Just three short years ago Devon Alexander was the darling of the boxing world. After consecutive victories Junior Witter and Juan Urango, the latter by spectacular knockout, Alexander was the talk of the town. As his name made the rounds through boxing circles, he was almost universally acclaimed as a rising young star. Suddenly a loss to Timothy Bradley Jr. sandwiched two close decision victories against Andriy Kotelnik and Lucas Matthysse and the publicity and love affair with Alexander began to wane a little. In Saturday’s bout versus Lee Purdy, Alexander sought to rekindle his momentum and prove that he’s a true champion and a force to be reckoned.
Against Purdy, Alexander made a concerted effort to put on an exciting performance. It was evident in the first round that the defending IBF welterweight champion wanted to make a statement. The champ let his hands go with impressive combinations to the body and head of the challenger. The punches weren’t light, measuring shots. Coming into the fight, Alexander hadn’t had a KO victory since the Urgango fight in 2010 and it was evident that he was hungry for another.
“The gameplan was to get the knockout,” Alexander’s trainer Kevin Cunningham told The American. “We wanted to be impressive and get rid of this guy.”
Alexander seemed well on his way to putting the study-chinned Purdy on his behind with a relentless attack. However as the fight wore on, it became apparent to those watching that even though he was leading the action, Alexander wasn’t throwing his left hand very often. As a southpaw, the champion’s left hand should have been the difference maker. According to Cunningham, the left hand they’d been focusing on so much in training camp was broken in the first round.
“Devon didn’t say anything initially, but by the second round I noticed he wasn’t throwing the left like he did in camp,” Cunningham stated. “The most important weapon was the left hand.
After the bout, Alexander and Cunningham’s worst fears were realized when it was confirmed that the champ suffered a broken fifth metacarpal bone in his left hand, which will likely sideline him in a splint for five to six weeks.
Still, with only one good hand, the Hyde Park native put a solid, indisputable beat down on his opponent, forcing Purdy’s corner to throw in the towel after the 7th round to save the bloody and battered fighter from taking any further punishment.
With the impressive showing, Alexander managed to raise his profile and rejuvenate his fan base. In a perfect world, Cunningham was hoping his fighter would be ready to take on Floyd Mayweather Jr. in Sept. for an exciting welterweight title unification bout. The injury may alter those plans. While the “Money” Mayweather train waits for no one, the Alexander camp is entertaining talks from British boxing sensation Amir Khan for a fight near the end of 2013. Should he win, Mayweather – Alexander could be back in the cards for May 2014.
“That’s a fight that Floyd Mayweather wants,” Cunningham said. “When the time is right it’s going to be done. Devon is working hard, he’s focused, dedicated and loves representing the city of St. Louis. [Once he’s healed] he’ll continue to be one of the top fighters in the game and you can expect him to do bigger and better things!”
If Alexander’s performance against Purdy is a sign of things to come, the man may be onto something.
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