Asked if there was anything they admired about each other, Timothy Bradley and Devon Alexander dispensed with the usual trash talk and came clean.
“Devon is a slick fighter, very fast,” Bradley said of Alexander. “There is a lot of energy and he tries to be on top of you all the time. I saw some heart in the [Andriy] Kotelnik fight. I’m not going to lie. I saw some heart. When I saw the fight I felt like I was looking at myself in the mirror, like this kid is pretty tough. But I feel that I’m tougher.”
Alexander also couldn’t help but be complimentary.
“Timothy Bradley brings his heart,” he said. “He has heart just like me. Two good hearts in the ring make for a magnificent fight. I have to make sure I’m on my game, be on point and ready to go 30 rounds.”
It’s easy to find good things to say about each other because Bradley (26-0, 11 KOs) and Alexander (21-0, 13 KOs) are the top two boxers in a stacked 140-pound division, which also includes Amir Khan, Victor Ortiz, Marcos Maidana and Joan Guzman.
Bradley and Alexander will engage in a much-anticipated showdown tonight at the Silverdome outside Detroit with the WBC and WBO titles on the line. HBO will televise it live. It’s one of the biggest fights between unbeaten American fighters in years, offering boxing a chance to grab some attention during the off-week before the Super Bowl.
“I think it’s going to be a great fight,” Bradley said. “I think the fighters in this fight win or lose are going to superstars. It’s going to be that spectacular.”
It certainly has the potential to be special. Bradley, 27, of Palm Springs, Calif., is a strong, determined fighter, who likes to impose his will on an opponent, breaking them down with a relentless head and body attack. He has good boxing skills, but can brawl if needed. His biggest victories have come against Junior Witter in 2008, when Bradley won the WBC title with a split decision in England, and against Kendall Holt in 2009, when Bradley won a unanimous decision in a unification bout.
“It’s been a long journey,” Bradley said. “This is the biggest fight of my career and I’m ready to seal the deal. I am going to seize the moment. It may be the biggest opportunity I may ever get in my whole entire life and I definitely want to be victorious in this fight.”
Alexander, a 23-year-old southpaw from St. Louis, is more of slick boxer, who uses his hand speed and footwork to dazzle opponents. He also defeated Witter in 2009 and stopped Juan Urango in a unification bout last March before having a tougher time than expected to earn a 12-round decision over Kotelnik in August.
➤ Herschel Walker resumes his MMA career tonight when he faces Scott Carson (4-1) in a heavyweight bout. It’s part of Strikeforce card to be televised by Showtime from Anaheim, Calif.
The matchup, originally scheduled for Dec. 4, was postponed after Walker sustained a cut during a training session. Walker, the 1982 Heisman Trophy winner, won his MMA debut with a third-round TKO last January.
george.willis@nypost.com