ruslan Provodnikov, his first bout after the Pacquiao debacle, was the 2013 fight of the year. Bradley won, but absorbed an ungodly amount of punishment that required months of recovery. Obviously that is the fight that Rios would like to emulate, figuring he could finish what the Russian started. New trainer Teddy Atlas would like to see Bradley fight the way he did against Juan Manuel Marquez later that same year, when he out-boxed the Mexican legend (who looked remarkably weaker than he had looked in his fourth bout with Manny Pacquiao in 2012).

Can Atlas get Bradley to fight like the experienced veteran who made Jessie Vargas look amateurish at times during the first half of their bout in June, or can Rios get him to fight like the undisciplined slugger who was tagged and hurt by Vargas in the later rounds? That dynamic is what makes this fight so intriguing. For Bradley, who has made it clear that it’s a goal of himself and his manager/wife Monica for him to reach the International Boxing Hall of Fame, he simply cannot continue to take the punishment he has in recent fights.

For Rios, this is the chance to score the biggest win of his career and become a major player in the welterweight division, setting up big business down the road. For trainer Robert Garcia, a victory would help him get back to where he was a few years ago, when his gym was one of the hottest in all of boxing. And for Atlas, this would be another fine chapter in a lifelong boxing story. Indeed the stakes are high in this match. If Bradley fights smart, he gets an easy win and the fans get an interesting, but not exactly riveting, fight. But if Rios can tap that chip on Desert Storm’s shoulder, we may just have another great one on our hands Saturday night.

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