Carson, Calif. -- Former two-division world champion Devon Alexander "The Great" (26-2, 14 KOs) won a unanimous ten-round decision and put himself back in line to get more elite fights in the future with a beautiful display of boxing skill in an exciting bout against tough veteran Jesus Soto Karass (28-10-3, 18 KOs) of Mexico.
Once lauded as a potential top pound-for-pound fighter, Alexander's career floundered when he struggled against better fighters and appeared to lack the necessary ring generalship to truly be one of the best in his division.
That changed Saturday night, as Alexander reminded the boxing world why he garnered so much attention earlier in his career. It was the type of performance we have been waiting to see from him for years.
Alexander, a southpaw, set the tone early, setting things up with a quick and accurate jab, fighting from a safe distance, and then nailing the much slower Soto Karass with solid lefts. Alexander also was highly accurate, connecting on 212 of his 405 power punches (52%).
Soto Karass tried to turn things up in the later rounds and come forward with more pressure, but Alexander seemed quite comfortable standing his ground and trading with Soto Karass. More importantly, Alexander proved to be effective regardless of whether he was fighting toe-to-toe or getting in and out of harm's way.
"Alexander was very fast. He was hard to hit and he has good skills. I was surprised he decided to hang in there with me and exchange,’’ said Soto Karass.
Alexander, in his first fight since losing to Shawn Porter in December, was satisfied afterward.
“Overall I’m happy with my performance,’’ he said. “I’m my own worst critic, I wanted to shut him out. But he was a tough, tough competitor."
By Mike Elliott
Staff Editor for TheDailySportsHerald.com
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