Devon Alexander – Andriy Kotelnik Preview
On Saturday night, HBO’s Boxing After Dark will present a double-headed bill worthy of attention. In the main event, Devon Alexander will take on Andriy Kotelnik for a junior welterweight title. It looks to shape up as prime example of young talent challenging tested experience in the ring. The clear favourite is Devon Alexander, and not just because he’ll be a hometown hero.
Alexander (20-0, 13 Kos) will nevertheless have his hands full with the 32-year-old Ukrainian Andriy Kotelnik (31-3-1, 13 Kos). As the current WBC and IBF title holder, he’s been able to win the crown of St. Louis’s most exciting prospect (previously reserved for Cory Spinks), but he’s yet to find the kind of competition that will make people remember him. At the same time, his style is tenfold more exciting that Spinks’s ever was, and even though it’s Spinks we’re talking about, that makes Alexander a very marketable future asset for boxing.
As it stands “Alexander the Great” is one of the top young prospects in the sport. But he’s not just a pretty face; the skills are there. He’s speedy, and proved he has power by knocking out Juan Urango earlier this year, despite not having the killer knock-out record other up-and-comers sometimes boast. He has looked better as time has come on, and he and trainer Kevin Cunningham appear incredibly focused on making sure he keeps his eyes on the prize.
His opponent, Kotelnik, is a one-time welterweight champion who can’t be overlooked. With a guy like Kotelnik, the “emergent property” theory truly comes to the front. While he lacks any specific or particular killer skill, the whole is much greater than the parts. If something is to be picked, it’s his defence, which is weathered but still in good form. The last time he fought in 2009, he was wiped out by Amir Khan, so it’s been over a year and it’s therefore not going to be easy winning anything back.
Most of the boxing realist camp would have to admit that Kotelnik seems to have little to no chance here, but it wouldn’t be the first time that such a fact has no real meaning. Besides, he’s definitely no pushover, and has shown that he has a strong chin and can go the distance with fighters with more knock-out power than Alexander (Marcos Maidana, for example). That said, comparing relevant skills on paper, the smart bet would be on Alexander taking it in a lob-sided decision.
If promotion and everything else involved in a boxing match were truly aligned, we’d be seeing Alexander – Tim Bradley instead of Kotelnik, but here’s to hoping that will come in due time. Bradley recently toppled Luis Abregu, and is preparing for Marcos Maidana. Both are decent sluggers, but they’re out of Alexander’s league. So: by January, hopefully we’ll see Alexander and Bradley clash. With the way they already both fight and talk supremely, it could forge a lasting rivalry finally worthy of the legendary welterweight division.
Tags: