By Dave Patek
I have to admit something. I did not have confidence in Devon Alexander Friday night. I was worried that he would look sluggish at 147 – and that Marcos Maidana would land flush right hands on the unguarded left side of Alexander’s face. I know Devon, and think the world of him as a fighter…
…but history is something the sports industry relies on as a future predictor.
Devon’s past three fights have been sketchy – especially for a boxer of Devon’s caliber. Yes, he’s still young and is not yet a household name, but he’s also fought some big fights against tough opponents. If you look at those fights, he’s been in there with one of the best fighters in the world in Tim Bradley, an experienced veteran in Kotelink…and the earth shattering punch of Lucas Matthyyse. He’s had to learn the hard way about the business of pain. His early departure from the Bradley fight saw him labeled a quitter, and his 2 thin victories in St. Louis made people believe he was the recipient of ‘home cooking’.
I can see why, and understand the frustration of many die-hard boxing fans when it comes to adding Devon to the mix of elite fighters. I can see why many casual observers do not like his style. Devon is so fast that he has a tendency to flick his punches rather than sit on them. Yes, they score – but they do not create Pay Per View excitement. So far, he has been good – but far from “The Great”. I can agree with that. Heck, I am from St. Louis – and LOVE Devon Alexander, and I can admit that he’s been underwhelming. Rarely have I had the chance to stand up and blow my voice out cheering for him. My fingernails are usually bitten to the nub, and my lungs take a beating from chain smoking between rounds.
Things finally turned the corner Saturday night. My buddy Doug made the trip with me to Scottrade, and although we were heavy into the Coors and Bud Light (respectively) by Devon’s fight, we both left hoarse and satisfied that Devon pulled off what many expected him to fail at – producing an exciting and dominating fight.
Devon’s move to 147 was not a shock to me, but rather a pleasant surprise. Anyone who has seen him train in the days leading up to a fight knows that he works hard to keep that lean body of his in shape. While Devon has not had a gaunt look about him in past fights, he has looked distant and drained mentally. The fighter that I saw pre-Bradley lacked the ferocity of a World Champ – and it seemed the fight was lost before the bell even rang. He was in perfect shape – but tired. The extra padding on Saturday did not affect his physique – other than to add to the coconuts on his shoulders, and maybe putting a triple stack on his biceps (…I digress) . The dude was ripped and in definite beast mode for Maidana.
The fight started as most do – each fighter checking out how the other will defend against mock punches and feints. And then came round two…
Maidana came out with murderous intent, and tried to throw combinations that were eventually punctuated with the right hand. Maidana is not necessarily a free-swinger, but he did leave enough room on his follow through to allow Devon to counter him with left hooks. This was a big part of Devon’s strategy early on…measuring and countering. Hid did well, although (again) too many hard right hands slipped through Dev’s guard. Regardless of his chin, this is something Alexander needs to be mindful of as his career will challenge him with better, slicker fighters that will capitalize on this glaring error in fundamentals (easy for me to say, right). Just an observation, not really a criticism Dev.
As the early part of the fight rolled on, it was also clear that holding after flurries was part of the immediate game plan against Maidana. Many complained after the fight that Dev held too much and that Steve Smoger (ref) did a lousy job. I don’t buy that. Alexander is not known for being a fighter that holds excessively. Yes, it seemed that way during the fight against Maidana, but the truth is – it was effective and most certainly wore Marcos down in the later rounds.
There were some dirty moments in the fight that should be pointed out…
In the sixth, Devon hit Maidana behind the head three consecutive times while holding. In that same round, there was a moment when Maidana led with his forehead in an attempt to head butt Alexander. Both fighters threw the occasional elbow. It was a little street, but far from a Ricky Hatton or Bernard Hopkins fight.
Devon did well sitting on his punches in this one too – he landed a terrific right to the body followed by a straight right hand that stunned Marcos before he fell (with a little help) to the canvas (also in the sixth round). As I mentioned earlier, his previous fights seemed almost amateurish in comparison to this one. When Devon tossed out his left Saturday night, he was delivering pain – not trying to score. One rarely sees Marcos Maidana backed up, but it happened on several occasions. He was hurt. Unlike the Ortiz fight, he did not come back with a fury. Instead, he looked more like a kid falling off of his bike and shaking his head before jumping back on knowing that he’s going to crash again. He looked defeated.
Overall, I think Devon did a great job proving that he is not afraid to go into a big fight and trade with a warrior. He also made it past a terrible cut and fought strong for 10 full rounds. He was not perfect, but he did make the fans of STL feel better about their hometown guy. In fact, so many expected him to be stopped – you could HEAR the crowd at Scottrade counting down the last 20 seconds of the fight…praying that Marcos would not get lucky at the final bell.
This is the first time in four Alexander fights that I did not leave my seat for a Marlboro. Thanks for that Devon. You did good kid. Now, onto bigger and better things…(cough) Amir Khan or Lamont Peterson. I still don’t think Dev is ready to face Bradley again…and putting him in there with seasoned welterweights like Ortiz and Berto seems a little premature.
A little part of my small intestine is wondering if Zab Judah is calling his people trying to set something up. With the ticket sales for this one being as poor as they were (I have a feeling MANY were given away based on the amount of times our seats were occupied when we got there) I would think that Zab might be a lucrative possibility. Might just be competitive too.
That’s all from me.
Prez
(The Giant who Climbed over Fantasyland)
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