Alexander defeats Matthysse

By Boxing News - 06/25/2011 - Comments

Image: Alexander defeats MatthysseBy Jim Dower: Argentinian knockout artist Lucas Matthysse (28-2, 26 KO’s) found out first hand how difficult it is to beat former IBF/WBC light welterweight champion Devon Alexander (22-1, 13 KO’s) when he’s fighting in his home state last Saturday night when Matthysse was beaten by Alexander by a very, very controversial 12 round split decision at the Family Arena, in Saint Charles, Missouri.

The judges scored it 96-93, 95-94 for Alexander, and 96-93 for Matthysse. It’s not easy to see what the two judges were thinking of who scored the decision for Alexander, because he looked so awful in rounds 1, 4, 7, 8 and 10. Alexander was knocked down in the 4th, and that knock down should have been the deciding factor in the fight. But clearly the two judges saw something that I couldn’t see from this fight, because Alexander looked to be in the survival mode from the 7th round on.

Alexander did have a good 9th round, but then finished poorly by running and holding in the 10th and final round. Alexander was hit a lot from the 7th round on and seemed to be wilting under the pressure from Matthysse in the same way that Alexander was fading when being attacked by WBO light welterweight champion Timothy Bradley last January in a 10 round technical decision loss for Alexander. It was clearly a good thing for Alexander that the fight was only 10 rounds and not 12, because Alexander would have almost surely lost had there been two more rounds. Matthysse was the stronger fighter in the last five rounds, and had there been two more rounds, it’s difficult to see Alexander winning.

In rounds two, three, five and six, Alexander controlled the action for the most part with his jab and fast combinations. He was able to move away from Matthysse and grab him in a tight clinch each time he would come in range. It was ugly fighting to say the least, but it was effective. However, the tide of the fight turned in the 4th after Alexander was dropped by a right hand from Matthysse. It may have been only a flash knockdown, but it gave Matthysse confidence to really attack Alexander and start working him over.

In the 5th round, Alexander did a lot of holding, punching on the break and throwing shots with his elbows hooking in towards Matthysse’s head. It didn’t slow Matthysse down one bit, as he seemed to relish the close inside fighting. He began to make more and more contact with Alexander and seemed to drain his energy reserves dramatically. Alexander is clearly not a brawler and this was playing into Matthysse’s hands, even though Alexander won the 5th and 6th rounds. However, after the 6th, Alexander had nothing left and looked weak, submissive and just trying to survive. In rounds seven, eight, and ten, Alexander took a real pounding from Matthysse.

This is one of those wins where Alexander came out a loser more than a winner, because HBO saw Matthysse winning, and most boxing fans thought he should have won as well. For Alexander, you can make an argument that this should have been his third consecutive loss, as he beat former WBA light welterweight champion Andriy Kotelnik by a controversial 12 round decision last year in August in a fight that took place in Alexander’s home town of Saint Louis. It’s hard to imagine that HBO will still opt to show Alexander’s fights after this win. The writing seems to be on the wall that Alexander isn’t going to be the big star that HBO thought he was going to be, and it’s not pleasing to see him win controversial decisions while fighting in his home town.



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