Though only eight years have passed since Devon Alexander “The Great” captured his first major crown, it’s seems like a lifetime ago. That’s because Alexander’s boxing career has been a series of peaks and valleys. After a two year-layoff, which included a dangerous fight that gloves, feints and jabs are futile against, the 30-year-old Alexander is hoping to begin his ascension back to the mountaintop Tues., Nov. 21 when he faces off against Walter Castillo on FS1.
At just 22 years old, Alexander defeated Junior Witter to capture the WBC World Super Lightweight Title. Seven months later, he knocked out Juan Urango in the 8th round to add the IBF title to his collection. Another St. Louis boxing star was born.
After rattling off another victory against Andriy Kotelnik, the sweet science’s talking heads couldn’t seem to stop gushing about the skilled southpaw and his unlimited potential.
Alexander suffered disappointing loss against Timothy Bradley and his consistently “accidental” head butts. Alexander’s first loss was followed by an impressive four fight win streak, including consecutive victories against Lucas Matthysse and Marcos Maidana, two of the sport’s most-feared heavy hitters.
With his name being floated around as a possible Floyd Mayweather Jr. opponent, Alexander was upset by Shawn Porter in Dec. 2013. After bouncing back with a win versus Jesus Soto Karass, Alexander dropped two more fights in a row. First he was outclassed by Amir Khan. Next, he was beaten by Aron Martinez, an unheralded fighter who entered the bout as a 50-to-1 underdog.
Many boxing insiders felt that it was a wrap for the former welterweight champion’s career. He wasn’t at a crossroads. He was at the ‘Crossroads,’ the one Layzie, Krayzie, Bizzy and Wish rapped and sang about.
The former champion recently revealed that he has been battling opioid addiction. After undergoing sinus surgery following his victory over Maidana, Alexander was prescribed Tramadol for the pain and got hooked by the medication.
Before you write off the addiction story as a convenient excuse for a fading fighter, consider the fact that Alexander spent eight months undergoing rehab and detox. His fight against Castillo will be his first bout since being released from rehab.
“Two years is a long time to be away from something you love, but I wanted to make sure when I come back that I would be 100 percent my old self,” Alexander said in a statement. “My last outings were not me, and a lot of my fans and people that know me are aware of that.”
Kevin Cunningham, Alexander’s longtime trainer, has always been his pupil’s biggest fan. He’s confident that his fighter will return to form and prove that his best performances have yet to come.
“He’s beating up world-class fighters, world champions, in the gym every day,” Cunningham told Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole. “This is the old Devon. He’s sharp and got his stuff back.”
Though Tuesday’s matchup is a far cry from Alexander’s days of defending and challenging for world championships, he’ll still be fighting several important battles in the ring. First, he’ll have to overcome the demons of addiction, especially as he returns to the stress associated with fighting in front of the cameras and bright lights.
“I want to be an advocate for people who are fighting an addiction,” Alexander told Iole. “I’m a living, breathing witness to what can happen. I want to be that voice that says, ‘It’s hard, but you can break the cycle. You can beat this and go on with your life.’ That’s what I’m fighting for.”
Still, Alexander can’t afford to focus too much on the out-of-the-ring distractions when he has an opponent trying to knock his head off of his shoulders. A loss to Castillo (26-4-1, 19KO) would likely cement the end of Alexander’s career as a relevant, championship-caliber fighter.
Let’s hope that Cunningham is right and that “old Devon is back.” Boxing is always better when fighters from the 314 represent!
Where’s MPJ?
Mizzou basketball returned to relevance this summer on the strength of two key signings: Coach Cuonzo Martin and all-world recruit Michael Porter Jr. However, the Tigers are two games into the season and Porter has only seen just two minutes of action.
The reason is because Porter suffered a yet-to-be disclosed hip knee leg injury leading up to the season opener against the Iowa State Cyclones. The injury caused Martin to hold Porter out of all but two minutes of the opener (Martin said Porter Jr. only started the game because he was already listed as a starter when he reported the injury. Mizzou would have been assessed a technical foul if the starting lineup was changed.). Porter also sat out the entire game versus the Wagner Seahawks.
Mizzou hasn’t missed a beat without its freshman sensation. The Tigers average margin of victory after two games is a whopping 29.5 points. A blowout victory over Wagner is not surprising, but the Tigers’ 15-point victory over Iowa State was an eye opener.
Despite the victories, Mizzou fans fear the worst because of the tight-lipped way Mizzou officials are treating Porter’s injuries. When Porter missed the Wagner game, he watched from the training room instead of sitting on the bench. Still the team didn’t acknowledge his absence until halftime when team officials were hounded by reporters.
Coach Martin doesn’t seem to have clarification from the doctors and trainers about the cause or severity of his preseason All-American’s injury.
“I don’t know how serious [the injury is], it’s hard for me to say that,” Martin told reporters. “I think it’s day-to-day, that’s the best assessment for me to say right now.
Other Missouri officials have given reporters a steady diet of “no comment,” “no further information at this time” and “maybe we’ll have an update tomorrow, but probably not” style responses. In fact, the Tigers refuse to comment on whether Porter will travel with the team to Utah.
Considering the Tigers history with bad luck, it’s making everyone go nuts in anticipation that Mizzou landed the No. 1 player in the country only for him to suffer a serious injury before the season got rolling.
Hopefully, Porter’s injury is not serious and the team is simply being cautious and protective with its star player. There are benefits for the Tigers to allow Porter to recover until he is 100%. There’s less risk for re-injury. Other players get opportunities to develop. The team also will gain confidence from every victory won while its headliner sits on the sidelines.
Still, the Tigers athletic department has to do better in terms of communicating with the media and the public. Tickets are sold out to Tigers games in a large part because of MPJ’s impact. People are driving several hours to Tigers games in hopes of getting a glimpse of a bona fide NBA lottery pick.
I have no doubt that Porter’s injury is legit, and potentially serious. But the silence or muddled messages from school officials remind me of the NBA’s past issues with sitting its stars without warning. Mizzou officials are playing ‘Who’s on First’ with Porter’s injury status and the joke is on the fans.
Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch on Twitter @IshmaelSistrunk.
