“I think (Bradley) saw how
vulnerable we were tonight, so I think they will want to
fight us for sure now,” Alexander’s trainer/manager, Kevin
Cunningham, said. “But Devon bites down and finds a way to
win, especially when things may not be going his way, and
that’s what he did (Saturday).”
Alexander admitted it was not his
best performance and gave himself a “C-minus“ at the
postfight press conference.
After stopping two previous world
champions prior to facing Kotelnik, it is not obscene to say
Alexander may have had an off night, simply put. It is not
unreal or uncommon for a professional athlete to have one of
those days where you don’t have your best game. The mark of
a true champion is when you can “bite down” and grit out a
tough title defense against a very game and worthy opponent.
The boxing world must not forget
that Kotelnik had just beaten Marcos Maidana -- a top-five
light welterweight according The Ring -- two fights prior,
and lost a decision to Amir Khan -- No. 2 rated by The Ring.
All great fighters in the packed 140-pound division, and on
an off night Alexander was able to come away with a
hardfought victory in his home town.
In the postfight ring interview
with Max Kellerman of HBO, Alexander was handed a T-shirt
that read “Bradley U Next,” and he insists that is the next
fight he wants. If they fight, it will be one of the biggest
title unifications thatthe light welterweight division has
witnessed in ages. T IBF, WBC,and WBO titles are all in the
possession of these two fighters.
Bradley and Alexander need to
fight, and the fight should happen in St. Louis, according
to Cunningham.
“Look what we did here tonight:
almost 10,000, and what does Bradley do in California ...
like, 2,500?” Cunningham said.
If the two sides are able to
reach a deal, it just seems logical it would happen in St.
Louis where the fans come out in droves to support boxing
and the new local hero.
