By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com
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AP Photo/Mark AveryTimothy Bradley has left all opponents at 140 ducking for cover.

The junior welterweight division has the potential for some of the most exciting fights in boxing with a group of young stars about to enter their prime.

At the top there's unified titleholder Devon Alexander, fellow American titlist Timothy Bradley Jr., British star Amir Khan, who also has a belt, and power-punching interim titleholder Marcos Maidana.

HBO is ready, willing and able to bankroll a series of fights between them, so figure that will happen eventually. In fact, Bradley was supposed to fight Maidana on HBO this summer until Maidana's managerial problems waylaid the match.

With Khan having fought in May and not planning to fight again until December and Alexander set for an August fight, Bradley (25-0, 11 KOs) and his team knew opportunity was knocking.

Instead of making a ho-hum 140-pound defense, Bradley, one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world, saw the opportunity to test the waters in the 147-pound welterweight division, where he could position himself for future fights with the likes of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Bradley's welterweight test comes at the Agua Caliente resort in Rancho Mirage, Calif., just a few miles from his hometown of Palm Springs, on Saturday in his HBO debut (9:45 p.m. ET/PT). He'll face Luis Carlos Abregu (29-0, 23 KOs), who fancies himself as the Arturo Gatti of Argentina, meaning he's an exciting brawler with a big heart and outstanding punching power.

Bradley has already notched significant junior welterweight wins against previously undefeated Lamont Peterson (whom he easily outpointed in December), Kendall Holt and Junior Witter. He also smacked around Nate Campbell for two-plus rounds before an accidental head clash rendered their fight last summer a no contest.

Although Bradley said he'll return to junior welterweight for the major fights the division offers -- including the possible late January showdown with Alexander that so many fans want to see and that HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg has made a priority -- he is looking forward to giving 147 a whirl.

"I can't wait to see what I can do at 147 pounds," Bradley said. "I've been looking at Carlos Abregu. He looks like a strong fighter, a basic fighter. Let's get it on. Let's get it on, baby. I'm excited. I'm very happy."

To prepare for the new weight, Bradley, who often looks like a body builder when he enters the ring, did more strength training than usual. That's not something he would typically do when he's cutting weight to make 140.

"I've been doing a little bit more strength training a couple of days during the week to keep my strength up there," Bradley said. "I don't want the big guy to try to bully me around in there. I want to be just as strong as he is, if not stronger. I'm very excited about this fight and I'm ready to show the world, man, what I can do at 147 pounds.

"I know Abregu is a big puncher. But he can't hit what's not there. So he's going to have a hard night in there with me. I'm quick. I've got a lot of footwork. I'm going to give him a lot of angles and he's going to see a big difference from the opponents that he is used to fighting and me. He'll see a big difference."

Abregu isn't buying it.

"He's making a big mistake. I'm a natural welterweight," Abregu said through an interpreter. "It's a big mistake for him to fight at my division. He has no business here."

Although Bradley is looking forward to the test-run at welterweight, he hasn't forgotten about the lucrative fights that are possible at 140.

"Those fights, they have to happen and they will happen," he said. "If I need to fight at 147 pounds, that's what I'm going to do. If they want me to go back down to 140 and face anybody at 140, we'll do that too. So it really doesn't matter to me."

By fighting at welterweight but leaving open the possibility for big fights at junior welterweight, Bradley's manager Cameron Dunkin and co-promoter Gary Shaw believe they are setting him up for the best of both worlds.

"When Gary and I first talked about this, Gary said that it'll open up a whole new division to him and there are a lot of big names there and a lot of money," Dunkin said. "So, I think we'll just sort of play it out. It's been hard to get anybody [to fight] Timmy. So I think Gary thought that it opens another door and then we'll see what happens."

Said Shaw: "This gives us another opportunity. If he beats Abregu we move up to 147 if there's a fight there with Pacquiao or Mayweather. And if not, there's Alexander, who does nothing but talk about Timmy Bradley from morning until when he goes to sleep.

"You go where the biggest fights are for Timmy Bradley. He's the No. 1 fighter at 140 pounds in the world and if there's enough money at 147 and he shows he can handle the weight and he's comfortable and [Shane] Mosley is there, [Andre] Berto is there, or Pacquiao or Mayweather, then he'll fight them. If not, we know Devon Alexander is sitting there by his dog bone, panting."

In the opening bout, Mexican junior middleweight contender Alfredo "Perro" Angulo (18-1, 15 KOs), coming off an impressive knockout of Joel "Love Child Julio" in April, figures to face a stern test from former titleholder Joachim Alcine (32-1, 19 KOs) of Montreal.

"Everybody is calling this a pick-'em fight, so it'll be a very, very interesting fight to see if Alfredo can hunt down another foe and advance to the front of the line of the 154-pounders," Shaw said.

Matt A. Brown/Icon SMIMarcos Maidana is looking for a big fight before the year is up.

Now that interim junior welterweight titlist Marcos Maidana of Argentina has ironed out his managerial issues and agreed to a new promotional agreement with Golden Boy, he's getting back to work.

Maidana (28-1, 27 KOs) will make his third defense in Buenos Aires against former titlist DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley (37-13-1, 22 KOs) on Aug. 28, Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com.

Corley, of Washington, D.C., punched his way into the fight with a fourth-round knockout of Damian Fuller last week. Golden Boy matchmaker Eric Gomez said Corley has accepted the fight.

"The idea is that if Maidana wins, that in November or December, he would be available to fight whoever in the United States," Schaefer said. "He read some stories where Tim Bradley called him some names and he doesn't really like Bradley and would love to fight him. So I talked to [Bradley co-promoter] Gary Shaw about it and he was open to it if everything goes well with Bradley's fight on Saturday.

"Another possibility is Amir Khan. Whoever it is, there will be an opportunity and Maidana is going to be in a big fight before the end of the year."

Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty ImagesRecent college grad Nathan Cleverly, right, hopes to take Karo Murat to school on Sept. 18.

British promoter Frank Warren has put on some huge shows in his day, but he's planning one of his most ambitious yet for Sept. 18 in Birmingham, England. The card, which will be televised in Britain via Sky Box Office pay-per-view, will be headlined by European light heavyweight champ Nathan Cleverly, who graduated from college on Wednesday, facing Karo Murat in a world title eliminator with a shot at Jurgen Brahmer's belt at stake.

Cleverly, a 23-year-old from Wales, received a math degree from Cardiff University. He's been juggling his studies and boxing for the past four years.

"I have always tried to make the most of my opportunities, whether it's an exam or a fight," Cleverly said. "My tutors at Cardiff have been very good about giving me the time I needed for boxing, and likewise, my trainers have understood the demands of undergraduate study. These years at Cardiff University have been the best of my life. I have no regrets about combining boxing and mathematics. They have both given me a tremendous amount."

The card has great depth, including middleweight Matt Macklin against Darren Barker for the European title; European cruiserweight champ Enzo Maccarinelli defending against Alexander Frenkel; Ryan Rhodes defending the European junior middleweight title against Lukas Konecny; a British and Commonwealth title bout between sluggers Derek Chisora and Sam Sexton; a welterweight world title eliminator between Kell Brook and Michael Jennings; and fights involving two of England's top prospects, super middleweight and 2008 Olympic gold medalist James DeGale and junior welterweight Frankie Gavin, also a 2008 Olympian.

"I always try and please the fans, and I think they will like this one," Warren said. "It's fantastic to be back promoting huge shows on a Saturday night, and there is no way better way to start than by putting on something like this. It will showcase some of the best talent around at the moment in British boxing, and I think everyone featured on the card has the potential to kick on and fight for a world title.

"Some of the boxers like Enzo Maccarinelli, Michael Jennings Ryan Rhodes have already done that and are aiming to get back to the top, while the likes of James DeGale, Nathan Cleverly and Kell Brook could be the future of the sport in this country."