Devon Alexander

Devon Alexander (born February 10, 1987) is an American professional boxer. He is a former world champion in two weight classes, having held the unified WBC and IBF light welterweight titles in 2010, and the IBF welterweight title from 2012 to 2013. Alexander was prescribed Tramadol after surgery in 2012, and thereafter had to battle opiate addiction, coming clean in 2018.[1]

Devon Alexander
Alexander (right) vs. Corley, 2008
Statistics
Nickname(s)	The Great
Weight(s)	Light welterweight Welterweight
Height	5 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (174 cm)
Reach	69 in (175 cm)
Nationality	American
Born	February 10, 1987 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Stance	Southpaw
Boxing record
Total fights	34
Wins	27
Wins by KO	14
Losses	6
Draws	1

Early life

Alexander grew up in the Hyde Park neighborhood of north St. Louis, Missouri in an area described as rough, gang- and drug-infested.[2] 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.[3]

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.[4]

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.[5]

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.[5]

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.[6]

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. March 6, 2010 bout was held at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut and was televised on HBO's "Boxing After Dark" telecast.[3] To train for the fight, Alexander used a Las Vegas house lent by promoter Don King as training base.[4] 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 August 7 in front of members of the St. Louis Rams, Evander Holyfield and Floyd Mayweather.[7] 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.[8]

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.[9]

IBF welterweight champion

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 vs. Brook cancellation

Alexander's next fight was originally supposed to happen on January 19, 2013 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California, against mandatory challenger and Ring No. 3 ranked Welterweight, Kell Brook. However, Brook suffered an ankle injury during training, and the fight was postponed for Feb 23rd with the fight taking place in Detroit, where undercard fighter Cornelius Bundrage would be a big draw. There were many venues up for consideration ranging from The Royal Oak Music Theater to The Joe Louis Arena, with the decision finally landing to the theater at Masonic Temple in Detroit, Michigan. Before the fight, this time Alexander suffered an injury from his bicep during training rescheduling the fight yet again for May 18, 2013 at the Boardwalk Hall In Atlantic City, New Jersey. Brook would later withdraw from the fight due to a foot injury, calling the fight off for a third time. Alexander would defend his title against replacement Lee Purdy with Purdy retiring on the stool in the end of the seventh round. Devon won easily but hurt his left hand.

Devon would go on to lose his next two biggest fights, losing his championship belt and status as a top contender after all boxing governing bodies removed Devon Alexander from their top rankings.[10]

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.[11]

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.[12]

Aaron Martinez loss

Alexander took on gate keeper Aaron Martinez on October 14, 2015 and was dominated through 10 rounds, en route to ultimately losing a unanimous decision.

Professional boxing record

Professional record summary

34 fights	27 wins	6 losses
By knockout	14	1
By decision	13	5
Draws	1

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
34	Loss	27–6–1	Ivan Redkach	TKO	6 (10), 1:10	Jun 1, 2019	Soboba Casino Resort, San Jacinto, California, U.S.
33	Loss	27–5–1	Andre Berto	SD	12	Aug 4, 2018	Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, U.S.
32	Draw	27–4–1	Victor Ortiz	MD	12	Feb 17, 2018	Don Haskins Center, El Paso, Texas, U.S.
31	Win	27–4	Walter Castillo	UD	10	Nov 21, 2017	The Coliseum, St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.
30	Loss	26–4	Aaron Martinez	UD	10	Oct 14, 2015	Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona, U.S.
29	Loss	26–3	Amir Khan	UD	12	Dec 13, 2014	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.	For WBC Silver welterweight title
28	Win	26–2	Jesús Soto Karass	UD	10	Jun 21, 2014	StubHub Center, Carson, California, U.S.
27	Loss	25–2	Shawn Porter	UD	12	Dec 7, 2013	Barclays Center, New York City, New York, U.S.	Lost IBF welterweight title
26	Win	25–1	Lee Purdy	RTD	7 (12), 3:00	May 18, 2013	Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.	Retained IBF welterweight title
25	Win	24–1	Randall Bailey	UD	12	Oct 20, 2012	Barclays Center, New York City, New York, U.S.	Won IBF welterweight title
24	Win	23–1	Marcos Maidana	UD	10	Feb 25, 2012	Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
23	Win	22–1	Lucas Matthysse	SD	10	Jun 25, 2011	Family Arena, St. Charles, Missouri, U.S.
22	Loss	21–1	Timothy Bradley	TD	10 (12), 3:00	Jan 29, 2011	Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan, U.S.	Lost WBC light welterweight title; For WBO light welterweight title; Unanimous TD after Alexander was cut from an accidental head clash
21	Win	21–0	Andreas Kotelnik	UD	12	Aug 7, 2010	Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.	Retained WBC and IBF light welterweight titles
20	Win	20–0	Juan Urango	TKO	8 (12), 1:12	Mar 6, 2010	Mohegan Sun Arena, Montville, Connecticut, U.S.	Retained WBC light welterweight title; Won IBF light welterweight title
19	Win	19–0	Junior Witter	RTD	8 (12), 3:00	Aug 1, 2009	Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa, Rancho Mirage, California, U.S.	Won vacant WBC light welterweight title
18	Win	18–0	Jesús Rodríguez	KO	9 (10), 0:58	Apr 24, 2009	Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
17	Win	17–0	Christopher Fernandez	RTD	3 (8), 3:00	Dec 11, 2008	Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
16	Win	16–0	Sun-Haeng Lee	TKO	4 (10), 0:19	Nov 7, 2008	Sichuan Gymnasium, Chengdu, China
15	Win	15–0	Miguel Callist	UD	12	Mar 27, 2008	Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.	Retained WBC Continental Americas light welterweight title
14	Win	14–0	DeMarcus Corley	UD	12	Jan 19, 2008	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.	Won vacant WBC Continental Americas light welterweight title
13	Win	13–0	Cory Peterson	TKO	1 (8), 2:59	Oct 13, 2007	Sears Centre Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, U.S.
12	Win	12–0	Marcus Luck	KO	3 (8), 1:24	Jul 7, 2007	The Arena at Harbor Yard, Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S.
11	Win	11–0	Scott Ball	KO	7 (8), 0:59	Mar 3, 2007	Belterra Casino Resort & Spa, Florence, Indiana, U.S.
10	Win	10–0	Maximino Cuevas	TKO	4 (4), 2:02	Jan 6, 2007	Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
9	Win	9–0	Tyler Ziolkowski	TKO	1 (10), 2:40	Jul 8, 2006	Savvis Center, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.	Won vacant WBC Youth welterweight title
8	Win	8–0	Seth Hebenstreit	UD	6	Mar 9, 2006	The Spott, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
7	Win	7–0	Kelly Wright	UD	6	Oct 21, 2005	Savvis Center, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
6	Win	6–0	Christian Nash	TKO	2 (4), 2:28	Sep 30, 2005	Noa Noa Night Club, Stone Park, Illinois, U.S.
5	Win	5–0	John Rudolph	TKO	3 (4), 1:01	Jun 2, 2005	Family Arena, St. Charles, Missouri, U.S.
4	Win	4–0	Felix Lora	UD	6	May 21, 2005	United Center, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
3	Win	3–0	Donovan Castaneda	UD	6	Feb 5, 2005	Savvis Center, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
2	Win	2–0	Karl Hunter	UD	4	Jun 3, 2004	Ambassador Club, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
1	Win	1–0	Vincent Torres	TKO	1 (4)	May 20, 2004	Kewadin Casino, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, U.S.

Controversy

Alexander took a strong stance against The Supreme Court of the United States of America legitimatizing same-sex marriage in the USA and tweeted homophobic statements that were later discussed on boxing articles the next day.[13][14][15]

References

1. Barry Wilner (July 26, 2018). "Alexander making journey back from painkiller addict to ring". Associated Press. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
2. "Devon Alexander escaped streets of St. Louis to become a champion". SportsIllustrated.cnn.com. March 3, 2010. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
3. "Alexander Not Letting Praise Get To His Head". Espn.com. March 5, 2010. Retrieved March 6, 2010.
4. "Devon Alexander rises from mean streets to become world champ". CanadaEast.com. March 5, 2010. Retrieved March 6, 2010.
5. Donovan, Jake (January 18, 2008). "New School Pick of the Week: Devon Alexander". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved January 23, 2008.
6. "Alexander Decisions Corley, Collazo Defeats Barros". BoxingNews24.com. January 21, 2008. Retrieved January 23, 2008.
7. "The Matador: Alexander Unified Champion". HBO.com. March 6, 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
8. "Devon Alexander". BoxRec. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
9. "Love-Valenzuela elevated to co-main event - Dan Rafael Blog- ESPN". Espn.go.com. September 5, 2012. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
10. "Boxing Rankings | WBC, WBA, WBO, IBF". Fightnews. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
11. "Shawn Porter claims IBF welterweight belt; Paulie Malignaggi wins battle of Brooklyn". Sky Sports. December 8, 2013.
12. "Amir Khan defeats Devon Alexander by unanimous decision". Espn.go.com. December 15, 2014. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
13. Christ, Scott (June 26, 2015). "Devon Alexander goes on homophobic Twitter tirade". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
14. Woods, Michael (June 27, 2015). "Devon Alexander Lobbies For Adam and Eve Over Adam and Steve". The Sweet Science. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
15. "Boxing champion Devon Alexander goes on anti-gay rant". Rappler.com. June 27, 2015. Retrieved December 25, 2016.

Further reading

• Nelson, Peter Owen (March 3, 2010). "Devon Alexander escaped streets of St. Louis to become a champion". Sports Illustrated. New York City.
• Samaha, Albert (February 23, 2012). "Familiar Ring: What must Devon Alexander "The Great" do to live up to his nickname?". Riverfront Times. St. Louis.
• Timmermann, Tom (January 15, 2008). "St. Louisan living a dream with title fight". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

External links

• Boxing record for Devon Alexander from BoxRec