By Lyle Fitzsimmons

For Nate Campbell, perhaps the third time will be a charm.

The former lightweight champion’s latest title hunt takes him out west once again later this summer, when he'll face incumbent Timothy Bradley for the WBO 140-pound crown on Aug. 1 at the Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

A lifelong Floridian, Campbell is 0-for-2 in a pair of trips to the West Coast – losing via unanimous 10-round decision to Joel Casamayor in March 2003 and falling via fifth-round KO a year later to Australian Robbie Peden in the first of their two clashes.

He lost again to Peden – via eighth-round TKO – in Australia in February 2005.

Both Golden State losses were at the Pechanga Entertainment Center in Temecula.

The location for the August fight came down to either Florida or California, where Bradley lives in Palm Springs.

Lead promoter Gary Shaw made the final site selection, which was announced last week and will be officially set into motion with a news conference on Wednesday in Pasadena.

Campbell opens training camp in Tampa, where he resides, then becomes the southernmost title-seeker in the U.S. upon shifting preparation to Key West on July 1. He will again team up with lead trainer John David Jackson, a former 15-year pro and ex-WBO champion at 154 and 160 pounds.

"(It's a) good matchup for Nate. Bradley's work rate will give (him) a lot of opportunities," said Terry Trekas, Campbell's manager. "Bradley is not a big guy, and not a huge puncher."

A native of Jacksonville, Campbell is unbeaten in his last five fights, including an upset defeat of then-champion Juan Diaz for the IBF/WBA/WBO titles at 135 pounds in March 2008.

He last fought on Feb. 14 in Sunrise, Fla. – where he defeated South African challenger Ali Funeka over 12 rounds but nonetheless lost his belts after failing to make 135 – then subsequently announced an intention to move up to junior welterweight.

Bradley won the WBC title at 140 with a defeat of Junior Witter last year in England, defended it once and took the WBO championship from Kendall Holt in April in Montreal.

He relinquished or vacated the WBC crown following the Holt fight, depending on whom is asked.

Bradley's publicist circulated a letter written to WBC President Jose Sulaiman on April 27, declaring the fighter’s intention to vacate the title.

Conversely, on the WBC's official Web site (wbcboxing.com), a press release claimed Bradley "stepped on the rule that gave him the WBC title, tarnishing the prestige, the image and the honor of all WBC champions."

The WBC belt will next be worn by either No. 1 contender Devon Alexander or No. 2 Witter, who'll meet in a bout for the vacant title on the Bradley-Campbell undercard.

Both bouts will be broadcast by Showtime, beginning at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Colombian Juan Urango is the IBF champion at 140 and will return to the division after a failed bid for Andre Berto’s WBC crown at 147 pounds last month in Hollywood, Fla.

Andreas Kotelnik holds the WBA championship and Manny Pacquiao is recognized as kingpin by the IBO and generally regarded as the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

"Nate wants to start collecting the titles at 140, so we would take the first one available," Trekas said. "In my opinion, the winner is the best active 140-pounder. Pac is not active since it's doubtful he will ever defend his 140-pound (title)."

According to Trekas, the fight contract includes a clause granting Bradley a rematch within two fights if Campbell wins in August. Campbell’s first defense would be a WBO mandatory against No. 1 contender Lamont Peterson.

Victor Ortiz is ranked No. 2 by the WBO, but will fight for the WBA’s dubious “interim” world title this weekend in Los Angeles. Campbell is ranked No. 3.

Trekas said the least likely of all Campbell foes is Pacquiao, who won the IBO title at 140 with a second-round blowout of Ricky Hatton in May.

The Filipino is rumored considering a match with WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto, WBA champion Shane Mosley or the winner of a recently postponed bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez.

"Pac is not a realistic option, regardless of what Nate does at 140. There are too many ways for them to maneuver around Nate," Trekas said. "The easiest way is by saying that Nate doesn't bring enough money to the table."

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * 

This week’s title fight schedule:

FRIDAY
WBO flyweight title – Buenos Aires, Argentina
Omar Andres Narvaez (champion) vs. Omar Soto (No. 7 contender)
Narvaez (29-0-2, 18 KO): Sixteenth title defense; Won all 25 fights in Argentina
Soto (17-4-1, 11 KO): Second career title fight; Seven wins in 11 fights since 10-0-1 start
FitzHitz says: Narvaez in 10
 
SATURDAY 
WBO junior featherweight title – Atlantic City, N.J.
Juan Manuel Lopez (champion) vs. Olivier Lontchi (No. 7 contender)
Lopez (25-0, 23 KO): Fourth title defense; Won 13 straight by stoppage
Lontchi (18-0-2, 8 KO): First career title fight; First fight outside Canada
FitzHitz says: Lopez in 6

IBF middleweight title – Berlin, Germany
Arthur Abraham (champion) vs. Mahir Oral (No. 11 contender)
Abraham (29-0, 23 KO): Tenth title defense; Won nine title fights in Germany      
Oral (25-1-2, 10 KO): First career title fight; Won 18 straight since March 2004
FitzHitz says: Abraham by decision      

WBA super featherweight title – Nuevo Laredo, Mexico
Jorge Linares (champion) vs. Josafat Perez (No. 11 contender)
Linares (26-0, 17 KO): First title defense; Former WBA champion at 126 pounds
Perez (12-1, 7 KO): First career title fight; Won first 12 before first loss in 2008
FitzHitz says: Linares in 9
 
Last week’s picks: 3-1
Overall picks record: 9-2 (81.8 percent)

Lyle Fitzsimmons, still reveling in his “Klitschko in 10” pick from last week, is an award-winning 20-year sports journalist and a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Reach him at fitzbitz@msn.com or follow him at twitter.com/fitzbitz.