This content is protected This content is protected By Dan Rafael ESPN.com This content is protected This content is protected AP Photo/Mark AveryRun for cover: Timothy Bradley has been striking fear into the hearts of 140-pound fighters for some time. Junior welterweight titleholders Devon Alexander and Timothy Bradley Jr. are down to the final days of training for their much-anticipated unification fight, and pushing themselves to the limit. This is no time for either to let up and they both know it as they wind toward their showdown at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Mich., on Jan. 29 (HBO, 10 p.m. ET). Bradley (26-0, 11 KOs), who is from Palm Springs, Calif., and training in nearby Indio, said he is pushing himself as hard as he ever has so he can defeat Alexander in a fight, the first big one of 2011, which has been talked about for more than a year. "At this point in my training camp I feel like every day has a moment like in the 'Rocky' films," said Bradley, 27. "When I am sparring or when I'm running and just feel like I have pushed myself to the limit and can't go any more, I start to talk to myself and become the one that tells me to push it. I hear a voice within me that tells me to keep going, keep on it, keep pushing. Yeah, I want this for me but also I want this for everyone -- my family, the kids I coach and to those whose lives I've touched in any way in my work with the community." As he has done for recent fights, Alexander (21-0, 13 KOs) left his hometown of St. Louis to train in Las Vegas, where he stays at a house owned by his promoter, Don King, and sleeps in Mike Tyson's old bed. Alexander said he is also pushing himself hard. "We are in the heart of our training camp, pounding the pavement for six miles every morning and in the gym every afternoon for training and sparring," Alexander said. "You can't beat a fight town like Vegas to find good sparring partners. It is critical for my preparation. I have guys here who are not just giving me good rounds, they are giving me good looks -- the kind of looks I expect to see from Tim Bradley." Among Alexander's most punishing training regimens are his regular runs on Mt. Charleston, the towering mountain about a half-hour northwest of Las Vegas. "A daunting challenge is when we drive up to Mt. Charleston three times a week to run on the mountain road I call 'The Monster.' It's one thing to run it in the summer. It's quite another to face it in the dead of winter," said Alexander, 23. "I had a TV crew from HBO up there with me on 'The Monster' last week, and we got snowed off the mountain. We are up so high I'm jogging by people who are skiing at the Mt. Charleston Ski Resort." The sacrifices Alexander and Bradley are making are so that when the fight is over, the winner can declare himself the No. 1 junior welterweight in the world. The winner could meet titleholder Amir Khan in July -- if Khan survives an April 16 bout in the works -- and eventually put himself into the sweepstakes for a shot at Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather Jr. "This is a huge fight," Bradley said. "I don't know on what scale everyone else out there sees this fight, but this is the biggest fight of my career and Devon's career. It shows what type of fighters we are. We are young and both in our prime and you rarely ever see two undefeated guys -- two world champions, Americans -- fight each other. You rarely see that, and it's come down to this. "I am seeded No. 1, and he has to prove to the world that he is better than I am. That's going to be a hell of a challenge. I am fired up, I'm ready and I'm hungry to show the world that I am the best 140-pounder out there. This division is loaded, and I feel I am the best and I've got to prove it on Jan. 29." Alexander feels the same way. "I have been working towards this since I was 7 years old. Since I came to the gym in St. Louis," he said. "I have been working hard every day. No short cuts. Now I've got to seize the moment. This is a big fight in my career. This will determine who is the best 140-pounder. Timothy Bradley I know will be ready, and I am ready to show the world that I am the best at 140." Wilder to fight in sweet home Alabama This content is protected Jim Everett/FightWireImages.comOlympic medalist Deontay Wilder hopes to give his Tuscaloosan faithful something to cheer about. Heavyweight Deontay Wilder, the 2008 U.S. Olympic bronze medalist, will headline the first boxing card overseen by the newly created Alabama Athletic Commission when he faces an opponent to be determined Feb. 19 in a six-rounder at Shelton State Community College in his hometown of Tuscaloosa. Wilder (14-0, 14 KOs), 25, had been unable to fight in his home state because Alabama was one of the few states without a commission to oversee professional boxing. But Wilder personally lobbied state officials, who finally created the state commission late last year and issued Wilder its first license last week. "My adrenaline is rushing and I'm excited, and now I'm literally in my backyard," Wilder told the Associated Press. "My house is next door." The card will be promoted by Jay Deas' Skyy Promotions, which was issued the state's first promoter's license. Deas is also Wilder's trainer. Wilder, who is 6-foot-7 and carries a powerful right hand, is also promoted by Golden Boy. He won the only boxing medal for the United States at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
