Devon Alexanders graduates into the big time
Vashon grad on June 1, prizefighter on June 2
By Glenn McBrady
For the St. Louis American
In the late afternoon last Wednesday, a high chorus of children’s voices rose through the wide-open windows of a school bus as it rumbled down the cracked brick street and made a right turn onto Gasconade. After it coasted to a stop, the doors flung open, and a pack of kids clutching book bags poured out into the fresh grass of Marquette Park. As they scattered and breathed the intoxicating spring air, they celebrated their freedom and another step toward summer vacation.
Sunlight sliced through the trees and into the upstairs boxing gym at the Marquette Recreation Center, where a group of fighters were at work, bathed in light streaming through the high windows to the west. Kevin Cunningham, the man who trained and guided Cory Spinks to welterweight supremacy, was in the far corner of the room, wearing a sky-blue St. Louis Cardinals cap that matched the room’s paint perfectly.
Sitting motionless across from Kevin was rising welterweight Devon Alexander, waiting patiently as his hands were wrapped with thick layers of gauze and tape.
As I approached and tapped Devon on the arm, his stoic expression melted into a warm smile. It reminded me of the moment I met Magic Johnson on a breezy Santa Monica afternoon several years ago. The legendary figure greeted me like I was an old friend from an early chapter of his life that he recalled fondly.
Devon Alexander is on the verge of beginning a new chapter in his young success story. On June 1, his family and friends will be on hand as he graduates from Vashon High School. The next night, he will put his 3-0 record on the line when he steps into the ring in front of family, friends, and fans at The Family Arena in St. Charles.
Kevin has mapped out a course of steady progression for Devon’s boxing career, and it includes 5 to 6 fights annually on the way toward a title shot in the next two years.
“Devon has the potential to be a bigger star than any fighter to come out of St. Louis,” said Kevin. “He’s got the hooks AND the looks.”
Devon was just 7 years old when he began boxing at the Hyde Park Gym in the old 5th District police station. Kevin told me that, back then, he trained at least 18 quality fighters and they enjoyed success in tournaments at every level. The gym kept Devon and the others off the streets during the week, and on the weekends Kevin made sure they stayed busy and focused.
But, one by one, members of the original group grew up and fell out, lost to the distractions and dead ends of street life. All except for Devon, who remains focused and dedicated to training while carrying a soft-spoken delivery and quiet demeanor.
The day of my visit, however, that gentle disposition changed during a sparring session with the excellent amateur Lamaar Harris. “Alexander the Great” is Devon’s nickname, and he is an exceptionally gifted athlete untouched by time and bad habits.
Over the course of several rounds, he showed that rare virtue that is programmed at an early age and nurtured by years of training. He was completely relaxed, reading the shifts in his opponent’s shoulders and steps and then setting traps lined with jagged counterpunches. As the minutes ticked away, you could see him thinking two or three steps ahead as he looked to pounce and capitalize on an opening.
I returned to the gym the next day and asked Devon about the somber circumstances that had surrounded his professional debut nearly one year ago. On what should have been a thrilling occasion for the young fighter, he was stunned by the passing of his father earlier that same day. He collected himself and answered the bell, dedicating the fight to his dad.
“I used it as motivation and got in the ring and did what I had to do,” he said.
Near the end of the training session, Kevin pulled on a pair of focus mitts and joined Devon in the ring as the rest of the Marquette boxers worked out with the brand-new bags and assorted equipment that Kevin and Cory Spinks recently bought for the fighters.
For several sizzling rounds, Kevin and his rising star circled each other in a seamless dance of deft footwork and mercurial combinations, choreographed and rehearsed over countless rounds throughout the years. The frantic pace was exhausting as Devon effortlessly slipped the leather and fired back stinging, staccato hooks and uppercuts. He punctuated each round by stalking forward from rope to rope, rolling under Kevin’s hooks and returning blurry counter shots.
Devon barely broke a sweat. He slipped out of the ring and took a quick sip from a water bottle, looking as if he’d spent the last half hour reading a magazine. As he moved to continue his workout by pounding on an overstuffed, red heavy bag, Kevin walked toward me and folded the mitts under his arm.
“You have to be in shape to train these guys. There’s more to being a trainer than picking up a spit bucket and throwing a towel over your shoulder,” he said.
For now, Devon will stick to his schedule and continue to build toward a world title. Once he says goodbye to high school, he’ll be able to focus completely on the sport he loves. His seasoning will continue with fights in and out of St. Louis and training that will extend to Las Vegas, where quality sparring partners will elevate his game. He’s already lit up the much-hyped contenders Ishe Smith and Mohamad Abdulaev during sparring sessions in Sin City.
When I ask him to name the best opponent he’s ever faced, he gives me the “that’s a silly question” expression and says, “Cory. He’s slick. He’s fast. He’s a real challenge.”
Devon Alexander is like any other talented teenager with a brilliant future ahead. By sticking to the game-plan that’s gotten him to this point, you can be assured that, personally and professionally, he’s on the ground floor stepping onto an elevator that only goes up.
Tickets for the June 2 “Rumble By The River” featuring Devon Alexander are on sale now and are priced at $25 for general admission, $40 for lower level, and $60 for ringside seats. Call The Family Arena box office at (636) 896-4242 or Metrotix at (314) 534-1111.
