Devon Alexander (born February 10, 1987) is an American professional boxer. He is a former world champion in two weight classes, having held the unified WBC and IBF light welterweight titles in 2010, and the IBF welterweight title from 2012 to 2013. Alexander was prescribed Tramadol after surgery in 2012, and thereafter had to battle opiate addiction, coming clean in 2018.[2]
Devon Alexander | |
|---|---|
 Alexander (right) vs. Corley, 2008 | |
| Born | February 10, 1987 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Other names | The Great |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | |
| Height | 5 ft 8+1⁄2 in (174 cm)[1] |
| Reach | 69 in (175 cm)[1] |
| Stance | Southpaw |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 37 |
| Wins | 27 |
| Wins by KO | 14 |
| Losses | 9 |
| Draws | 1 |
Early life
editAlexander grew up in the Hyde Park neighborhood of north St. Louis, Missouri in an area described as rough and full of gangs and drugs.[3] He later joined the boxing gym that Kevin Cunningham, a former police officer and security officer at Clay Community Center turned trainer, founded in the basement of an old police station.[4]
Thirty youngsters joined Cunningham's boxing program as his goal was to keep them out of trouble, off the streets and in the ring. A stablemate of Alexander's, Cory Spinks would later become world welterweight champion.[5]
Devon Alexander married Chelsey Nicole in 2012 and they have six children. The couple met during high school in 2003 and began dating after Alexander's father passed away in 2005. Their children, listed from oldest to youngest, are Devon Jr, Cesily, Sevyn Leigh, Levon,Lesily and,Evon
At 36, Devon Alexander opened a gym in St. Louis, the Devon Alexander Multi Sports Complex, aiming to give back to the community that supported him. On November 4, 2023, he hosted his first amateur boxing show, the Devon Alexander Amateur Boxing Invitational Classic. Alexander also signed a contract with Harris Stowe University of St. Louis, to host seasonal shows supporting boxers in the area and keeping youth engaged. As he enters this new phase of his career, Alexander is committed to giving back and becoming a promoter for St. Louis-based professional boxers. This endeavor marks the beginning of his efforts to make a significant impact on his community.
Amateur career
editAlexander had an outstanding amateur career, compiling a record of 300-10 under the tutelage of Cunningham. He was a four-time Silver Gloves champion from ages 10–14; three-time PAL national champion; Junior Golden Gloves and Junior Olympics national champion; 2003 United States national champion in the 19-and-under division; and 2004 United States light welterweight national champion. Alexander made it to the final round of the 2004 Olympic trials, where he battled Rock Allen to a draw and was knocked down once before losing on a tie-breaker.[6]
Professional career
editLight welterweight
editAt age 17, Alexander made his professional debut, defeating Vincent Torres by first round technical knockout in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan.[6]
He went up against former WBO junior welterweight champion DeMarcus Corley on January 19, 2008, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Alexander easily defeated Corley by unanimous decision.[7]
Light welterweight title
editOn August 1, 2009, Alexander defeated Junior Witter to claim the vacant WBC light welterweight championship. Witter gave up on his stool after the eighth round, claiming that he had re-injured his left hand. Alexander was hurt by a right hand in round 2. All three judges had Alexander ahead at the time of the stoppage 79-73, 79-73, 80-72.
Alexander vs. Urango
editAlexander was next scheduled to face two-time champion Juan Urango of Colombia in a title unification bout. March 6, 2010 bout was held at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut and was televised on HBO's "Boxing After Dark" telecast.[4] To train for the fight, Alexander used a Las Vegas house lent by promoter Don King as training base.[5] Devon Alexander defeated Juan Urango by TKO in round 8. Alexander threw an uppercut which dropped Urango. Urango made the count but Alexander resumed his attack and threw a hook to Urango's temple which again dropped him. Urango stood up but was clearly dazed, resulting in a stoppage by the referee. Urango, who suffered his first KO defeat, called out Timothy Bradley after the fight, but a fight was never made because Bradley just moved up to welterweight.
In his next fight he faced Andreas Kotelnik, the former WBA Light Welterweight champion, in his hometown of St. Louis Missouri on August 7 in front of members of the St. Louis Rams, Evander Holyfield and Floyd Mayweather.[8] Alexander won the fight by a controversial unanimous decision with all judges scoring the fight 116-112.
On October 22, 2010, Alexander was stripped of the IBF Junior Welterweight title for not fighting the no. 1 contender, Kaizer Mabuza.
Alexander vs. Bradley
editAlexander's next fight, on January 29, 2011, took place against Timothy Bradley, which he lost via 10th round TD after an unintentional head-butt forced a stop to the bout.[9]
Alexander vs. Matthysse
editOn June 25, 2011, Alexander defeated Lucas Matthysse in a controversial split decision. The judges scored the fight 96-93 and 95-94 for Alexander and 96-93 for Matthysse.
Welterweight
editOn February 25, 2012 Alexander moved up to welterweight and put on a dominating performance against highly regarded and hard-charging Marcos Maidana. Alexander landed the right hook at will, catching Maidana with his left hand down throughout the contest. Maidana was seemingly surprised by both the speed and power Alexander displayed at his first fight at welterweight. Only one of the three judges had Maidana winning a round. The impressive nature of the win earned Alexander a title match with Randall Bailey in September 2012. Alexander was criticized by some however, for fighting illegally at some points during the fight.
Alexander was scheduled to fight titlest Randall Bailey as a main event on Showtime Championship Boxing on September 8, 2012, but Bailey withdrew due to injury. Their fight was replaced with the original undercard fight between Olusegun Ajose and Lucas Matthysse and an originally scheduled non-televised fight between J'Leon Love and Ramon Valenzuela was changed to a televised bout.[10]
IBF welterweight champion
editAlexander returned to action on October 20, 2012, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where he won the IBF Welterweight title by unanimous decision against Ring Top 10 Welterweight, Randall Bailey. The fight was fought at a comfortable pace for Alexander, with very little exchanges, as Bailey did not let his hands go very often. In a one sided fight, Alexander won his third world title in his second division.
Alexander vs. Brook cancellation
editAlexander's next fight was originally supposed to happen on January 19, 2013 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California, against mandatory challenger and Ring No. 3 ranked Welterweight, Kell Brook. However, Brook suffered an ankle injury during training, and the fight was postponed for Feb 23rd with the fight taking place in Detroit, where undercard fighter Cornelius Bundrage would be a big draw. There were many venues up for consideration ranging from The Royal Oak Music Theater to The Joe Louis Arena, with the decision finally landing to the theater at Masonic Temple in Detroit, Michigan. Before the fight, this time Alexander suffered an injury from his bicep during training rescheduling the fight yet again for May 18, 2013 at the Boardwalk Hall In Atlantic City, New Jersey. Brook would later withdraw from the fight due to a foot injury, calling the fight off for a third time. Alexander would defend his title against replacement Lee Purdy with Purdy retiring on the stool in the end of the seventh round. Devon won easily but hurt his left hand.
Devon would go on to lose his next two biggest fights, losing his championship belt and status as a top contender after all boxing governing bodies removed Devon Alexander from their top rankings.[11]
Shawn Porter loss
editAlexander would lose the IBF Welterweight title to Shawn Porter on December 7, 2013 by unanimous decision with scores of 115-113, 116-112 and 116-112.[12]
Alexander vs. Khan
editAlexander lost the WBC Silver Welterweight title to Amir Khan on December 13, 2014 by a lopsided unanimous decision with scores of 119-109, 118-110, 120-108.[13]
Alexander vs. Martinez
editAlexander took on gate keeper Aaron Martinez on October 14, 2015 and was dominated through 10 rounds, en route to ultimately losing a unanimous decision.
Alexander vs. Ortiz
editOn February 17, 2018, Alexander faced Victor Ortiz. Alexander started the fight well, and it looked like he built an early lead on the scorecards, as he was noticeably outlanding his opponent. Ortiz did better in the second part of the fight, which was enough in the eyes of one of the judges to score the fight 115-113 in favor of Ortiz, while the other two judges had it a draw, 114-114, ending the fight in a majority draw.[14]
Alexander vs. Berto
editOn August 4, 2018, Alexander fought another former world champion in Andre Berto. Alexander, as in his previous fight fought great in the opening rounds and managed to drop Berto in the third round. Berto would, however, be the much better fighter in the later rounds, which earned him the split-decision win, 115-112, 115-12 and 113-114.[15]
Alexander vs. Redkach
editIn his next fight, Alexander fought Ivan Redkach. Both fighters fought a solid fight in the opening rounds. In the sixth round, Redkach managed to drop Alexander with a stunning uppercut and left hand. Alexander beat the count, only to be dropped two more times, the second being the final one before the referee waved the fight off, awarding Redkach with the KO victory.[16]
Controversy
editIn 2015, Alexander publicly took a strong stance against the Supreme Court legitimatizing same-sex marriage in the U.S. and tweeted statements of his opinion later discussed in boxing articles the next day.[17][18][19]
Professional boxing record
edit| 37 fights | 27 wins | 9 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 14 | 3 |
| By decision | 13 | 6 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | Loss | 27–9–1 | Vlad Panin | TKO | 2 (10), 1:52 | May 24, 2024 | River Cree Resort Casino, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| 36 | Loss | 27–8–1 | Gabriel Maestre | RTD | 3 (10), 3:00 | Apr 8, 2023 | Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, California, U.S. | |
| 35 | Loss | 27–7–1 | Lucas Santamaria | UD | 10 | Aug 7, 2021 | Minneapolis Armory, Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. | |
| 34 | Loss | 27–6–1 | Ivan Redkach | TKO | 6 (10), 1:10 | Jun 1, 2019 | Soboba Casino Resort, San Jacinto, California, U.S. | |
| 33 | Loss | 27–5–1 | Andre Berto | SD | 12 | Aug 4, 2018 | Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, U.S. | |
| 32 | Draw | 27–4–1 | Victor Ortiz | MD | 12 | Feb 17, 2018 | Don Haskins Center, El Paso, Texas, U.S. | |
| 31 | Win | 27–4 | Walter Castillo | UD | 10 | Nov 21, 2017 | The Coliseum, St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S. | |
| 30 | Loss | 26–4 | Aaron Martinez | UD | 10 | Oct 14, 2015 | Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona, U.S. | |
| 29 | Loss | 26–3 | Amir Khan | UD | 12 | Dec 13, 2014 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | For WBC Silver welterweight title |
| 28 | Win | 26–2 | Jesús Soto Karass | UD | 10 | Jun 21, 2014 | StubHub Center, Carson, California, U.S. | |
| 27 | Loss | 25–2 | Shawn Porter | UD | 12 | Dec 7, 2013 | Barclays Center, New York City, New York, U.S. | Lost IBF welterweight title |
| 26 | Win | 25–1 | Lee Purdy | RTD | 7 (12), 3:00 | May 18, 2013 | Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. | Retained IBF welterweight title |
| 25 | Win | 24–1 | Randall Bailey | UD | 12 | Oct 20, 2012 | Barclays Center, New York City, New York, U.S. | Won IBF welterweight title |
| 24 | Win | 23–1 | Marcos Maidana | UD | 10 | Feb 25, 2012 | Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
| 23 | Win | 22–1 | Lucas Matthysse | SD | 10 | Jun 25, 2011 | Family Arena, St. Charles, Missouri, U.S. | |
| 22 | Loss | 21–1 | Timothy Bradley | TD | 10 (12), 3:00 | Jan 29, 2011 | Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan, U.S. | Lost WBC light welterweight title; For WBO light welterweight title; Unanimous TD: Alexander cut from an accidental head clash |
| 21 | Win | 21–0 | Andreas Kotelnik | UD | 12 | Aug 7, 2010 | Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | Retained WBC and IBF light welterweight titles |
| 20 | Win | 20–0 | Juan Urango | TKO | 8 (12), 1:12 | Mar 6, 2010 | Mohegan Sun Arena, Montville, Connecticut, U.S. | Retained WBC light welterweight title; Won IBF light welterweight title |
| 19 | Win | 19–0 | Junior Witter | RTD | 8 (12), 3:00 | Aug 1, 2009 | Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa, Rancho Mirage, California, U.S. | Won vacant WBC light welterweight title |
| 18 | Win | 18–0 | Jesús Rodríguez | KO | 9 (10), 0:58 | Apr 24, 2009 | Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
| 17 | Win | 17–0 | Christopher Fernandez | RTD | 3 (8), 3:00 | Dec 11, 2008 | Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 16 | Win | 16–0 | Sun-Haeng Lee | TKO | 4 (10), 0:19 | Nov 7, 2008 | Sichuan Gymnasium, Chengdu, China | |
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | Miguel Callist | UD | 12 | Mar 27, 2008 | Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | Retained WBC Continental Americas light welterweight title |
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | DeMarcus Corley | UD | 12 | Jan 19, 2008 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | Won vacant WBC Continental Americas light welterweight title |
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | Cory Peterson | TKO | 1 (8), 2:59 | Oct 13, 2007 | Sears Centre Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Marcus Luck | KO | 3 (8), 1:24 | Jul 7, 2007 | The Arena at Harbor Yard, Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S. | |
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Scott Ball | KO | 7 (8), 0:59 | Mar 3, 2007 | Belterra Casino Resort & Spa, Florence, Indiana, U.S. | |
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Maximino Cuevas | TKO | 4 (4), 2:02 | Jan 6, 2007 | Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S. | |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Tyler Ziolkowski | TKO | 1 (10), 2:40 | Jul 8, 2006 | Savvis Center, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | Won vacant WBC Youth welterweight title |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Seth Hebenstreit | UD | 6 | Mar 9, 2006 | The Spott, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Kelly Wright | UD | 6 | Oct 21, 2005 | Savvis Center, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Christian Nash | TKO | 2 (4), 2:28 | Sep 30, 2005 | Noa Noa Night Club, Stone Park, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | John Rudolph | TKO | 3 (4), 1:01 | Jun 2, 2005 | Family Arena, St. Charles, Missouri, U.S. | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Felix Lora | UD | 6 | May 21, 2005 | United Center, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Donovan Castaneda | UD | 6 | Feb 5, 2005 | Savvis Center, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Karl Hunter | UD | 4 | Jun 3, 2004 | Ambassador Club, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Vincent Torres | TKO | 1 (4) | May 20, 2004 | Kewadin Casino, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, U.S. |
References
edit- ^ a b Premier Boxing Champions tale of the tape prior to the Lucas Santamaria fight.
- ^ Barry Wilner (July 26, 2018). "Alexander making journey back from painkiller addict to ring". Associated Press. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
- ^ "Devon Alexander escaped streets of St. Louis to become a champion". SportsIllustrated.cnn.com. March 3, 2010. Archived from the original on March 7, 2010. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
- ^ a b "Alexander Not Letting Praise Get To His Head". Espn.com. March 5, 2010. Retrieved March 6, 2010.
- ^ a b "Devon Alexander rises from mean streets to become world champ". CanadaEast.com. March 5, 2010. Retrieved March 6, 2010.
- ^ a b Donovan, Jake (January 18, 2008). "New School Pick of the Week: Devon Alexander". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved January 23, 2008.
- ^ "Alexander Decisions Corley, Collazo Defeats Barros". BoxingNews24.com. January 21, 2008. Retrieved January 23, 2008.
- ^ "The Matador: Alexander Unified Champion". HBO.com. March 6, 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
- ^ "Devon Alexander". BoxRec. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
- ^ "Love-Valenzuela elevated to co-main event - Dan Rafael Blog- ESPN". Espn.go.com. September 5, 2012. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
- ^ "Boxing Rankings | WBC, WBA, WBO, IBF". Fightnews. Archived from the original on February 8, 2013. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
- ^ "Shawn Porter claims IBF welterweight belt; Paulie Malignaggi wins battle of Brooklyn". Sky Sports. December 8, 2013.
- ^ "Amir Khan defeats Devon Alexander by unanimous decision". Espn.go.com. December 15, 2014. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
- ^ Idec, Keith (February 17, 2018). "Devon Alexander, Victor Ortiz Battle To a Majority Draw". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
- ^ Staff, BoxingScene (August 4, 2018). "Berto Gets Off The Floor, Rallies To Decision Alexander". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
- ^ Stumberg, Patrick L. (June 1, 2019). "Ivan Redkach stuns Devon Alexander in San Jacinto". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
- ^ Christ, Scott (June 26, 2015). "Devon Alexander goes on homophobic Twitter tirade". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
- ^ Woods, Michael (June 27, 2015). "Devon Alexander Lobbies For Adam and Eve Over Adam and Steve". The Sweet Science. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
- ^ "Boxing champion Devon Alexander goes on anti-gay rant". Rappler.com. June 27, 2015. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
Further reading
edit- Nelson, Peter Owen (March 3, 2010). "Devon Alexander escaped streets of St. Louis to become a champion". Sports Illustrated. New York City. Archived from the original on March 7, 2010.
- Samaha, Albert (February 23, 2012). "Familiar Ring: What must Devon Alexander "The Great" do to live up to his nickname?". Riverfront Times. St. Louis.
- Timmermann, Tom (January 15, 2008). "St. Louisan living a dream with title fight". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
External links
edit- Boxing record for Devon Alexander from BoxRec (registration required)
- Devon Alexander - Profile, News Archive & Current Rankings at Box.Live