It was a remarkable scene inside Gate C this past Sunday at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport as a throng of family members, fight fans and media gathered to welcome the WBC and IBF junior welterweight king Devon Alexander back to his hometown for a championship match this Saturday evening against Andriy Kotelnik at Scottrade Center.
There was something special about the electric anticipation that crackled and branched out like spider veins between and around weary travelers trudging like groggy zombies through the terminal when word was announced, “His plane has landed!”
A type of buzz reserved for rock stars and world leaders continued to simmer in a giant Crock-Pot walled with ticket counters and information booths until the call “He’ll be out in about one minute!” twisted the excitement dial even further as kids stood holding signs professing their love and support, and a galaxy full of camera flashes stood at the ready.
An elderly foursome slowly made their way around the mass of humanity. After inquiring what all the excitement was about, one of the women turned to her friend and said, “Alexander the Great is here” and then walked away trying to decipher the message.
When Alexander finally led his team around the bend in the tunnel flashing his high-voltage grin and sporting a crimson Cardinals cap, a tidal wave of cheers washed over the gate and flooded the space with love and admiration.
He greeted his daughter and family first, passing around hugs to all as media members and cameramen jockeyed for position. The crowd slowly drifted down towards the main thoroughfare as people tugged the hero in every direction requesting an interview or a brief audience with him.
After the television interviews were in the can and friends had a chance to wish him well, Alexander and trainer Kevin Cunningham assembled their entourage and security whisked them upstairs to a waiting ride.
With help from the tireless Alan Hopper of Don King Productions, I was able to catch up with Devon and secure an interview outside of a hulking black and chrome SUV containing his crew.
He told me, “It feels great to be back in St. Louis. I came home to a wonderful crowd and I’m excited. I’m overwhelmed and this makes me want to work even harder.”
When I asked him about training camp, he said, “It was pretty good. It was just like any other camp. We just stepped it up a little bit, because each and every fight we get in now means a lot. They’re trying to come and tear my head off, so I gotta step it up each and every time.”
With the frenetic bustle of his reception winding down but still fresh in my mind, I asked the champion what keeps him centered.
He replied, “My faith and my dad. My dad always told me to stay humble. Ever since I can remember, since I started fighting he always told me to stay humble, stay focused. I’ve had Kevin and people around me telling me to stay humble. No matter how big you get, you’re no bigger than God, so that’s what keeps me grounded.”
As far as what fans at Scottrade and those watching on HBO can expect on Saturday night, he said, “I trained hard to throw a lot of punches this fight, and I’m 100 percent ready. We know Kotelnik’s gonna come to fight. He’s a solid fighter, so we’re gonna be ready.”
Tickets for “Gateway to Greatness: The Homecoming” start at $17.50 and are available at the Scottrade Center box office and Ticketmaster locations, by phone at 1-800-745-3000 or online at ticketmaster.com
