Alexander decisions Bailey in dull fight

By Boxing News - 10/20/2012 - Comments

Image: Alexander decisions Bailey in dull fightBy Jim Dower: In a disappointing performance from both fighters, Devon Alexander (24-1, 13 KO’s) easily defeated a gun-shy IBF welterweight champion Randall Bailey (43-8, 37 KO’s) by a 12 round unanimous decision on Saturday night to capture the 38-year-old Bailey’s International Boxing Federation title at the Barclays Center, in Brooklyn, New York, USA. The final judges’ scores were 115-111, 116-110 and 117-109, all for Alexander.

There was little action in the fight apart from Alexander’s jabs and occasional left hands. Bailey spent most of the fight looking to land his big right hands. He did land some hard rights in the first five rounds, but he wasn’t throwing enough of them to hurt Alexander. The crowd booed the fight for all 12 rounds, and unfortunately this did little to get the two fighters to let their hands go.

In the 6th, both fighters lost a point for holding. Alexander fought dirty at times, choosing to spin Bailey and hit him in the back of the head. Alexander did this quite frequently despite being warned by the referee. Alexander didn’t clinch as much as he did in the Marcos Maidana fight, but he didn’t need to because Bailey simply wouldn’t let his hands go.

With this win Alexander captures the IBF welterweight title and will be defending it against mandatory challenger Kell Brook in early 2013.

Although Alexander won the fight, he needs to think seriously about trying to be more crowd pleasing if he ever wants to be a marketable fighter. It’s nice that he won the IBF title but if he wants to progress forward to become a pay per view star then he’s going to have to be busier and more exciting. The clinching, the spinning, the ring circling, it makes Alexander a boring fighter to watch.



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