Devon Alexander Draws Strength From Tough Childhood

As difficult as it might be for 23-year-old Devon Alexander to perhaps clean out and rise to the top of what is a talented junior welterweight (140-pounds) division, that battle pales in comparison to the one he began when he first donned boxing gloves at the age of 7.

As a young boy growing up in an embattled section of St. Louis, Mo. Alexander begged his mother to allow him to go into boxing.

When she relented, Alexander was rewarded by a first-class butt-whupping from one of his good friends following his initial sparring session.

That friend, however, has long since been killed -- a victim of the rough neighborhood that Alexander grew up in. And many other acquaintances from Alexander's youth are either dead, in prison, or have served time behind bars.

So needless to say, Alexander is a survivor.

"I started in boxing when I was seven. I come from a rough St. Louis neighborhood where most people go to jail or end up dead," said Alexander, one of 13 children in his family. "I heard gun shots every night where you have to hit the ground and check to make sure the bullets didn't hit you."

But just as he has endured the brutal streets of North St. Louis' Hyde Park, Alexander is equally determined to emerge victorious as the world's top 140-pounder.

That quest continues on Saturday night at Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, Conn., where Alexander (19-0, 12 knockouts) puts his WBC crown on the line against 29-year-old, Colombian-born, IBF champion Juan Urango (22-2-1, 17) of Cooper City, Fla., in an HBO-televised clash of southpaws.

Alexander has been given The Key To The City by St. Louis Mayor, Francis Slay, who considers the fighter to be a role model for youth in his hometown.

Nicknamed "Alexander The Great," and promoted by Don King, Alexander is trained and managed by Kevin Cunningham, a former St. Louis police officer who has also guided the career of 32-year-old southpaw IBF junior middleweight (154-pounds) king, Cory Spinks (37-5, 11 KOs).

"Me and my coach [trainer Kevin Cunningham] have been working at this since I was seven years old in my old gym, so this right here is just another stepping stone for me to become the greatest in the game," said Alexander, who emerged from a program Cunningham started in a make-shift gym in the basement of an old police station.

"I'm not worried about his [Urango's] experience," said Alexander. "Of course he's going to come brawling, but I'm not worrying about that. I'm going to be ready for whatever he brings."

Cunningham's program was across the street from a basketball court where Alexander was playing with his older brothers Vaughan, 8, and Lamar, 12, when he ventured in. All three would box, but Alexander would be the best and most dedicated of all.

"My gym was in the basement of an old police station in Hyde Park, one of the highest crime districts in the city at that time," said Cunningham.

"It turned out to be a good thing for the Alexander brothers, Cory Spinks, and all the kids in the program, because it kept them off of the streets," said Cunningham. "As a boxer, I always knew Devon was special but what separated him from the competition was his tremendous work ethic."

Spinks became an instant role model to the other boxers at the gym, especially Devon.

"Cory and Devon connected from day one. They hit it off. Devon followed Cory around like a puppy dog at first, and Cory looked after him. They were like brothers from the start," said Cunningham.



"Devon was always excited about learning. He loves to train. The more you push him the harder he works. You don't have to baby-sit him," said Cunningham. "I had several kids that may have been born with more natural talent than Devon. The difference with Devon is that he eats, drinks and sleeps boxing. That's the difference. If anything, I've had to slow him down at times."

Alexander is coming off of August's eighth-round stoppage of England's Junior Witter (37-3-2, 22 KOs), who did not go the full distance in a loss for the first time in his career.

"I'm a natural southpaw. I've got speed and power, but I don't force my power," said Alexander. "I can box on the outside like Sugar Ray Leonard, or stand in the middle like Iron Mike. Either way is fine with me. When the bell rings, the game plan turns on."

Urgango, however, may be Alexander's biggest step up since January of 2008, when he earned a unanimous, 12-round decision over former world champion, DeMarcus Corley, at New York's Madison Square Garden.

A two-time world titlist who is nicknamed, "Iron Twins," Urango won his first crown in June of 2006, with a unanimous decision over Naoufel Ben Rabah, for the vacant IBF title.

Urango lost that belt in his next fight, however, to England's Ricky Hatton by unanimous decision in January of 2007, but regained that vacated championship a year later with a decision over Herman Ngoudjo.

Urango rose to 147 pounds in May to face WBC king Andre Berto (25-0, 19 KOs), losing a valiantly fought, albeit lopsided 12-round decision.

Urango returned to the 140 pound class in August, where he rose from the canvas in the sixth round to stop knockout artist, Randall Bailey (40-7, 35 KOs) in the 11th round of the first defense of his current crown.

The winner of Alexander-Urango is tentatively slated to face South Africa's 30-year-old Kaiser Mabuza (23-6-3, 14 KOs), who scored this past weekend's sixth-round knockout over Kendall Holt (25-4, 13 KOs) in an IBF eliminator bout.

The winner of Alexander-Urango will also remain afloat in a crowded division that also includes England's WBA king Amir Khan (22-1, 16 KOs), and California's WBO titlist Tim Bradley (25-0, 11 KOs).

A 23-year-old, former Olympic silver medalist, Khan is scheduled to defend his belt against New York's 29-year-old Paulie Malignaggi (27-3, five KOs), on May 15 at The WaMu Theatre in New York's Madison Square Garden.

Bradley's promoter, Gary Shaw, expects to have an opponent named sometime this week.

Also in action on March 27 will be 26-year-old, Argentinian WBA interim champion, Marcos Rene Maidana (27-1, 26 KOs), defending his belt aginst 25-year-old Victor Cayo (24-0, 16 KOs), of the Dominican Republic.

In addition, the Khan-Malignaggi undercard will feature 23-year-old southpaw, 140-pound contender Victor Ortiz (26-2-1, 21 KOs), against 37-year-old former world champ, Nate Campbell (33-5-1, 25 KOs).

The already deep junior welterweight class is also being invaded by 28-year-old, WBC lightweight (135 pounds) champion, Edwin Valero (27-0, 27 KOs), of Venezuela, who, in June or July, is expected to face once-beaten, 26-year-old Lamont Peterson (27-1, 13 KOs) of Washington, D.C.

No matter what, Alexander said that he is ready to rise above the frey.

"I'm the only one that can change my family's direction and give them more opportunities to succeed in life," said Alexander. "I want to show them a different way of life."