by Geoffrey Ciani (Interviewed by Jenna J & Geoffrey Ciani) – This week’s 109th edition of On the Ropes Boxing Radio featured an exclusive interview with WBC junior welterweight champion Devon Alexander (21-0, 13 KOs), who is scheduled to have a unification bout against WBO champion Timothy Bradley (26-0, 11 KOs) this Saturday, January 29 at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan. Alexander spoke about his upcoming fight, and also touched on various other topics, including Amir Khan, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Junior, and more! Here is what he had to say:
On what he expects in his upcoming unification fight against Timothy Bradley:
“I mean it’s going to be a good fight. It’s a battle of the unbeatens. I got a perfect record also, so we’re both going to come in there ready to rock and roll. It’s going to be a tremendous fight.”
On his training and preparations for the fight with Bradley:
“Training is going good. Training is good. We’re right on schedule and now we’re just finishing up the last little touches of training and we’re ready to rock and roll.”
On whether he is defended that his IBF title will not be on the line in this unification bout:
“Well yeah, I am because I figured I’d be undisputed after this fight with all of the belts, but things happen for a reason and I’m a firm believer that you just got to do what you got to do. You know I loved winning the belts. I’ve been training hard for those belts my whole life and at the end of the day I had to do what’s best for my career so they stripped me of the belt. Now I’m fighting for the WBO belt.”
His views on the fact many odds-makers have him as a 2:1 underdog:
“I don’t care about that. They’re my motivators, people that make bets and odds and stuff. They’re not fighters. They’re just people saying what they think or hope will happen. So I don’t care if I’m an underdog. I’ve been an underdog my whole life.”
On why he believes he is being viewed as the underdog:
“I don’t know. They think Bradley’s the more experienced, but like I said they’re not fighters. They don’t really partake in the skill of a boxer or know what it takes. They don’t know that I have over 300 amateur fights, way more than Bradley. I’m just as experienced as Bradley, but like I said it doesn’t matter about me being the underdog.”
His views on things Bradley does that could potentially cause him difficulties in the fight:
“As you know, he’s going to come in shape so you better be in shape or he’s going to try and take advantage of that. He’s going to come at you with force. He has a lot of heart. Anybody with heart is going to make a good fight. I have heart too, and that’s why it’s going to be such an amazing fight. He has a never die attitude and I have a never die attitude, and that’s why it’s going to make a good fight. He’s going to be prepared to go twelve whole rounds and that’s what I’m going to be, so that’s really what he brings to the table.”
On what he learned from the Andriy Kotelnik fight and what he will do different against Bradley:
“Well that fight wasn’t right. That wasn’t my best performance so you’re definitely going to see a different performance in this fight. You’re going to see more combinations and definitely way more power and more angles. So it’s definitely going to be an explosive performance by me.”
On whether he wishes he had an extra fight before Bradley or whether he wants to redeem himself against Bradley for his subpar performance against Kotelnik:
“Yeah, that’s the main reason why I did it because I wanted to show people just how good I am. I’m going to show them why the Kotelnik fight was an off-night for me just to silence the critics and just to show people how good my skills are and how good I really am. Plus it’s the best fighting the best, so that’s another reason why I wanted to take this fight.”
On whether he believes the winner between him and Bradley will have established himself as the best at 140:
“Definitely, we’re the best 140 pounders in the division I think, and whoever wins this fight is going to be at the top of the totem pole. The winner of this can go on and do unlimited things. The sky is the limit. Of course this is the fight that can make you or break you.”
His views on Bradley’s last fight when he tested the waters at 147 against Luis Carlos Abregu:
“It was okay. It wasn’t an opponent that was going to test him. His punches were wide. Abregu didn’t have that much skill. His record didn’t show his skills at all. It was like he was just in there with bums and knocked out a lot of bums. His skills definitely weren’t on an A+ level.”
His views on Amir Khan’s recent victory against Marcos Maidana:
“It was a good fight. It was a good fight but I don’t think much of Amir Khan. I think he still fights like an amateur. He hits and runs, hits and runs, and that’s just an amateur style. But him and Maidana was a good action packed fight and I take nothing from him. But I think, like I’ve been saying, he’s just an ordinary fighter.”
On whether he feels the winner of his fight with Bradley has to fight Khan to prove supremacy at 140:
“Well I’ll fight anybody, but people are making it seem like Amir Khan is the guy that everybody needs to beat. Me and Bradley are the best 140 pounders in the division and we’re the ones who are in control of the division, not Amir Khan. Everybody thinks we have to fight him just to be known, but he’s known over in England and me and Bradley are known over here so he would have to come over here, but like I said I’ll fight anybody. I’ll fight Amir Khan if my manager and my promoter think it’s the best way to go or the right way to go.”
On speculation that the winner of his fight with Bradley could become a future opponent for Manny Pacquiao:
“It would be amazing. He’s one of the best fighters in the boxing game right now and for me to step into the ring with him that would be amazing, and I would fully take advantage of that opportunity.”
On how he believes he would deal with the speed and power of Pacquiao:
“I can adjust to anybody. I can adjust to anybody’s speed and how they fight. Me and my coach would go to the drawing board and come up with a master game plan like we got for Timothy Bradley, so of course I will but it’s going to be a spectacular game plan that will have to be in place whenever we get the opportunity.”
His views on the upcoming fight between Pacquiao and Sugar Shane Mosley:
“It will be a good fight. It will be a good fight but I think She’s reflexes and his quickness is gone right about now. You’re just going to see in the fight. I think Pacquiao is going to be too elusive for him and too fast and he’s going to be moving too much for him for him to catch him, just like Floyd did.”
On who he believes presents the toughest test for Manny Pacquiao:
“I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about that. I don’t know. You don’t want to go too big. I haven’t really thought about that, but there are some good fights to be made out there with Pacquiao that will give Pacquiao a test. So we’ll just have to see.”
His views on the problems Floyd Mayweather Junior is having outside the ring and whether we will ever see Floyd back in the ring:
“That’s why he needs to get back in the ring, because he has a lot of time on his hands and he’s getting himself into some trouble that he don’t need to be in. I’m a big Floyd Mayweather fan and I don’t want to see him in trouble. I just want to see him in the ring beating all the top guys. So hopefully we’ll see him back in the ring. I’m not sure what’s going to happen with that or where he is going to go after that, but hopefully we can get Manny Pacquiao and Floyd sooner or later.”
On what will most surprise the fans when they watch his fight with Bradley:
“Just how much skill I have and how I expose Bradley’s skills. Not to give away too much, I’m just going to be explosive. I am at the top of my game when I’m fighting a guy they say is going to be better than me. That’s when I’m at my best, so people are definitely going to be surprised by my skills.”
On whether he believes he has already gotten to Bradley and gained an edge mentally before the fight has even started:
“Well in the press conference he was getting all emotional. I mean this is boxing. You can’t get emotional. When the both of us are in the ring fighting, we’re already fighting each other. We’re already trying to punch each other in the head. So why get emotional? I sensed that too. Bradley felt very irritable that they made him take this fight. He knows me from the amateurs and he knows how my skills are and he knows the level of competition he has to deal with, so I think that’s playing a factor with him, too. So he’s really thinking about that and he has to psych himself up or pump himself up to make him believe he can do it. I think I’m already in his head, anyway.”
On whether he feels any added pressure given the magnitude of being in a unification fight involving two undefeated champions:
“No. This is why I’ve been boxing since I was seven years old. I mean what’s the pressure about? You just go in there and do what you know how to do. Give it 110% and I’m feeling comfortable in my skills. I’m comfortable with my team and my coach, where he came up with a master plan to beat Timothy Bradley. So there is no added pressure. When it’s all said and done, it’s going to be the two of us in the ring fighting, nobody else. All the hype and all of the interviews and all that is going to be gone; it’s just going to be us in the ring, anyway. So there is no pressure about that. It’s just boxing!”
On what he believes is his biggest advantage against Bradley:
“I can’t say right now because he might be listening to this show. So I can’t say right now, but you’re going to see why Bradley chose so long to wait and why HBO forced him to fight me come fight night.”
His views on where a win against Bradley does for him:
“It should silent all the critics and there should be no doubts about my skills and my heart, and it should show why I think I’m the best at 140 pounds. So there should be no doubt”
His final prediction on how he sees the fight between him and Bradley unfolding:
“I see it being a good fight. I just see me doing what I normally do and just taking advantage of each round. If he’s still there after twelve rounds, then so be it. I’m not going to stop. I’m going to continue to follow the game plan. If I see a weak point or any glitch or if I see an opportunity that I can take him out early, I’m going to take him out. But if not, I’m going to be ready to go fifteen rounds. If he’s still there after twelve rounds, then so be it!”
***
For those interested in listening to the Devon Alexander interview in its entirety, it begins approximately fifty-one minutes into the program.
***
To learn more about “On the Ropes Boxing Radio:
Visit our official Website:
http://www.ontheropesboxingradio.com
Join our Facebook Group:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=231954175413&ref=ts
Or Follow us on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/JennaOnTheRopes
To contact Geoffrey Ciani or Jenna J:
ontheropes@boxing247.com
To read more by Ciani or Jenna please visit The Mushroom Mag:
http://www.eatthemushroom.com/mag