Jessie Vargas at ease heading into big fight with Timothy Bradley

By Case Keefer (contact)

Saturday, June 27, 2015 | 2 a.m.

Reality rarely replicates the specifics of a dream, a long-standing lesson that Jessie Vargas has learned over the last couple months.

The 26-year-old local is in the position he always wanted tonight, fighting Timothy Bradley (31-1-1, 12 KOs) for the interim WBO welterweight title in the main event of an HBO Boxing card that airs beginning at 6:45 p.m. from Carson, Calif. But the surroundings and details are far from what Vargas (26-0, 9 KOs) envisioned.

“I expected it to be a lot different,” Vargas admitted. “But I don’t mind because I know this is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for.”

Knowing how much is at risk in the first major headlining bout of his career, Vargas figured he’d feel more pressure. But Vargas has maintained a calm demeanor throughout the pre-fight process, even as he and Bradley exchanged banter.

The soft-spoken Vargas didn’t foresee a fight before the fight with trash talk, but ever since he hired Erik Morales as a trainer, Bradley has chirped. The latest came when Bradley, a 31-year-old from Palm Springs, Calif., checked in for fight week and left a video message for Vargas through Top Rank, the event’s promoter.

“I’m going to whoop his ass Saturday,” Bradley vowed. “And if Morales got a problem and he wants some, he can get some at the end of the year too. I’m going to beat his boy, then I’ll come back and I’ll beat his behind.”

All the comments are a surprise to Vargas, who found Bradley respectful and friendly when they encountered each other in the past. He said he was not taking any of Bradley’s threats too seriously, but felt the need to respond.

“He’s intimidated,” Vargas interpreted Bradley’s talk. “He’s trying to make himself believe what he said. He’s the type of person who tells himself that stuff to make him feel better. But I’m going to treat him like a kid. He’s got the height for it, so that’s what he’s going to get.”

Stature appears to be Vargas’ most significant advantage in the fight. The Palo Verde graduate stands at 5-foot-11 with a 73-inch reach as opposed to Bradley’s 5-foot-6 height and 69-inch reach.

Morales has stressed effectively using the mismatch perhaps more than past trainers would have. Vargas has employed plenty.

He hired Morales for the Bradley bout after parting ways with Roy Jones Jr., who couldn’t commit the full-time devotion Vargas felt was necessary for a fight this meaningful. Within the last four years, Vargas has also moved on from Roger Mayweather and Ismael Salas.

“I’ve learned through several coaches and that’s the reason I’m in the position that I’m in now,” Vargas said. “But Erik was able to take me to that next level.”

Morales relocated Vargas’ training camp to Mount Charleston, where Vargas could benefit from higher elevation, cooler temperatures and fewer distractions.

The future Hall of Fame boxer, who retired three years ago with a record of 52-9, also stripped Vargas of all authority during training sessions. They worked exclusively on what Morales wanted, which Vargas loved and credited with lowering his mental burden.

The experiences were all new to Vargas, who now finds himself in a different state of mind than anticipated. He used to think winning the fight would be satisfying enough, but now Vargas craves even more.

“I want to break him down,” Vargas said of Bradley. “I want him to acknowledge that I’m the better fighter. He’s been talking a lot, so at the end of the day, I want him to know he’s not as good as me.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.