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Who was this guy? Devon Alexander usually fights scared against brawlers, landing pitty-pat shots and then holding. Against Jesus Soto Karass, he wasn’t skittish at all, fighting in the pocket and throwing hard shots but still using his feet and speed. And he won, taking a deservedly wide decision, even if Showtime’s Steve Farhood had it a near draw.
It was good for Alexander in a couple ways: One, he got back on the winning track after a loss to Shawn Porter, and two, he didn’t bore us. Alexander has become one of the more disliked fighters on the Interwebs for his mauling and excess caution, but if he can entertain — because we know he’s a pretty good boxer — he can build demand for himself. Soto Karass was the perfect vehicle for Alexander to win and win an action bout, because he never stops coming. He won two rounds on my scorecard, the 10th and the 6th, when he just let loose with a slew of body shots. But overall, he had trouble catching Alexander because of the foot speed difference.
Alexander is with Al Haymon, and that means he’s in the same zone as a lot of fighters affiliated with Golden Boy where we don’t know what kind of opponents he could end up facing, given the GBP fracture of its executives. But he delivered the kind of performance that means he deserves to be in the mix in the deep welterweight class. Keith Thurman, maybe?
