He’s getting emotional, and boxing is definitely the wrong sport to do that in. I think he’s trying to get himself riled up to where he believes in himself. He’s not confident in himself, so he has to put a lot of air in his chest.
“You’re only as good as your last fight.”
You’ve heard the above phrase. Devon Alexander has lived it. In his last two fights, the 23 year old titlist has experienced the adulation and praise that comes with a sensational knockout, and the ridicule and scorn that rises from a lackluster, unfocused effort. After knocking out Juan Urango, some fans and critics were ready to crown him the heir apparent to the junior welterweight division, a clear favorite over his contemporaries Timothy Bradley and Amir Khan. That all came crashing down in his very next fight against Andriy Kotelnik. Citing big fight nerves, Ukrainian befuddled Alexander, and at times made him look amateurish.
The fact that some people have jumped off the bandwagon hasn’t discouraged him. In fact, it’s made him more confident in his abilities. This weekend when he faces his biggest challenge, Timothy Bradley, he plans to deliver the “best performance of his career.” Devon Alexander explains why this time, the pressure of the big fight won’t be his downfall.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: The last time we spoke was right before the Kotelnik fight. Considering some thought you lost that bout, what did you learn from it?
Devon Alexander: It wasn’t my best performance. I learned that when you’re at the top of the totem pole, there’s going to be a lot of pressure. You have to learn to deal with it. I had never been in a big situation like that, and I let the crowd hype me a little bit. From this point on, it’ll be to always follow the game plan.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: A lot of people favored you over Bradley before the Kotelnik fight. Now, people doubt you by saying you don’t know how to handle steady pressure. Was there anything specifically in camp you worked on to correct that?
Alexander: [Pauses] No, I’ve always had that ability. It was just the last fight being at home and me wanting to impress the crowd. There was nothing for me to work on to get ready for Timothy Bradley. I just worked on what I usually work on, like in the Juan Urango fight. Just fight with no pressure. On January 29 you’ll see a totally different person.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: Your trainer Kevin Cunningham was very vocal in between rounds about telling you how badly the fight was going. What did he tell you after the fight?
Alexander: He said “See what happens when you don’t follow the game plan?” He kind of knew the pressure got to me a little. I spoke to the Rams players, threw the first pitch out at a Cardinals game, and had a big event at City Hall that drew over 2,000 people. No excuses, though. It was all a learning lesson.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: I know you’ve mentioned you’ve gotten some really good sparring partners. Who are some of them?
Alexander: I got a guy named Adrian Bonner, whose 19-0 with 16 knockouts. He’s a real fast, slick and orthodox fighter. I got Lonnie Smith, who fought on ESPN recently and got a fourth round knockout. They really try and come to give me good work and tear my head off.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: With training you run six miles a day. Is that an indicator you’ll be focusing more on movement for Bradley?
Alexander: Um, it depends. I can do both. Not giving anyway too much, we plan to do whatever it takes to win.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: You’ve mentioned before that Junior Witter was very difficult to fight. Has it been tough preparing for Bradley’s style?
Alexander: Not really. I’ve fought a lot of combinations like Bradley. I know he’s going to try and come forward and pressure me like Juan Urango did, and I handled that pretty well. I’ll deal with the wild punches, and they’ll be wide like Junior Witter. I handled that as well. So he can’t do anything I haven’t seen before. He’ll just come with a lot of heart.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: Even though the RING belt isn’t on the line, many consider this to be the bout to determine who the best fighter is at 140. However, Amir Khan still holds the WBA title. Do you feel you won’t truly be the best until you also face Khan?
Alexander: Why do I have to face Khan? Who is he? I mean he’s big over in England, but not over here. We’re the two best Americans in the division. Why chase Khan?
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: So if not Khan, who would you face if you get past Bradley?
Alexander: Well I’m just a fighter, so I leave that up to my coach and promoter. I’ll see what they say. I just want the biggest and best, the top guys that they say are the cash cows, or the best pound for pound. I want to make my presence known, and that’s why I want the best.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: What do you think people overlook most about your game?
Alexander: In this fight people are going to be amazed by my angles and movement. I’m going to have real good movement on January 29. I’m still learning, but I’m at the top of my game. It’s going to be amazing.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: Timothy Bradley has admitted that some of this bout is personal for him. You don’t seem to take it that way. Why?
Alexander: He’s getting emotional, and boxing is definitely the wrong sport to do that in. I think he’s trying to get himself riled up to where he believes in himself. He’s not confident in himself, so he has to put a lot of air in his chest. There’s no sense of getting all hostile, just get in there and fight.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: Bradley has been accused of leading with his head. Are head butts a big concern for you?
Alexander: Definitely. We’ve worked on trying to avoid that. It is there, and he will come forward with it. We’re making sure I’m not there to get a nasty cut. We’ll definitely talk to the referee about that.
Beats, Boxing & Mayhem: Final thoughts on this fight?
Alexander: I’m going to take it as it comes. If he’s still there after 12 rounds when I’m done, then kudos to him. If I see that I got him and he has nothing for me, I’m going for the kill early. All my fans, thanks a lot for the support. We have a lot of haters out there. But January 29 we will be victorious again.
Devon Alexander and Timothy Bradley meet January 29, live on HBO at 10 PM EST.
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 