by James Slater: Unbeaten Devon Alexander may have had a much tougher-than-expected battle with former titlist Andriy Kotelnik last night in his home town of St. Louis – winning a decision Kotelnik strongly feels should have gone to him – but the 23-year-old still believes he is the best 140-pounder in the world. And Alexander, who improved to 21-0(13) yesterday, wants to prove it by taking on and defeating the also-unbeaten Timothy Bradley.
Immediately after receiving the 116-112 (three times) UD win, Alexander’s trainer Kevin Cunningham displayed a t-shirt that had the words Bradley U Next written on it. And, for his part, the IBF and WBC light-welterweight champion verbally called out the slick boxer/puncher from Palm Springs.
“I want Bradley next,” a victorious Alexander said on air. “He keeps talking that he’s the best in the division. I want him next.”
And, according to ESPN.com, the pencilled in date for the big 140-pound clash is January 29th of next year, with the bout to go out live on HBO.
Alexander’s promoter Don King, went as far as to say the fight “is on.” King also stated, accurately, that the fight will be a huge event and a defining fight for the winner – who, of course, he says will be his fighter. But basing things on last night’s showing by Alexander, will the southpaw actually get the win he is looking for?
Caught too frequently for his and his fans’ liking by 32-year-old Kotelnik, Alexander was also cut for the first time in his career. Candid enough to admit that his performance was not great, Alexander said he felt he’d done enough to have won. But if he fights the much quicker (than Kotelnik) Bradley the way he fought last night, the judges will not be so kind. As Bradley’s promoter Gary Shaw said yesterday, “If a very slow Kotelnik can keep hitting Alexander, can you imagine how many times Timmy will hit him, and the damage that Timmy will do to him?”
It’s a valid question, and though it’s unwise to base any fighter’s chances in an upcoming fight on just one performance, right now Bradley will probably be looked at as a slight favourite to win in January. There is no doubting 26-year-old Bradley’s speed, and he has also shown he can fight very effectively on the inside. Also a harder-hitter than his 26-0(11) record suggests, Bradley, if he were to tag Alexander as often as Kotelnik did, could cause his rival severe problems.
Is Bradley a more complete fighter than the also-gifted Alexander? Hopefully, we will get our answer in what would be one of 2011’s first big fights.