Mylik Roashun Birdsong and Jerry Bradford face off in crossroads bout
In a compelling fight between welterweight prospects, Mylik Roashun Birdsong and Jerry Bradford square off at Saint John Bosco High School in Bellflower, a suburb of Los Angeles, California, on Saturday, March 23. The eight-round bout will headline a card that will stream live on MarvNation.tv (9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT).
The clash between Birdsong and Bradford is a crossroads bout early on in their pro careers where the winner moves forward to greater challenges. Ray Alcorta, a longtime Southern California promoter who currently works with MarvNation Promotions, believes there’s an action fight that will produce fireworks waiting to happen between the two.
“This is an even fight,” Alcorta told The Ring Wednesday. “It’s going to come down to what impresses the judges the most. These are local fighters where there is no A-side or B-side. It could be a great fight.
“These two were actually scheduled to fight twice before. Both have had two months of preparation for this fight. Saturday’s card is for the fight fan, hardcore or casual.”
Birdsong (14-1-1, 10 KOs), who resides in Los Angeles, lost by knockout to Jose Vargas Quintana in his last bout on November 11 in a clash of unbeaten fighters. In his previous fight on June 24, Birdsong stopped journeyman Rodrigo Nahuel Escacena in the fourth round.
The 31-year-old had fought most of his fights in Tijuana, Mexico. Prior to Saturday, Birdsong’s last three fights had taken place in Southern California.
Bradford has not fought since February 11 of last year, defeating James Westley II by decision over six one-sided rounds.
The 33-year-old (9-1, 5 KOs), who resides in the Los Angeles suburb of Tarzana and is managed by Cliff Rayman, has won his last five fights, three by knockout, since a majority decision loss to Jocksan Blanco in April 2021.
Alcorta believes both Birdsong and Bradford will go all out as a loss would be a significant setback at this point in their careers.
“Birdsong needed that loss,” said Alcorta. “It’s rare to hear that, but he needed to be humbled because he went into the (Vargas) fight overconfident. But he’s come back hard and trained extremely well for this fight on Saturday.
“Bradford prepared just as hard. He doesn’t want to make any mistakes against Mylik. He doesn’t want to lose this fight. He’s very hungry. A victory would put the winner in a situation where he would have a broader audience.”
Junior lightweight Michael Bracamontes (8-1-1, 4 KOs) of nearby Santa Ana will square off against John Mark Alimane (8-6-1, 4 KOs) of the Philippines in an eight-round bout. Bracamontes is coming off a win over fringe contender Jose Luis Castillo, Jr. in his last bout on November 11.
Lightweight Mathias Radcliffe (7-0-1, 5 KOs) of Reseda, California will face Mexico City’s Axl Miranda Solis (5-5-1, 4 KOs) in a six-round bout.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at santio89@yahoo.com
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