After an evening of uninspiring undercard bouts, the main event between Devon Alexander and Juan Urango delivered in a big way. Two 140 pound titles were at stake: the IBF held by Urango and the WBC held by Alexander. The fight was competitive from the start as Alexander worked behind a crisp jab while Urango, in usual fashion, steamed forward headfirst throwing punches. What was surprising was how often Urango was able to land his sweeping right hook on the chin of the slick Alexander. Equally surprising was how little effect any of Urango’s punches, which are know for their power, seemed to have on Alexander. There was hardly a pause from Alexander when one of Urango’s rights connected and despite the frequency with which Urango landed, Alexander seemed determined to follow his gameplan of boxing from the outside. Initially, this seemed to be a bad strategy as Urango was able to get the best of the exchanges but as the fight unfolded, Alexander’s composure proved to pay off. He began to land jab straight right hand combos that kept Urango off balance and by the sixth, Alexander was unleashing 3 and 4 punch combos on the chin of Urango. By the 8th, the fight was very close and it seemed like it was going to remain that way for the rest of the fight as neither fighter was able to fully impose his will on the other. All that changed when Alexander was able to catch Urango with a perfectly timed right upper cut that punctuated a 3 punch combination. The upper cut put Urango down hard but in a scene reminiscent of Urango-Bailey, Juan was able to make it to his feet and continue fighting. Unfortunately for Urango, Alexander was a much better finisher than Bailey and dropped him with another flurry. Urango struggled to regain his footing and was wisely deemed unfit to continue by referee Benjy Esteves. The time of the stoppage was 1:12 of round number 8. Alexander is the division’s only unified champion and now stands at an impressive 20-0 13KOs. Urango’s record is now 22-3-1 17KOs but despite the loss, will no doubt still be able to land significant fights in a division that is beginning to make a serious case as being the best in boxing.
In a stunning upset, former super featherweight world titlist Steve Forbes (now fighting at welterweight) dropped an 8 round decision to journeyman Harrison Cuello. Forbes was simply outworked over much of the bout and seemed content to try and potshot Cuello with little result. To his credit, Cuello was there to fight and repeatedly hammered Forbes with left hands to the body and head. Forbes managed to pick up a few rounds with some body work and the occasional lazy jab, but Cuello was the busier fighter and his punches carried more steam. Thankfully the judges got it right and awarded the ecstatic Cuello the well deserved majority decision by scores of 78-74, 77-75 and 76-76. Cuello ups his record to 19-12-3 14KOs while Forbes, who should start thinking about retirement, drops to 34-8 10KOs.
Heavyweight Derric Rossy won a solid yet unspectacular unanimous decision over journeyman Zack Page and picked up the WBC USNBC title in the process. Rossy easily controlled the fight behind his jab and Page, who has scored a number of upsets in the past, seemed reluctant to offer up any kind of resistance. The sole moment of drama came in the sixth when Rossy stunned Page with a right upper cut and put him down moments later with a straight right hand. It was a hard knockdown and Page showed real determination to simply get up. It was to little avail though as Rossy continued to dominate the rest of the fight, claiming victory by scores of 117-110, 120-107 and 118-109. Rossy is now 25-2 14KOs while Page adds another L to his record which stands at 20-28-2 7KOs.
Contender alum Ryan Coyne kept his unbeaten record as he scraped by fellow crusierweight Paul Jennette over 8 rounds. Jennette took the first two rounds on activity alone as Coyne seemed reluctant to throw. Early on, Jennette simply walked in and banged away as Coyne did little to deter him from getting in close. By round three though, Coyne seemed to sense that he needed to pick up the pace and he began mount his offense in earnest. Coyne began to find a home for his straight left hand and staggered Jennette a number of times with it throughout the fight. Jennette fought back bravely though and managed to do enough to keep the fight close. Ultimately, Coyne was more effective and took the unanimous decision by scores of 77-75 (twice) and 78-74. He runs his record to 14-0-1ND 4KOs while Jennette falls to 11-3 8KOs.
Junior welterweights Andres Navarro and James Hope put on one of the most entertaining bouts of the evening as they slugged their way through all four rounds. Although both fighters threw with abandon, Hope was the busier and more effective fighter throughout. He managed to land a number of good left hook, right hand combos that caught the eye of the judges and the crowd. A left hook, right hand, left hook combo in round four staggered Navarro badly and put an exclamation point on Hope’s performance. He wasn’t able to finish Navarro but when the scores were handed in, they read 40-36 across the board in favor of Hope. With the win, Hope improves to 5-4 4KOs while Navarro slips to 4-3-1 4KOs.
Former Cruiserweight titlist Wayne Braithwaite made short work of his opponent Adam Harris, blowing him out in under a round. Braithwaite started slowly but upped the intensity mid-round, strafing Harris with body shots along the ropes. He then brought his attack upstairs, stunning Harris with a straight left to the head. Just before the bell, Braithwaite shot a left uppercut that dumped Harris to the canvas where he was counted out at 2:59 of the first round. Braithwaite improves his record to 24-4 with 20KOs while Harris drops his third in a row, falling to 10-3 7KOs.
The opening bout of the evening was a four round welterweight scrap between Angelo Santana (3-0 3KOs) and Darien Ford (11-19-2NC 4KOs.) Santana dominated the fight from bell to bell, dropping Ford twice in the third round and a final time right before the bell to end the fourth. Ford, more displeased than hurt, sat on the ground after the final knockdown while referee Arthur Mercante Jr. counted over him. Ford began to rise at 9 but was counted out before he got to his feet. Time of the stoppage was 2:59 of round 4.
Post-Fight Ring Quotes
Devon Alexander: “My coach told me to stay focused when Urango started bleeding [from the nose in the third round]. My coach said, ‘Don’t stand there and get hit.’
“His [Urango’s] punches did not hurt at all. I was surprised by that. Speed kills everything and that’s what I have.
“We trained all camp throwing the right uppercut.” Kevin Cunningham [trainer and manager] to Devon Alexander: “Did you hear me yell to you to throw the uppercut?” Alexander: “Yeah, I heard you!” Cunningham: “I told Devon to throw the uppercut, and he heard me. It was the magic shot. We trained all camp to throw that punch. We used speed to set up the power.”
Alexander: “I can beat anyone: Zab, Timothy Bradley, you name it. I want to come back to St. Louis and sell out the Scottrade center. I’m coming back to good old St. Lou with two world titles. This is very sweet.”
Juan Urango: “I’m very happy and satisfied with my performance tonight. Devon is a great champion and he came out and did his job. I performed well but Devon won tonight.”
Derric Rossy: “Page is a crafty, veteran fighter that can take a punch, no doubt about it. He knew how to take away the space I need to land my best shots. I dropped a big right hand on him in the sixth round and had him down and almost out. I think I tried too hard for the knockout instead of just letting it come.
“I could have let my hands go more in the closing rounds, but, like I said, he’s a crafty guy.”
Zack Page: “I wasn’t as good as I wanted to be tonight. I wasn’t in my best condition. I know that now. Rossy is a good fighter. He deserved the win tonight.”
Ryan Coyne: “I had him [Paul Jennette] hurt and almost out four of five times. I wish I could have knocked him out, but my power is getting better. I’ve been working with a strength and conditioning coach and it’s starting to come. I’m undefeated with 14 wins, so I’m happy.
“He [Jennette] came to fight, had a good chin and was in condition, but so am I.”
