Former two-division world champion Devon Alexander “The Great” is looking to get back into the win column tonight (Wed., Oct. 14). The STL native will face Aron Martinez (19-4-1, 4 KO) on a special edition of PBC on ESPN. Alexander (26-3-0, 14 KO) hopes to work his way back into title contention after dropping two out of his last three fights to Shawn Porter and Amir Khan.
Despite the losses, Alexander is confident that he will return to his winning ways. The St. Louis native has suggested on several occasions that the losses were due to a lack of focus instead of a lack of skill. Those are issues that he firmly believes he has put in the past.
“Sometimes you just have to re-focus, re-program, to remind yourself what’s important and what’s not,” Alexander told The Ring.
Martinez is somewhat of a journeyman fighter, but he opened eyes when he nearly knocked out former Floyd Mayweather-opponent Robert Guerrero in June. Guerrero ultimately escaped with a split decision victory, but the gutsy effort earned Martinez another bout with a high profile opponent. He’s hoping to capitalize on his opportunity.
According to Alexander, he won’t have the chance.
In an interview with ESPN’s Brian Campbell, Alexander stated, “I have just been getting back to what I love to do and getting back to the reason why I made it to the elite level. It’s just getting back to the roots and getting back to having fun like I used to have.”
The 10-round welterweight bout takes place at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona at 8:00 p.m. CST on ESPN.
