Tag: Devon Alexander

Victor Ortiz vs. Devon Alexander Caleb Plant vs. Rogelio Medina Live in Primetime on Premier Boxing Champions

USA vs. MEXICO IN PRIMETIME DUELS ON FOX!
 
“Vicious” Victor Ortiz and Devon Alexander “The Great” Clash in Battle of Former Welterweight World Champions
 
Plus! Undefeated Contender Caleb Plant Duels Rogelio “Porky” Medina in Super Middleweight Showdown in Co-Feature
 
Photo by Suzanne Teresa – Premier Boxing Champions
Live in Primetime on Premier Boxing Champions on FOX & FOX Deportes from Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas on
Saturday, February 17 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
EL PASO, TX (January 8, 2018) – “Vicious” Victor Ortiz and Devon Alexander “The Great”headline a show topped by two USA vs. Mexico battles as the former welterweight champions meet in the 12-round main event of Premier Boxing Champions on FOX and FOX Deportes Saturday, Feb. 17 from Don Haskins Center on the UTEP campus in El Paso, Texas with televised coverage starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
In the co-main event unbeaten contender Caleb “Sweet Hands” Plant will battle Rogelio “Porky” Medina in a 12-round 168-pound world title eliminator.
Tickets for the event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions, are priced at $200, $100, $60, $40, $25 and will go on sale Friday. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster.
Also on the card, Tony Harrison (25-2, 20 KOs) takes on Jorge Cota (27-2, 24 KOs) in a super welterweight showdown and Karlos Balderas, a 2016 U.S. Olympian, will appear in a lightweight special attraction.
“This is a classic crossroads match in the truest sense. Both Devon Alexander and Victor Ortiz are battle-tested in one of the toughest, deepest divisions in boxing,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “Alexander has overcome some serious health issues and is looking to regain the welterweight championship. Ortiz, also a former champion, has always come to fight and doesn’t back down from anyone. It promises to be an entertaining match for the fans in attendance at Don Haskins Center and those who tune in on FOX and FOX Deportes.”
Ortiz (32-6-2, 25 KOs), a former 147-pound champion, has split time between boxing and acting throughout his recent career and brings a certain flare every time he steps into the ring. The 30-year-old native of Garden City, Kansas who now lives in Ventura, California, has faced some of the top names in the 147-pound division during his career.
Ortiz won the welterweight title with unanimous decision victory over Andre Berto on April 16, 2011. Five months later he lost the title to Floyd Mayweather, Jr. by knockout. Ortiz, 30, suffered a knockout loss to Andre Berto in 2016 on FOX and bounced back with a knockout victory over Saul Corral in his last fight on July 30 on FS1.
“I’m ready to give all I have to defeat Devon Alexander and get my crown back,” said Ortiz. “My priority is to make a strong comeback and putting myself in a position to have my straps once again. I demonstrated what I was made of and did what I said I was going to do in my last fight. I’m facing a great fighter in Devon Alexander and someone I’ve known since we were kids. I don’t hate him, but I will not be his friend on fight night and he won’t be mine. I’m ready to prove everyone wrong starting on Feb. 17.”
Alexander (27-4, 14 KOs) emerged on the scene with a unanimous decision victory over Randall Bailey for the welterweight title in 2012. He defended the title once before losing it to Shawn Porter in 2013. Since then, the 30-year-old Alexander of St. Louis, Missouri has been on a mission to regain the title. After losing to Amir Khan and Aaron Martinez, Alexander suffered another setback when he sought treatment for an addiction to painkillers. Fully healthy for the first time in three years, Alexander returned to the ring with a unanimous decision victory over Walter Castillo on FS1 on Nov. 21.
“I’m excited to get back in there against a fighter like Victor Ortiz,” said Alexander. “We’ve known each other a long time but never fought in the amateurs, so this should be interesting. My speed, quickness and smarts will win me this fight. Victor checks out sometimes when he can’t hit you, so my skills will be the difference. I’m ready for any challenge that’s brought my way. When I’m 100 percent, nobody can beat me.”
Plant (16-0, 10 KOs) won eight of his first nine fights by knockout, demonstrating power in both hands to go along with his boxing abilities. The 25-year-old climbed into the top ten of the 168-pound rankings with his last victory – a unanimous decision over Andrew Hernandez in Las Vegas on Sept. 8. Medina represents a major step up for Plant and will give him an indication of just where the Ashland, Tennessee native stands in the division as he looks to become a mandatory challenger for the IBF title.
The 29-year-old Medina (38-8, 32 KOs) has squared off against some of the toughest boxers in the division, including current champion David Benavidez and former champions James DeGale and Badou Jack. Fighting out of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico lost by knockout to Benavidez on May 20, and bounced back with a knockout victory over Daniel Eduardo Yocupicio on Sept. 1.
The FOX prime time broadcast will kick off a full night of boxing, leading into a doubleheader on SHOWTIME that features two-division world champion Danny Garcia versus Brandon Rios and 168-pound champion David Benavidez defending his title in a rematch against Ronald Gavril from Las Vegas.

Snippets On Arguably The Hottest Topics In The Sweet Science

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Prayers For Prichard
Prichard Colon was rabbit punched several times in his bout against Terrel Williams and as a result is in a coma after suffering a brain bleed and having surgery to relieve the pressure. Colon complained from the opening round about the rabbit punches and after being hit illegally a few more times throughout the fight a point was finally deducted. Punches that land illegally happen and points are taken; however, in this case although the punches did the damage,  it was the handling of the entire situation that is at fault. Colon had told the ringside physican that he was dizzy. If you were watching the fight like you should have been doing and saw the repeated blows to the back of the skull, it should have been taken a bit more serious when the reciever of the punches states that he is having issues with dizziness. Further, what of the corner? Did they see any signs from their fighter that caused concern? The only silver lining is the glove fiasco. Colon was DQ because his corner took the gloves off after the ninth thinking the fight was over. That action probably saved his life, had he gone out for the tenth, he may have been killed. This rising prospect had his whole carrer in front of him, now he’s fighting a diffrent kind of fight. Let’s hope and pray that he becomes the undisputed champion of that fight.

Going Great Guns
Gennady Golovkin ( 34-0 31KO), he of 21 straight stoppages, put on a brilliant performance Saturday night stopping David Lemieux (34-3 31 KO) by 8th round TKO to add Lemieux’s IBF strap to his middleweight collection. Lemieux is mostly a brawler and doesn’t possess the same skill set as GGG but he still posed one of the biggest threats ever to the man from Kazakhstan.  It was thought that he could possibly put Golovkin in uncharted waters by landing something so significant it would test him more than ever. While he did land some big shots, they were few and far between because Lemieux had to fight mostly defensive to keep Golovkin off of him. Since Lemieux could not match Golovkin in skill set, the outcome was a forgone conclusion. Make the call to the “bay area”, there’s a cat out there that surpasses GGG in the finer aspects of the sweet science but trails him in power and that will make for a great fight.

Hey, How About A Nice Hawaiian Punch?  No thanks, I’ll Have Chocolate
Roman Gonzalez (44-0 38 KO) stopped Brian Viloria (36-5 22 KO) in the 9th round to provide further proof why most pound for pound lists have anointed the Nicaraguan the new king. Gonzalez is simply dominant. Even in a fight where his opponent was having some success, they weren’t having successes. Gonzalez looks to provide a sense of false security and then closes the show.

A Few Dents In The Crown Of A King
Lamont Peterson (34-3-1 17 KO) defeated Felix Diaz (17-1 8 KO) by majority decision but quite frankly the scores of 117-111 and 116-112 were preposterous. “King Pete” had the height and reach advantage but failed to use them with any regularity. For a fighter who is working to get another title shot, he sure had his hands full with a prospect. Several ringside observers on press row believed Diaz may have even won the fight. At the very least, the fight should have been closer to a draw or split decision.

Alexander The Gate (keeper)
Devon Alexander (26-4 14 KO) was supposed to handle his business against Aaron Martinez (20-4 4 KO) but somebody forgot to tell Martinez, winner by UD.  The former IBF welterweight and WBC, IBF,super lightweight titlist has now lost three of his last four. It seems like forever since he defeated Lucas Matthysse and Marcos Maidana in back to back fights. Two out of his last three losses have come against two of the best in the division,in Amir Khan, and Shawn Porter. That said, a title shot may be out of reach and he may have a new role in the division.

Rock Em Sock Em Robots
Andrzej Fonfara (28-3 16 KO) beat Nathan Cleverly (29-3 15 KO) by unanimous decision and both set a CompuBox record for a light heavyweight fight, 2,524 total punches thrown, 936 landed. A good old fashioned donnybrook. 

Snippets On Arguably The Hottest Topics In The Sweet Science This Week.

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It was a huge past Saturday in the sport. Here are a few hi-lights in no particular order.

Like A Fine Wine

Amir Khan was masterful in his defeat of Devon Alexander on Saturday night.  Khan looked better than he has in the past few years. Using his long reach, excellent lateral movement, and blistering speed he absolutely dominated Alexander. Early in the first round,  Khan connected with a few solid power shots which in my observation, set the tone for the rest of the fight. Alexander was just not active enough and I think those early power shots and the speed in which they were delivered really put him on the defensive.  I don’t ever remember Alexander in a fight in which he was so inactive and tentative. Khan’s height and reach advantage were too much for Alexander.  Also impressive was that Khan appeared to be just as fast in the last round as he was in the first round.  It was all Khan with a  unanimous decision win and scores of  119-109, 118-110, and 120-108.

After the fight, Khan was pleased with his performance “I think this is one of my best performances.  I was under my feet,  I’m the best boxer with the quickest hands in the world.  Virgil Hunter has been teaching me what positions to be in.  I’m getting better as I’m getting older I just turned 28”

Yes, he appears to be a better version of the old Khan.  Even his beard held up well as Alexander landed some telling shots in the bout and Khan withstood them better than we have seen him do in the past.  Future opponents beware, at 28 and with Hunter guiding him, he may be just now reaching his peak and settling in for a sustained run. There’s talk of a Floyd Mayweather fight if the mega bout with Manny Pacquiao isn’t made but I’d love to see a match up with Kell Brook.

The Truth, The Whole Truth, Nothing But The Truth

Remember the name folks, Errol Spence Jr. If you follow the fight game, you are already aware of this up and coming prospect, if not, you will be in 2015. From the Lone Star State, D-Town more specifically, he appears to have the goods.

A fast, accurate, and powerful southpaw, he delivers snapping jabs, straight rights/lefts, commits to the body, has excellent footwork, a tight guard, and can fight from the outside or inside.

On Saturday night, he defeated Javier Castro by fifth round TKO and landed an amazing 71% of his power shots while exhibiting all of the aforementioned skills. His competition has not been a who’s who of the sport thus far but the talent is evident and this kid is a rising star.

Don’t mess with Tex…Uh, Errol

Always A Groomsman Never A Groom

Mauricio Herrera can’t catch a break. In a fight against Danny Garcia in March, he appeared to do better than two of the judges gave him credit for if not squeak out a victory but there he was a majority decision loser.

This past Saturday, he controlled the fight against Jose Benavidez and once again appeared to have done enough only to have the following scores tallied against him: 116-112 X2 and 117-111.

Benavidez is an up and coming prospect with a solid pedigree but school was in session as “El Maestro” controlled the majority of the rounds with excellent head movement,  constantly working Benavidez to the ropes working his body and landing power shots at opportunistic times.

This is not to suggest that the student didn’t have a few moments. It’s just that his performance didn’t justify the scores he received.

Herrera is what is right about the sport and he is wronged repeatedly.

A hard working blue collar fighter who gets better every outing. He defended his title, the kid surely didn’t beat the champ and take the title.

Desert Stormed

Timothy Bradley knows now how Manny Pacquiao felt after their first fight. Control a fight with speed and movement, land power shots, and do enough to win only to find out that you did not win. In this case, Bradley didn’t lose either but a draw after his performance against Diego Chaves was just like a loss.

Bradley won this fight. Chaves simply didn’t do enough and did a poor job cutting off the ring and allowed Bradley to move and score points all night. Chaves did do well early landing combinations behind an active jab but he stopped jabbing and was looking for one shot at a time for the majority of the fight.

He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Bro

The twin Charlo brothers were both in action this past weekend. Jermall knocked out Lenny Bottai in the third round while Jermell won by unanimous decision over Mario Lozano.

He’s Not Just An Actor, He’s Not Just A Dancer, He’s Also A Fighter 

Victor Ortiz returned to the ring with a 3rd round TKO win over Manuel Perez. Ortiz has apparently rededicated himself to the sport and has a new trainer, Joel Diaz. So far, so good. For some reason, I can never get the image out of my head of Ortiz saying “I’m young but I don’t deserve to get beat up like this” after his loss at the hands of Marcos Maidana.

A Blessing From Above   

Andy Lee vowed to win a title to honor his trainer, the late great Emanuel Steward. On Saturday night, he did just that stopping Matt Korobov in the sixth round. Lee landed a picture perfect right hook which rocked Korobov. Lee then jumped all over Korobov causing Kenny Bayless to stop the fight. Great win for Lee, one of the good guys in the game.

Even in heaven, Steward continues to be the trainer of champions.

Ooooh That Smell, Can’t You Smell That Smell?

When scorecards like the ones in the Tyson Cave fight, and the aforementioned Herrera and Bradley fights rear their ugly head, the stench in the sweet science is overbearing.

“The Smell Of Death Surrounds You.”

Snippets On Arguably The Hottest Topics In The Sweet Science This Week

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Step It Up GGG

So Gennady Golovkin did what we expected him to do, knock out Marco Antonio Rubio. Take nothing away from GGG but let’s face it, Rubio didn’t want to be here. He told us that when he stepped on the scale the day before the bout. He wasn’t even disciplined enough to make weight for the biggest fight of his career and at least give the impression he wanted to win a title? Hey, Golovkin is a beast but I have to see him do the same against a few legitimate threats before I start putting him in the same aura and rarefied air of Iron Mike like some others have been doing.

Flashes In The Pan

This past Saturday against the undefeated Nicholas Walters, Nonito Donaire showed us the old “Flash”, for the first two rounds; however, in the third round, he took a big uppercut and was visibly hurt.  Although he had a few moments over the next few rounds, Donaire never seemed to fully recover. Cuts bleeding and his eyes swelling, Donaire took a solid shot to the temple toward the end of the sixth round that ended the fight. Donaire is a class act and always gracious in defeat but he hasn’t been the same since the Guillermo Rigondeaux fight. Yes, he had won two fights since the loss, one against an aging Vic Darchinyan and one that went to the scorecards after five rounds due to a Donaire cut but even in victory, he had not been the same. It was evident again that he was missing something against Walters. He’s been a gallant warrior but his best days may be in the past.

All Heart

Steve Cunningham fights with the weight of the world on his shoulders as he waits for the news that his daughter Kennedy will receive a heart transplant to fix a congenital heart defect. If you’ve ever been a parent, you know exactly how this would pull at your heartstrings and literally mess with your psyche. Steve carries on day by day and finds his refuge in the ring as he did this past Saturday when he took on a challenger that outweighed him by over 70 pounds, Natu Visina. Cunningham was able to use his speed and movement to outland the lumbering Visina in route to a seventh round stoppage. Steve may be the forgotten heavyweight in the division but his speed and movement may make for some interesting fights with the bigger names. Continued prayers that the Cunningham family phone rings immediately.

King Khan vs. Alexander The Great

It was announced that Amir Khan will face Devon Alexander on December 13 in Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay. This is going to be a great fight folks. Physically both men are just about equal, one a southpaw one orthodox, both have speed, can box and have sneaky power. Most may make Khan the early favorite but I am not among that group.