Bailey: If Alexander moves I’m going to cut him off and force him to fight

By Boxing News - 08/24/2012 - Comments

By Dan Ambrose: IBF welterweight champion Randall Bailey (43-7, 37 KO’s) says he’s going to be prepared for whatever challenger Devon Alexander (23-1, 13 KO’s) does in the ring on September 8th at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bailey says he’s going to get to Alexander whether he runs or comes straight ahead.

Bailey, 37, said “If he comes forward in the whole fight, if he moves I’m going to cut him off and we’re going to fight…he better be ready…All that boxing s*** he think he going to be doing, he better fight fool.”

It looks like Bailey is going to pressure Alexander the same way Timothy Bradley did in beating Alexander by a 10th round technical decision last year when he put constant pressure on Alexander all fight long until he pretty much quit after an accidental head-butt in the 10th. Bailey will have to be a lot busier than he was in his last fight against Mike Jones June. Bailey isn’t going to be able to wear Alexander down if he only throws a handful of punches and doesn’t put pressure on him. If Jones is lucky, Alexander will come right at him and make things easier for him so he doesn’t have to chase him around the ring to force him to fight.

One problem that Bailey has failed to touch on is Alexander’s habit of clinching a lot. In Alexander’s last fight against the hard hitting Marcos Maidana last February, Alexander clinched after almost every punch he threw in order to keep Maidana from being able to get off his shots.

This style of fighting was very effective and led to Alexander winning the fight, but he made it very boring to watch. If Alexander uses that same fighting style in the Bailey fight then it’s going to make for terrible boxing on television. Hopefully the referee steps in to warn Alexander or something to try and get him to grab a little less often.



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