Devon Alexander

Last updated
Devon Alexander
Devon Alexander.jpg
Alexander (right) vs. DeMarcus Corley, 2008
Born
Devon Eugene Alexander

(1987-02-10) February 10, 1987 (age 38)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Other namesThe Great
Statistics
Weight(s)
Height5 ft 8+1⁄2 in (174 cm)
Reach69 in (175 cm)
Stance Southpaw
Boxing record
Total fights37
Wins27
Wins by KO14
Losses9
Draws1

Devon Alexander (born February 10, 1987) is an American professional boxer. Nicknamed "Alexander the Great", he is a former WBC and IBF light welterweight champion, as well as a former IBF welterweight champion.

Contents

Biography

Alexander grew up in the Hyde Park neighborhood of north St. Louis, Missouri in an area described as rough, gang- and drug-infested. [1] Alexander was mentored by various people at a young age including Former NFL players Eric Drain and Demetrius Johnson, principal of Clay Community Education Center Frank Muelhauser, and PE teacher, Brad Slinkard. He would later join the boxing gym that Kevin Cunningham, a former police officer and security officer at Clay Community Center, turned trainer, founded in the basement of an old police station. [2]

Thirty kids joined the boxing program of Cunningham, who had hoped to keep the kids out of trouble, off the streets, and in the ring. A stablemate of Alexander's, Cory Spinks would become welterweight champion. . [3]

Amateur career

Alexander had an outstanding amateur career, compiling a record of 300-10 under the tutelage of Cunningham. He was a four-time Silver Gloves champion from ages 10–14; three-time PAL national champion; Junior Golden Gloves and Junior Olympics national champion; 2003 United States national champion in the 19-and-under division; and 2004 United States light welterweight national champion. Alexander made it to the final round of the 2004 Olympic trials, where he battled Rock Allen to a draw and was knocked down once before losing on a tie-breaker. [4]

Professional career

Light welterweight

At age 17, Alexander made his professional debut, defeating Vincent Torres by first round technical knockout in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan. [4]

He went up against former WBO junior welterweight champion DeMarcus Corley on January 19, 2008, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Alexander easily defeated Corley by unanimous decision. [5]

Light welterweight title

On August 1, 2009, Alexander defeated Junior Witter to claim the vacant WBC light welterweight championship. Witter gave up on his stool after the eighth round, claiming that he had re-injured his left hand. Alexander was hurt by a right hand in round 2. All three judges had Alexander ahead at the time of the stoppage 79-73, 79-73, 80-72.

Alexander vs. Urango

Alexander was next scheduled to face two-time champion Juan Urango of Colombia in a title unification bout. The 6 March 2010 bout was held at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut and was televised on HBO's "Boxing After Dark" telecast. [2] To train for the fight, Alexander used a Las Vegas house lent by promoter Don King as training base. [3] Devon Alexander defeated Juan Urango by TKO in round 8. Alexander threw an uppercut which dropped Urango. Urango made the count but Alexander resumed his attack and threw a hook to Urango's temple which again dropped him. Urango stood up but was clearly dazed, resulting in a stoppage by the referee. Urango, who suffered his first KO defeat, called out Timothy Bradley after the fight, but a fight was never made because Bradley just moved up to welterweight.

In his next fight he faced Andreas Kotelnik, the former WBA Light Welterweight champion, in his hometown of St. Louis Missouri on 7 August in front of members of the St. Louis Rams, Evander Holyfield and Floyd Mayweather. [6] Alexander won the fight by a controversial unanimous decision with all judges scoring the fight 116-112.

On October 22, 2010, Alexander was stripped of the IBF Junior Welterweight title for not fighting the no. 1 contender, Kaizer Mabuza.

Alexander vs. Bradley

Alexander's next fight, on January 29, 2011, took place against Timothy Bradley, which he lost via 10th round TD after an unintentional head-butt forced a stop to the bout. [7]

Alexander vs. Matthysse

On June 25, 2011, Alexander defeated Lucas Matthysse in a controversial split decision. The judges scored the fight 96-93 and 95-94 for Alexander and 96-93 for Matthysse.

Welterweight

On February 25, 2012 Alexander moved up to welterweight and put on a dominating performance against highly regarded and hard-charging Marcos Maidana. Alexander landed the right hook at will, catching Maidana with his left hand down throughout the contest. Maidana was seemingly surprised by both the speed and power Alexander displayed at his first fight at welterweight. Only one of the three judges had Maidana winning a round. The impressive nature of the win earned Alexander a title match with Randall Bailey in September 2012. Alexander was criticized by some however, for fighting illegally at some points during the fight.

Alexander was scheduled to fight titlest Randall Bailey as a main event on Showtime Championship Boxing on September 8, 2012, but Bailey withdrew due to injury. Their fight was replaced with the original undercard fight between Olusegun Ajose and Lucas Matthysse and an originally scheduled non-televised fight between J'Leon Love and Ramon Valenzuela was changed to a televised bout. [8]

Welterweight title

Alexander returned to action on October 20, 2012, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where he won the IBF Welterweight title by unanimous decision against Ring Top 10 Welterweight, Randall Bailey. The fight was fought at a comfortable pace for Alexander, with very little exchanges, as Bailey did not let his hands go very often. In a one sided fight, Alexander won his third world title in his second division.

Alexander's next fight was originally supposed to happen on January 19, 2013, against mandatory challenger and Ring No. 3 ranked Welterweight, Kell Brook. However, Brook suffered an ankle injury during training, and the fight was rescheduled for May 18, 2013 in Atlantic City. Alexander's camp and some boxing insiders have questioned the authenticity of this injury and assert that Brook was simply not ready to step up in class to fight Alexander.

Devon would go on to lose his next two biggest fights, losing his championship belt & status as a top contender after all boxing governing bodies removed Devon Alexander from their Top rankings. [9]

Shawn Porter loss

Alexander would lose the IBF Welterweight title to Shawn Porter on December 7, 2013 by unanimous decision with scores of 115-113, 116-112 and 116-112. [10]

Brook later defeated Shawn Porter for the less than sparkling IBF Welterweight belt - somewhat clearing Brook of possibly ducking Alexander.

Amir Khan loss

Alexander lost the WBC Silver Welterweight title to Amir Khan on December 13, 2014 by a lopsided unanimous decision with scores of 119-109, 118-110, 120-108. [11]

Controversy

Devon Alexander took a strong stance against The Supreme Court of the United States of America legitimatizing same-sex marriage in the USA, Devon Alexander tweeted homophobic statements that were discussed on boxing articles the next day [12] [13] [14]

Professional boxing record

37 fights27 wins9 losses
By knockout143
By decision136
Draws1
No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
37Loss27–9–1Vlad PaninTKO2 (10), 1:52May 24, 2024River Cree Resort Casino, Edmonton, Canada
36Loss27–8–1 Gabriel Maestre RTD3 (10), 3:00Apr 8, 2023Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, California, U.S.
35Loss27–7–1Luke SantamariaUD10Aug 7, 2021 Armory, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
34Loss27–6–1 Ivan Redkach KO6 (10), 1:10Jun 1, 2019Soboba Casino, San Jacinto, California, U.S.
33Loss27–5–1 Andre Berto SD12Aug 4, 2018 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, U.S.
32Draw27–4–1 Victor Ortiz MD12Feb 17, 2018 Don Haskins Center, El Paso, Texas, U.S.
31Win27–4Walter CastilloUD10Nov 21, 2017Coliseum, St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S
30Loss26–4Aaron MartinezUD10Oct 14, 2015 Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona, U.S.
29Loss26–3 Amir Khan UD12Dec 13, 2014 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.For WBC Silver welterweight title
28Win26–2 Jesús Soto Karass UD10Jun 21, 2014 StubHub Center, Carson, California, U.S.
27Loss25–2 Shawn Porter UD12Dec 7, 2013Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.Lost IBF welterweight title
26Win25–1 Lee Purdy RTD7 (12), 3:00May 18, 2013 Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
25Win24–1 Randall Bailey UD12Oct 20, 2012 Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.Won IBF welterweight title
24Win23–1 Marcos Maidana UD10Feb 25, 2012Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
23Win22–1 Lucas Matthysse SD10Jun 25, 2011Family Arena, St. Charles, Missouri, U.S.
22Loss21–1 Timothy Bradley TD10 (12), 3:00 Jan 29, 2011 Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan, U.S.Lost WBC light-welterweight title;
For WBO light-welterweight title
21Win21–0 Andreas Kotelnik UD12Aug 7, 2010Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.Retained WBC and IBF light-welterweight titles
20Win20–0 Juan Urango TKO8 (12), 1:12Mar 6, 2010 Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut, U.S.Retained WBC light-welterweight title;
Won IBF light-welterweight title
19Win19–0 Junior Witter RTD8 (12), 3:00Aug 1, 2009 Agua Caliente Casino, Rancho Mirage, California, U.S.Won vacant WBC light-welterweight title
18Win18–0Jesús RodríguezKO9 (10), 0:58Apr 24, 2009Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
17Win17–0Christopher FernandezTKO3 (8), 3:00Dec 11, 2008 Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
16Win16–0Sun-Haeng LeeTKO4 (10), 0:19Nov 7, 2008Sichuan Gymnasium, Chengdu, China
15Win15–0Miguel CallistUD12Mar 27, 2008Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.Retained WBC Continental Americas light-welterweight title
14Win14–0 DeMarcus Corley UD12 Jan 19, 2008 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.Won vacant WBC Continental Americas light-welterweight title
13Win13–0Cory PetersonTKO1 (8), 2:59Oct 13, 2007 Sears Centre, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, U.S.
12Win12–0Marcus LuckKO3 (8), 1:24Jul 7, 2007 The Arena at Harbor Yard, Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S.
11Win11–0Scott BallKO7 (8), 0:59Mar 2, 2007 Belterra Casino Resort & Spa, Florence, Indiana, U.S.
10Win10–0Maximino CuevasTKO4 (4), 2:02 Jan 6, 2007 Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
9Win9–0Tyler ZiolkowskiTKO1 (10), 2:40Jul 8, 2006Savvis Center, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.Won vacant WBC Youth welterweight title
8Win8–0Seth HebenstreitUD6Mar 9, 2006The Spott, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
7Win7–0Kelly WrightUD6Oct 21, 2005Savvis Center, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
6Win6–0Christian NashTKO2 (4), 2:28Sep 30, 2005Noa Noa Night Club, Stone Park, Illinois, U.S.
5Win5–0John RudolphTKO3 (4), 1:01Jun 2, 2005 Family Arena, St. Charles, Missouri, U.S.
4Win4–0Felix LoraUD6May 21, 2005 United Center, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
3Win3–0Donovan CastanedaUD6 Feb 5, 2005 Savvis Center, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
2Win2–0Karl HunterUD4Jun 3, 2004Ambassador Club, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
1Win1–0Vincent TorresTKO1 (4), 0:52May 20, 2004 Kewadin Casino, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, U.S.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Devon Alexander escaped streets of St. Louis to become a champion". SportsIllustrated.cnn.com. 2010-03-03. Retrieved 2010-03-15.
  2. 1 2 "Alexander Not Letting Praise Get To His Head". Espn.com. 2010-03-05. Retrieved 2010-03-06.
  3. 1 2 "Devon Alexander rises from mean streets to become world champ". CanadaEast.com. 2010-03-05. Retrieved 2010-03-06.
  4. 1 2 Donovan, Jake (2008-01-18). "New School Pick of the Week: Devon Alexander". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
  5. ↑ "Alexander Decisions Corley, Collazo Defeats Barros". BoxingNews24.com. 2008-01-21. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
  6. ↑ "The Matador: Alexander Unified Champion". HBO.com. 2010-03-06. Retrieved 2010-03-16.
  7. ↑ http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=254834&cat=boxer
  8. ↑ http://espn.go.com/blog/dan-rafael/post/_/id/1804/love-valenzuela-elevated-to-co-main-event
  9. ↑ http://www.fightnews.com/rankings-2
  10. ↑ "Shawn Porter claims IBF welterweight belt; Paulie Malignaggi wins battle of Brooklyn". Sky Sports . 8 December 2013.
  11. ↑ http://www.espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/12026364/amir-khan-defeats-devon-alexander-unanimous-decision
  12. ↑ http://www.badlefthook.com/2015/6/26/8854865/devon-alexander-homophobic-twitter-tirade-gay-marriage
  13. ↑ http://www.thesweetscience.com/news/articles/21058-devon-alexander-lobbies-for-adam-and-eve-over-adam-and-steve
  14. ↑ http://www.rappler.com/sports/by-sport/boxing-mma/97601-devon-alexander-homophobic-rant

Further reading

Sporting positions
Amateur boxing titles
Previous:
Lamont Peterson 		U.S. light-welterweight champion
2004		Next:
Karl Dargan
Regional boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Timothy Bradley 		WBC Youth
welterweight champion
July 8, 2006 – 2007
Vacated		Vacant
Title next held by
James de la Rosa
Vacant
Title last held by
Michel Rosales 		WBC Continental Americas
light-welterweight champion
January 19, 2008 – 2008
Vacated		Vacant
Title next held by
Jo Jo Dan
World boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Timothy Bradley 		WBC light-welterweight champion
August 1, 2009 – January 29, 2011		Succeeded by
Timothy Bradley
Preceded by IBF light-welterweight champion
March 6, 2010 – October 22, 2010
Stripped		Vacant
Title next held by
Zab Judah
Preceded by IBF welterweight champion
October 20, 2012 – December 7, 2013		Succeeded by
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