Tonight's Boxing After Dark main event is between Devon Alexander and Juan Urango in a junior welterweight unification bout.
HBO is taking its time before the fighters make their way to the ring. Right now they're showing a piece about Devon Alexander's life.
Urango is walking to the ring now. Alexander is in the ring as well. He came out to "On to the Next One" by Jay-Z.
Urango is 22-2-1 with 17 KOs, while Alexander is 19-0 with 12 KOs.
Here we go.
Round 1
They meet in the center. Urango starts with a strong jab. Alexander is the more active fighter right now, throwing quick jabs regularly. Urango misses with a wide right hook. Urango's punches look on the slow side to start. Alexander is showing great movement and has gotten out of the way of many of Urango's punches. Alexander connects with a nice left hook. Urango backs Alexander up with a right hand upstairs.
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Round 2
Urango goes on the offensive quickly and gets Alexander in the corner. Alexander gets out of danger. Urango lands a straight right. Urango misses with another right hand. Alexander keeps up the pace and lands a couple nice shots. Urango lands two hooks to the body. Urango lands another left to the body. Now he misses with a wide left hook. Alexander lands a left uppercut and catches Urango coming in. That was the best punch of the fight so far.
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Round 3
Urango lands a hook right on the beltline at the start of Round 3. Alexander lands a great right hook that gets the crowd into the fight. He's doing a great job scoring and dodging. They trade power shots now. Alexander gets the better of the exchange. He has also had great success with the uppercut. Urango seems to be getting frustrated and is charging in now with some success. Blood is coming from his nose and he also has a cut above the left eye.
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Franchise: 10-9 Urango
Round 4
Alexander is keeping up the pressure. He is still dodging punches well. Now he lands a combo to the head and body. Urango is coming forward now, leading with the right hand. Urango lands two hooks upstairs and Alexander gets away. Urango lands another hook. Alexander may win this round just for being busier.
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Round 5
Urango continues to come forward. Alexander is jabbing and counterpunching well. His jabs are also finding their home. Urango gets Devon against the ropes and lands two hooks to the body. Alexander catches Urango coming in with a right hook. Urango's punches aren't very accurate; most of the punches have been grazing. Alexander blocks three Urango punches.
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Round 6
Alexander comes out swinging. He lands a right to the body. Urango is trying to land punches, but Alexander is making it difficult. Alexander lands a straight right. The difference in speed is evident. Alexander is is punching and getting out of the way with ease. This has been a better round for Urango. He has landed more power punches.
Spartan117: 10-9 Urango
Franchise: 10-9 Urango
Round 7
Urango lands two hooks. Alexander lands a fantastic left hand. Urango comes back with a right hand. Now Alexander gets out of the way of a big right. Urango is landing more power punches now. Alexander lands a great combo upstairs. Urango throws a combo of body shots and backs Alexander up. Urango lands the last punch of the round.
Spartan117: 10-9 Urango
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Round 8
Alexander is staying active. He lands an amazing right uppercut; Urango goes down and he is in some trouble. Alexander barely touches him and Urango goes down again. He makes it up but he's not all there. The ref stops the fight.
The winner by TKO at 1:12 of Round 8... still WBC light welterweight titleholder and new IBF junior welterweight titleholder... Devon Alexander "The Great"
Posted by spartan117
Showing posts with label devon alexander. Show all posts
Showing posts with label devon alexander. Show all posts
6.3.10
Live Darchinyan-Guerrero and Alexander-Urango Round By Round Updates Tonight
Here at BoxingWatchers.com, our live round by round blogging skills are getting a tad rusty. It's not our fault, or anyone's really, just a reflection of a year in boxing that has gotten off to a slow start.
That starts to change tonight with Showtime and HBO both broadcasting title fights. Always entertaining Vic Darchinyan steps in against Rodrigo Guerrero on ShoBox, while Devon Alexander squares off with Juan Urango on Boxing After Dark.
If you are like us, you are hungry for live boxing action and will be in front of the TV tonight. If circumstances don't allow that, allow us to propose an alternative: bookmark our site and come back here tonight so we can fill you in on the action as it happens.
We'll have individual round by round posts for the Alexander-Urango (starting around 9 pm Eastern) and Darchinyan-Guerrero (shortly after 10, perhaps) out on our home page. And if we're able, we'll do one for the Showtime opener between Lenny Zappavigna and Fernando Angulo too, because that's just how we do.
See you tonight...
Posted by The Franchise
That starts to change tonight with Showtime and HBO both broadcasting title fights. Always entertaining Vic Darchinyan steps in against Rodrigo Guerrero on ShoBox, while Devon Alexander squares off with Juan Urango on Boxing After Dark.
If you are like us, you are hungry for live boxing action and will be in front of the TV tonight. If circumstances don't allow that, allow us to propose an alternative: bookmark our site and come back here tonight so we can fill you in on the action as it happens.
We'll have individual round by round posts for the Alexander-Urango (starting around 9 pm Eastern) and Darchinyan-Guerrero (shortly after 10, perhaps) out on our home page. And if we're able, we'll do one for the Showtime opener between Lenny Zappavigna and Fernando Angulo too, because that's just how we do.
See you tonight...
Posted by The Franchise
5.3.10
Vic Darchinyan-Rodrigo Guerrero and Devon Alexander-Juan Urango: Predictions
This weekend was supposed to mark the beginning of Phase 2 of the Super Six World Boxing Classic, with Andre Dirrell taking on Arthur Abraham. A back injury to Dirrell moved that fight back a few weeks, but fight fans won't be left empty-handed thanks to televised cards on both Showtime and HBO.
The departure of the Abraham-Dirrell fight means Vic Darchinyan moves up to main event status on Showtime. That's not a bad thing, as having Darchinyan in action usually means something interesting is going to happen, whether it be physically, verbally or both.
In Rodrigo Guerrero, he's facing an unknown quantity to American fans. Just 22 years old, the undefeated Mexican has nine KO victories in his 14 pro fights, but he's been in just one bout scheduled for more than eight rounds and looks to be making a huge jump up in competition.
Guerrero has told reporters he plans on slugging it out with Darchinyan, which is brave but not necessarily smart. Vic has vicious power in both hands as just about every one of his opponents at super flyweight can attest.
He can also box, but he chooses to do so only on occasion. If Guerrero can't force him out of his comfort zone, he's in for a painful night.
Darchinyan seems to be more and more occupied with thoughts of revenge on Nonito Donaire, who handed him his only knockout loss in the summer of 2007. That means he may be his own worst enemy, as he can certainly get caught if he's looking past the business at hand.
Assuming he's focused, Darchinyan should be able to slug his way to victory, which is how he prefers it. Look for Vic to register a mid-round KO and give one of his typically entertaining post-fight interviews after the final bell.
On HBO, WBC 140-pound titleholder Devon Alexander looks to stay undefeated in a clash with hard-nosed Juan Urango. At 23, Alexander is one of the youngest American boxers wearing gold, and he comes in off an impressive performance in beating tricky Junior Witter last August.
Urango is the type of fighter who is good enough to make it to the top of the hill but not quite special enough to beat the best. His only two losses came to Ricky Hatton and Andre Berto - no shame there - but he was badly outclassed in both contests.
Alexander doesn't have Berto's lightning-fast hands or Hatton's pop, though he's above average in both areas. It's hard to look good against Witter, but Devon did so for the most part, showcasing strong right hooks to complement his straight lefts.
He won't have quite as much of a puzzle in Urango, who has the power to end things if he lands flush but can be out-boxed and out-hustled. Berto was criticized for fighting a boring style against him, but in all honesty, that may be Alexander's road map to success.
Urango has never been knocked out, so he's going to be gamely battling until the bitter end. I just think Alexander's star is still on the rise, and I expect the St. Louis native to win by unanimous decision.
Posted by The Franchise
The departure of the Abraham-Dirrell fight means Vic Darchinyan moves up to main event status on Showtime. That's not a bad thing, as having Darchinyan in action usually means something interesting is going to happen, whether it be physically, verbally or both.
In Rodrigo Guerrero, he's facing an unknown quantity to American fans. Just 22 years old, the undefeated Mexican has nine KO victories in his 14 pro fights, but he's been in just one bout scheduled for more than eight rounds and looks to be making a huge jump up in competition.
Guerrero has told reporters he plans on slugging it out with Darchinyan, which is brave but not necessarily smart. Vic has vicious power in both hands as just about every one of his opponents at super flyweight can attest.
He can also box, but he chooses to do so only on occasion. If Guerrero can't force him out of his comfort zone, he's in for a painful night.
Darchinyan seems to be more and more occupied with thoughts of revenge on Nonito Donaire, who handed him his only knockout loss in the summer of 2007. That means he may be his own worst enemy, as he can certainly get caught if he's looking past the business at hand.
Assuming he's focused, Darchinyan should be able to slug his way to victory, which is how he prefers it. Look for Vic to register a mid-round KO and give one of his typically entertaining post-fight interviews after the final bell.
On HBO, WBC 140-pound titleholder Devon Alexander looks to stay undefeated in a clash with hard-nosed Juan Urango. At 23, Alexander is one of the youngest American boxers wearing gold, and he comes in off an impressive performance in beating tricky Junior Witter last August.
Urango is the type of fighter who is good enough to make it to the top of the hill but not quite special enough to beat the best. His only two losses came to Ricky Hatton and Andre Berto - no shame there - but he was badly outclassed in both contests.
Alexander doesn't have Berto's lightning-fast hands or Hatton's pop, though he's above average in both areas. It's hard to look good against Witter, but Devon did so for the most part, showcasing strong right hooks to complement his straight lefts.
He won't have quite as much of a puzzle in Urango, who has the power to end things if he lands flush but can be out-boxed and out-hustled. Berto was criticized for fighting a boring style against him, but in all honesty, that may be Alexander's road map to success.
Urango has never been knocked out, so he's going to be gamely battling until the bitter end. I just think Alexander's star is still on the rise, and I expect the St. Louis native to win by unanimous decision.
Posted by The Franchise
23.2.10
Dirrell-Abraham Bout Moved Back 3 Weeks, But Still Not Free of HBO Competition
One of my recurring themes over the past few months has been repeatedly wishing that HBO and Showtime would stop counterprogramming each other with cards on the same nights, because it's not good for the health of the sport in the U.S.
I've been especially irritated about HBO insisting on putting fights on the same weekends as the second round robin fights of Showtime's Super Six World Boxing Classic. From a competitive standpoint, I understand why they're doing it, but I don't like it.
A few days ago, word came down that Andre Dirrell had a minor back injury, necessitating the move of his bout with Arthur Abraham from March 6 to March 27. Though that's never the kind of news you like to hear, the silver lining was that at least it got away from HBO's card on the 6th, a doubleheader featuring Devon Alexander-Juan Urango and Cory Spinks-Cornelius Bundrage.
I was happy for about five minutes. Then I remembered that HBO also has a broadcast all but set for the 27th, a card that looks even better than the previous one with Marcos Maidana facing Victor Cayo and Ali Funeka getting a well-deserved rematch with Joan Guzman. Crap.
I'm not blaming this one on HBO, as its plans for the 27th have been known for a little while (though as far as I can tell, there's no site finalized for that card - time to get cracking on that one, no?). And some of the congestion is due to HBO's ambitious boxing schedule for the next few months, something I wholeheartedly applaud.
Still, looking at the whole picture strictly from a fan's perspective, it stinks that none of these fights will get the spotlight they probably deserve, and that viewers will have to make choices multiple times this spring. I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that there's a little basketball tournament going on in late March too, which obviously will take some eyeballs away.
But it is what it is, I suppose. Let's move on to...
SHOE SHINING
As reported by various sources and confirmed by the Showtime Sports site, boxing is still on for March 6. Vic Darchinyan, who qualifies as must-see in my book, becomes the headliner as he steps in with Rodrigo Guerrero, and Lenny Zappavigna faces Fernando Angulo in a fight that was always on the card but wasn't originally going to be televised. Though the broadcast has been rebranded as a ShoBox show, props go to Showtime for keeping it at 9 pm Eastern instead of shoving it back to a later time...
Though it's been common knowledge for some time, it was only yesterday that Allan Green was confirmed as the next Super Six opponent for Andre Ward, making it "officially official," as I like to say. Green certainly isn't lacking for confidence, saying to the AP of his tournament foes, "I know I can beat any of them." That won't be ab easy task, but Green's power certainly makes him a livelier underdog than the man he replaced, Jermain Taylor...
In terms of "Stories I Wish Would Go Away," James Toney's continuing flirtation with MMA ranks right up near the top of the list. But I can't fault a guy for wanting to make a few extra bucks, especially these days, and The Ring's William Dettloff recently offered a well-written examination of why Lights Out shouldn't be blamed for that either.
Posted by The Franchise
I've been especially irritated about HBO insisting on putting fights on the same weekends as the second round robin fights of Showtime's Super Six World Boxing Classic. From a competitive standpoint, I understand why they're doing it, but I don't like it.
A few days ago, word came down that Andre Dirrell had a minor back injury, necessitating the move of his bout with Arthur Abraham from March 6 to March 27. Though that's never the kind of news you like to hear, the silver lining was that at least it got away from HBO's card on the 6th, a doubleheader featuring Devon Alexander-Juan Urango and Cory Spinks-Cornelius Bundrage.
I was happy for about five minutes. Then I remembered that HBO also has a broadcast all but set for the 27th, a card that looks even better than the previous one with Marcos Maidana facing Victor Cayo and Ali Funeka getting a well-deserved rematch with Joan Guzman. Crap.
I'm not blaming this one on HBO, as its plans for the 27th have been known for a little while (though as far as I can tell, there's no site finalized for that card - time to get cracking on that one, no?). And some of the congestion is due to HBO's ambitious boxing schedule for the next few months, something I wholeheartedly applaud.
Still, looking at the whole picture strictly from a fan's perspective, it stinks that none of these fights will get the spotlight they probably deserve, and that viewers will have to make choices multiple times this spring. I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that there's a little basketball tournament going on in late March too, which obviously will take some eyeballs away.
But it is what it is, I suppose. Let's move on to...
SHOE SHINING
As reported by various sources and confirmed by the Showtime Sports site, boxing is still on for March 6. Vic Darchinyan, who qualifies as must-see in my book, becomes the headliner as he steps in with Rodrigo Guerrero, and Lenny Zappavigna faces Fernando Angulo in a fight that was always on the card but wasn't originally going to be televised. Though the broadcast has been rebranded as a ShoBox show, props go to Showtime for keeping it at 9 pm Eastern instead of shoving it back to a later time...
Though it's been common knowledge for some time, it was only yesterday that Allan Green was confirmed as the next Super Six opponent for Andre Ward, making it "officially official," as I like to say. Green certainly isn't lacking for confidence, saying to the AP of his tournament foes, "I know I can beat any of them." That won't be ab easy task, but Green's power certainly makes him a livelier underdog than the man he replaced, Jermain Taylor...
In terms of "Stories I Wish Would Go Away," James Toney's continuing flirtation with MMA ranks right up near the top of the list. But I can't fault a guy for wanting to make a few extra bucks, especially these days, and The Ring's William Dettloff recently offered a well-written examination of why Lights Out shouldn't be blamed for that either.
Posted by The Franchise
3.8.09
20/20 Hindsight: Nate Campbell May Be the Unluckiest Man in Boxing, Plus Timothy Bradley and Devon Alexander Impress
Poor Nate Campbell. The Galaxxy Warrior may seriously be the unluckiest man in boxing.
Or at least he's been up for that honor over the last 18 months. Since his thrilling lightweight title win against Juan Diaz in March 2008, little has gone right for him.
His first title defense was supposed to be against Joan Guzman, but his foe failed to make weight and then refused to fight at all. Nate claims that cost him $400,000, and he subsequently filed for bankruptcy.
This February, he was ready to put his titles up against Ali Funeka, but he didn't make weight and lost his belts on the scale. Granted, that was bad luck of his own making, but still. At least he (barely) won that fight.
That brings us to this past Saturday and his bout with 140-pound titleholder Timothy Bradley. The record reflects that he suffered a third-round TKO, but it sure didn't look that way to these eyes.
At issue was a nasty cut Campbell suffered near his left eye early in the third round. Replays backed up Nate's version of the story, which is that he suffered it after an accidental clash of heads. The ref thought otherwise, Bradley spent the rest of the round beating on Campbell, and the fight was stopped before the fourth.
It's probably impossible to know for sure if the headbutt caused the cut, but my brother Uatu said something at dinner last night that was very true: in the hundreds of fights we've both watched, it's not too often a cut like Campbell's gets opened up by a punch.
Campbell's team will certainly appeal, and as Dougie Fischer wrote after the fight, there's probably some chance the loss could get changed to a no decision. During his angry post-fight interview, Nate seemed more upset about the TKO loss going on his record than anything else.
I'm hoping the decision is reversed, as Campbell is no spring chicken at 37 and is running out of time and chances. He's been too much fun to watch in the ring to have his career peter out like this.
Even if Campbell gets his wish, he may not get a rematch with Bradley. Gary Shaw sure didn't sound too anxious to do it when asked by Jim Gray after the match.
And maybe we don't need to see one anyway. Bradley won all three rounds and may have just cruised to an easy decision if not for the cut. I'm not quite as high on Desert Storm as some people, but you have to hand it to him for continuing to get it done.
After seeing all of his fights in 2008 and 2009, my opinion of Bradley hasn't changed. He's not elite in any one area, but he's good enough at everything that he has no obvious weaknesses to exploit.
He has quick hands but not the highlight film speed of a Manny Pacquiao. He's defensively aware but not a master like Bernard Hopkins. And he clearly doesn't have a ton of one-punch power, but he's no slapper and can get opponents' attention with head or body shots.
One thing I do agree with is Bradley's self-assessment that he can move all day. His footwork was excellent on Saturday and he always comes into fights in tremendous shape.
It's still just a little hard for me to think of Bradley as the top dog in his division, but with the old guard at 140 fading away and Pacquiao just passing through, maybe he is. You can't argue with his results.
Bradley may have some other young guys to match up with him over the next few years (Lamont Peterson, Amir Khan and Marcos Maidana come to mind), and one of them could be the winner of Saturday's co-feature. Devon Alexander faced a stiff test in Junior Witter and passed it with flying colors.
Yes, Witter claimed after the fight that he had injured his hand during the fight, leading to a strange stoppage. And the fans weren't too pleased with what they were seeing either.
But let's face it: there aren't many fighters trickier to face than Witter. The Brit has one of the most unusual fighting styles around, leaping in to punch and quickly grabbing to avoid counter shots. He also constantly switches stances from orthodox to southpaw and back.
Alexander showed a lot of patience when presented with that puzzle, picking his spots well. He caught Witter with a few hooks and straight lefts that did some damage, and he seemed to be growing in confidence as the fight went on.
He should certainly be right in the mix at junior welterweight, and could very well end up as serious competition for Bradley after another fight or two.
Posted by The Franchise
Or at least he's been up for that honor over the last 18 months. Since his thrilling lightweight title win against Juan Diaz in March 2008, little has gone right for him.
His first title defense was supposed to be against Joan Guzman, but his foe failed to make weight and then refused to fight at all. Nate claims that cost him $400,000, and he subsequently filed for bankruptcy.
This February, he was ready to put his titles up against Ali Funeka, but he didn't make weight and lost his belts on the scale. Granted, that was bad luck of his own making, but still. At least he (barely) won that fight.
That brings us to this past Saturday and his bout with 140-pound titleholder Timothy Bradley. The record reflects that he suffered a third-round TKO, but it sure didn't look that way to these eyes.
At issue was a nasty cut Campbell suffered near his left eye early in the third round. Replays backed up Nate's version of the story, which is that he suffered it after an accidental clash of heads. The ref thought otherwise, Bradley spent the rest of the round beating on Campbell, and the fight was stopped before the fourth.
It's probably impossible to know for sure if the headbutt caused the cut, but my brother Uatu said something at dinner last night that was very true: in the hundreds of fights we've both watched, it's not too often a cut like Campbell's gets opened up by a punch.
Campbell's team will certainly appeal, and as Dougie Fischer wrote after the fight, there's probably some chance the loss could get changed to a no decision. During his angry post-fight interview, Nate seemed more upset about the TKO loss going on his record than anything else.
I'm hoping the decision is reversed, as Campbell is no spring chicken at 37 and is running out of time and chances. He's been too much fun to watch in the ring to have his career peter out like this.
Even if Campbell gets his wish, he may not get a rematch with Bradley. Gary Shaw sure didn't sound too anxious to do it when asked by Jim Gray after the match.
And maybe we don't need to see one anyway. Bradley won all three rounds and may have just cruised to an easy decision if not for the cut. I'm not quite as high on Desert Storm as some people, but you have to hand it to him for continuing to get it done.
After seeing all of his fights in 2008 and 2009, my opinion of Bradley hasn't changed. He's not elite in any one area, but he's good enough at everything that he has no obvious weaknesses to exploit.
He has quick hands but not the highlight film speed of a Manny Pacquiao. He's defensively aware but not a master like Bernard Hopkins. And he clearly doesn't have a ton of one-punch power, but he's no slapper and can get opponents' attention with head or body shots.
One thing I do agree with is Bradley's self-assessment that he can move all day. His footwork was excellent on Saturday and he always comes into fights in tremendous shape.
It's still just a little hard for me to think of Bradley as the top dog in his division, but with the old guard at 140 fading away and Pacquiao just passing through, maybe he is. You can't argue with his results.
Bradley may have some other young guys to match up with him over the next few years (Lamont Peterson, Amir Khan and Marcos Maidana come to mind), and one of them could be the winner of Saturday's co-feature. Devon Alexander faced a stiff test in Junior Witter and passed it with flying colors.
Yes, Witter claimed after the fight that he had injured his hand during the fight, leading to a strange stoppage. And the fans weren't too pleased with what they were seeing either.
But let's face it: there aren't many fighters trickier to face than Witter. The Brit has one of the most unusual fighting styles around, leaping in to punch and quickly grabbing to avoid counter shots. He also constantly switches stances from orthodox to southpaw and back.
Alexander showed a lot of patience when presented with that puzzle, picking his spots well. He caught Witter with a few hooks and straight lefts that did some damage, and he seemed to be growing in confidence as the fight went on.
He should certainly be right in the mix at junior welterweight, and could very well end up as serious competition for Bradley after another fight or two.
Posted by The Franchise
1.8.09
Devon Alexander vs. Junior Witter: Round By Round
Showtime Championship Boxing is live from California with a pair of 140-pound title fights. Timothy Bradley and Nate Campbell will do battle in the main event, but first up is undefeated Devon Alexander taking on Junior Witter.
Gus Johnson and Al Bernstein are on hand to preview the main event and discuss the sad murder of Vernon Forrest. There's a nice piece on Forrest's work outside the ring and a moment of silence and ringing of the bell for The Viper.
Fans are definitely still showing up, but we're about ready for the co-feature. Witter comes out first, and Johnson says the 35-year old from the U.K. knows this may be one of his last big chances. He is 37-2-2, with his most recent loss coming to Bradley in May 2008.
Alexander reps his hometown with a St. Louis Cardinals hat as he enters to Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight." The 22-year old southpaw is 18-0 with 11 KOs. Cory Spinks is on hand to lend his support.
This fight is for the vacant WBC super lightweight title that Witter lost to Bradley, who subsequently had to drop it. The tale of the tape shows that the two men are almost even in height and weight, but Alexander has an edge in reach that may be a factor.
Jimmy Lennon Jr. handles the fighter introductions and we are ready to go, scheduled for 12 rounds.
Round 1
Bernstein wonders if Witter will fight orthodox or southpaw, and he comes out right-handed. He shoots a few rights to the body, as does Devon with some lefts. Both men pawing with jabs. Witter loses his balance swinging and tumbles down, and he hops up and switches stances a few times. There's some hugging as they try to work inside. Witter has his hands down as he circles. They wrestle along the ropes as the ref warns them. Ugly first round, which isn't a shock with Junior in there.
Franchise: 10-9 Witter
Spartan117: 10-9 Witter
Round 2
Left hand lead by Witter and Alexander tries the body. Devon gets another body shot and a hook in there. Witter is bleeding slightly from the mouth as he swings wildly. He switches southpaw as Alexander jabs forward. They tie up several times and the ref is busy. Both men connect and Witter's left is sharper. Junior is able to duck under a bunch of Devon's shots. Witter gets clocked by a right hook in close in the last 10 seconds.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Round 3
Alexander scores with a right and the counter right smacks him back. He tries to press forward and they tie up. Almost every exchange ends up with the fighters grabbing each other. Witter tries some inside body work. He gets caught with a short right and some blood is coming from near his right eye. One-two by Alexander ends with a sharp right hook to the head. Witter is jumping in and only getting off single shots. They hold again at the bell.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Round 4
Nice counter by Witter and he switches southpaw. Both fighters work the jab, but Alexander backs his man into the corner. Big uppercut misses from Witter. Left hook by Witter catches Devon. Jabs are scoring in both directions. Now Witter is orthodox again. Double left hands by Alexander, but no huge punches landed in that frame.
Franchise: 10-9 Witter
Spartan117: 10-9 Witter
Round 5
They talk to Spinks between rounds. Witter dodges some early fire and there's more wrestling. Junior switches to righty trying to set up uppercuts. Witter gets caught by a left coming in and has to hold on to Alexander to stay upright. Devon looks for the kill but Witter is crafty. He tries his own big left hand and grabs again. Good round for Devon.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Round 6
Replay shows Witter got tagged while throwing one of his crazy wide punches. Devon punches out of a clinch and snaps his jab. Witter dodges a big left and ties up. Witter fires a right to the body. Left by Witter as he comes in again. Short right hand by Alexander. Several exchanges are pretty even, and Devon continues to stalk. Right by Alexander is answered, but a left catches Witter right at the bell.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Round 7
Alexander throws a combo and backs away from the counter. His jab is really looking good right now. A left just misses and chases Witter back, but he comes back with a body shot. Glancing left hand from Devon as the crowd starts to get a bit restless. Left hand by Witter is answered by a jab. Alexander flurries at the end of a close round.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Witter
Round 8
There's a short delay for some reason to start this round. Right hook by Devon. He lands a left that crashed in on the side of Witter's head. Two right hands by Alexander lead to another warning from the ref about wrestling. The ref also lectures Witter about holding. Alexander walks into a left hand upstairs. Alexander peppers Witter with a series of quick punches in close. Body shot by Witter gets a response from Alexander.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Before Round 9 can begin, Witter decides he's had enough. It's kind of surprising because he didn't look like he was taking a tremendous amount of abuse, but the fight is over. The replay from the corner makes it sound like it was Witter's corner who suggested he was done, but it's not 100 percent clear.
The winner by TKO at the end of Round 8... and new WBC super lightweight titleholder... Devon Alexander "The Great."
Jim Gray gets a few words with Alexander, who is choked up after his victory. He says his dad told him to stay humble, which helps him train hard. Devon credits his family and Don King for helping him stay on track in life and boxing.
Alexander says his team gave him multiple plans depending on what Witter was going to do. He claims he was not surprised that Witter quit. We don't hear from Junior, who has gone back to his locker room to get checked out by the doctor.
Posted by The Franchise
Gus Johnson and Al Bernstein are on hand to preview the main event and discuss the sad murder of Vernon Forrest. There's a nice piece on Forrest's work outside the ring and a moment of silence and ringing of the bell for The Viper.
Fans are definitely still showing up, but we're about ready for the co-feature. Witter comes out first, and Johnson says the 35-year old from the U.K. knows this may be one of his last big chances. He is 37-2-2, with his most recent loss coming to Bradley in May 2008.
Alexander reps his hometown with a St. Louis Cardinals hat as he enters to Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight." The 22-year old southpaw is 18-0 with 11 KOs. Cory Spinks is on hand to lend his support.
This fight is for the vacant WBC super lightweight title that Witter lost to Bradley, who subsequently had to drop it. The tale of the tape shows that the two men are almost even in height and weight, but Alexander has an edge in reach that may be a factor.
Jimmy Lennon Jr. handles the fighter introductions and we are ready to go, scheduled for 12 rounds.
Round 1
Bernstein wonders if Witter will fight orthodox or southpaw, and he comes out right-handed. He shoots a few rights to the body, as does Devon with some lefts. Both men pawing with jabs. Witter loses his balance swinging and tumbles down, and he hops up and switches stances a few times. There's some hugging as they try to work inside. Witter has his hands down as he circles. They wrestle along the ropes as the ref warns them. Ugly first round, which isn't a shock with Junior in there.
Franchise: 10-9 Witter
Spartan117: 10-9 Witter
Round 2
Left hand lead by Witter and Alexander tries the body. Devon gets another body shot and a hook in there. Witter is bleeding slightly from the mouth as he swings wildly. He switches southpaw as Alexander jabs forward. They tie up several times and the ref is busy. Both men connect and Witter's left is sharper. Junior is able to duck under a bunch of Devon's shots. Witter gets clocked by a right hook in close in the last 10 seconds.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Round 3
Alexander scores with a right and the counter right smacks him back. He tries to press forward and they tie up. Almost every exchange ends up with the fighters grabbing each other. Witter tries some inside body work. He gets caught with a short right and some blood is coming from near his right eye. One-two by Alexander ends with a sharp right hook to the head. Witter is jumping in and only getting off single shots. They hold again at the bell.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Round 4
Nice counter by Witter and he switches southpaw. Both fighters work the jab, but Alexander backs his man into the corner. Big uppercut misses from Witter. Left hook by Witter catches Devon. Jabs are scoring in both directions. Now Witter is orthodox again. Double left hands by Alexander, but no huge punches landed in that frame.
Franchise: 10-9 Witter
Spartan117: 10-9 Witter
Round 5
They talk to Spinks between rounds. Witter dodges some early fire and there's more wrestling. Junior switches to righty trying to set up uppercuts. Witter gets caught by a left coming in and has to hold on to Alexander to stay upright. Devon looks for the kill but Witter is crafty. He tries his own big left hand and grabs again. Good round for Devon.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Round 6
Replay shows Witter got tagged while throwing one of his crazy wide punches. Devon punches out of a clinch and snaps his jab. Witter dodges a big left and ties up. Witter fires a right to the body. Left by Witter as he comes in again. Short right hand by Alexander. Several exchanges are pretty even, and Devon continues to stalk. Right by Alexander is answered, but a left catches Witter right at the bell.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Round 7
Alexander throws a combo and backs away from the counter. His jab is really looking good right now. A left just misses and chases Witter back, but he comes back with a body shot. Glancing left hand from Devon as the crowd starts to get a bit restless. Left hand by Witter is answered by a jab. Alexander flurries at the end of a close round.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Witter
Round 8
There's a short delay for some reason to start this round. Right hook by Devon. He lands a left that crashed in on the side of Witter's head. Two right hands by Alexander lead to another warning from the ref about wrestling. The ref also lectures Witter about holding. Alexander walks into a left hand upstairs. Alexander peppers Witter with a series of quick punches in close. Body shot by Witter gets a response from Alexander.
Franchise: 10-9 Alexander
Spartan117: 10-9 Alexander
Before Round 9 can begin, Witter decides he's had enough. It's kind of surprising because he didn't look like he was taking a tremendous amount of abuse, but the fight is over. The replay from the corner makes it sound like it was Witter's corner who suggested he was done, but it's not 100 percent clear.
The winner by TKO at the end of Round 8... and new WBC super lightweight titleholder... Devon Alexander "The Great."
Jim Gray gets a few words with Alexander, who is choked up after his victory. He says his dad told him to stay humble, which helps him train hard. Devon credits his family and Don King for helping him stay on track in life and boxing.
Alexander says his team gave him multiple plans depending on what Witter was going to do. He claims he was not surprised that Witter quit. We don't hear from Junior, who has gone back to his locker room to get checked out by the doctor.
Posted by The Franchise
Bradley-Campbell and Witter-Alexander: Live Round By Round Updates Tonight
It seems like forever since we've had a chance to watch a good card on a Saturday night, but the wait is over tonight thanks to a pair of youth-versus-experience bouts on Showtime. Timothy Bradley and Nate Campbell square off for Bradley's WBO 140-pound belt in the main event, while Devon Alexander steps up to take on Junior Witter in the co-feature.
If you can't watch the fights tonight, no worries. Simply bookmark our main page and follow along with live round by round updates from myself and Spartan117.
The action is scheduled to begin shortly after 9 pm Eastern time tonight. See you there... er, here.
Posted by The Franchise
If you can't watch the fights tonight, no worries. Simply bookmark our main page and follow along with live round by round updates from myself and Spartan117.
The action is scheduled to begin shortly after 9 pm Eastern time tonight. See you there... er, here.
Posted by The Franchise
30.7.09
Timothy Bradley vs. Nate Campbell, Junior Witter vs. Devon Alexander: Predictions
The Franchise says...
Showtime has the buzz right now in boxing because of its super middleweight tournament - and rightfully so - but there's some interesting action outside that division this Saturday night. It's youth versus experience times two in a pair of title matches.
The main event sees Timothy Bradley put his WBO light welterweight belt on the line against Nate Campbell. Desert Storm has made two successful defenses of his title since lifting it from Junior Witter in May 2008, and he'll be fighting as the champ for the first time in his home state of California.
I've seen Bradley's last three fights and my opinion of him hasn't changed. He's slightly above average in everything, but there's no part of his game that stands out as exceptional. If he was a football QB, he'd be known as one of those guys who just knows how to win games.
Campbell makes the jump to 140 having won his last five fights, though he had to gut out decisions over Juan Diaz and Ali Funeka. Nate always comes to fight and usually is better than most at figuring out tricky styles, a skill he won't need this weekend.
Though Bradley is young enough at 25 that he could still be adding new wrinkles in the ring, Campbell has him beat on boxing skills and smarts. There will be two questions the Galaxxy Warrior will have to answer, and they're both pretty big: is Father Time catching him at age 37, and will moving up in weight help or hinder his power?
My guess is that the weight will suit Campbell fine, so he'll be in there with every chance to win. Though it's possible he may fade as the young lion comes on late, I like Nate to start fast and hold on to earn a close decision.
In the co-feature, it's another bout with a similar age dynamic as 35-year old Witter takes on 22-year old Devon Alexander for the vacant WBC light welterweight strap.
Undefeated southpaw Alexander is taking a definite step up in competition, as he's been scheduled for 12 rounds just twice before. But both of those fights went the distance (including one against everyone's favorite whipping boy, DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley, in January 2008), so we know he can do it.
Witter rarely leaves his native U.K. to fight, and this marks only his second appearance in the States. He's known for switching stances often and utilizes a jerky, awkward style that can make things difficult on opponents and viewers alike.
I expect Alexander to have the edge in both speed and power, so this one should come down to whether or not he's able to bring it on offense consistently. This is a tougher call than the main event, but I like the youngster's physical advantages more here, and I'm feeling Alexander staying undefeated via unanimous decision.
Posted by The Franchise
Showtime has the buzz right now in boxing because of its super middleweight tournament - and rightfully so - but there's some interesting action outside that division this Saturday night. It's youth versus experience times two in a pair of title matches.
The main event sees Timothy Bradley put his WBO light welterweight belt on the line against Nate Campbell. Desert Storm has made two successful defenses of his title since lifting it from Junior Witter in May 2008, and he'll be fighting as the champ for the first time in his home state of California.
I've seen Bradley's last three fights and my opinion of him hasn't changed. He's slightly above average in everything, but there's no part of his game that stands out as exceptional. If he was a football QB, he'd be known as one of those guys who just knows how to win games.
Campbell makes the jump to 140 having won his last five fights, though he had to gut out decisions over Juan Diaz and Ali Funeka. Nate always comes to fight and usually is better than most at figuring out tricky styles, a skill he won't need this weekend.
Though Bradley is young enough at 25 that he could still be adding new wrinkles in the ring, Campbell has him beat on boxing skills and smarts. There will be two questions the Galaxxy Warrior will have to answer, and they're both pretty big: is Father Time catching him at age 37, and will moving up in weight help or hinder his power?
My guess is that the weight will suit Campbell fine, so he'll be in there with every chance to win. Though it's possible he may fade as the young lion comes on late, I like Nate to start fast and hold on to earn a close decision.
In the co-feature, it's another bout with a similar age dynamic as 35-year old Witter takes on 22-year old Devon Alexander for the vacant WBC light welterweight strap.
Undefeated southpaw Alexander is taking a definite step up in competition, as he's been scheduled for 12 rounds just twice before. But both of those fights went the distance (including one against everyone's favorite whipping boy, DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley, in January 2008), so we know he can do it.
Witter rarely leaves his native U.K. to fight, and this marks only his second appearance in the States. He's known for switching stances often and utilizes a jerky, awkward style that can make things difficult on opponents and viewers alike.
I expect Alexander to have the edge in both speed and power, so this one should come down to whether or not he's able to bring it on offense consistently. This is a tougher call than the main event, but I like the youngster's physical advantages more here, and I'm feeling Alexander staying undefeated via unanimous decision.
Posted by The Franchise
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