Devon Alexander vs. Marcos Maidana

Stats
Devon Alexander
Age: 25
Hometown: Saint Louis, Missouri
Nickname: Alexander the Great
Height: 5'8"
Reach: 70"
Stance: Southpaw
Record: 22-1 (13 knockouts)
Ranking: unranked
Titles Held: WBC Light Welterweight (2009-2011); IBF Light Welterweight (2010-2011)


Marcos Maidana
Age: 29
Hometown: Margarita, Santa Fe, Argentina
Nickname: El Chino
Height: 5'9"
Reach: 70"
Stance: Orthodox
Record: 31-2 (28 knockouts)
Ranking: unranked
Titles Held: WBA Light Welterweight (2011-current)
*All stats are provided by BoxRec

(In order, left-to-right) Broner, Alexander, Maidana, and Perez
pose before their respective fights.

It's been a while, but HBO is finally back with a double-header featuring two young boxers whoa re hoping to make a splash in the boxing game. The co-main event of the evening pits the young, cocky, and talented Adrien Broner against the crafty and always game, Eloy Perez. Although many feel that this should be the night's main event, it was instead given to Devon Alexander and Marcos Maidana. With both Alexander and Maidana remaining respectful to one another throughout preparations for the fight, many feel the tension between the Broner and Perez camps warrants the extra promotional push. Don't be fooled though. Just because tonight's main-event fighters have remained light on the pre-fight hype, doesn't mean their fight will be light on the action. With Maidana's mix of sheer agression and experience, and Alexander's use of speed and combos, many feel this match-up is an early candidate for fight of the year.

Alexander is hoping to silence his critics
with a victory of Maidana.

Just a couple of years ago, many thought Devon Alexander was going to an absolute force in the junior welterweight division. At the time his biggest statement was his stoppage victory against the granite-chinned, Juan Urango (22-3-1). His hype quickly began to fade however, as soon as Andriy Kotelnyk (31-3-1) made him look very "human". Luckily for Alexander, he earned the controversial decision, and put himself in position for a fight against junior welterweight kingpin, Timothy Bradley (26-0). As competitive as this match-up was hyped up to be, it was quickly obvious just how blatant the skill difference was as soon as the fight started. Alexander was being thoroughly out-boxed by Bradley, but was the victim of an inadvertent head-butt. This forced a stop to the fight, but the gap in skill between the two fighters had shown in the judges score card. Instead of focusing on his debilitating loss, Alexander went on to fight the always tough, Lucas Matthysse (28-1). Although Alexander certainly had a better showing in this fight than in his bout with Bradley, but once again it came with controversy. Against Matthysse, many people felt that Alexander was soundly beaten due to Matthysse superior movement and aggression. Once again, Alexander found himself the winner after earning a controversial decision. This led many people to cry foul, and believe that Alexander was earning "home-cooked" decisions in his hometown. Coming into this weekends fight with Alexander, Alexander is not only walking in heavier (now a welterweight), but with a heavy chip on his soldier. He'll be looking to prove that those wins weren't a fluke, and silence his critics. The only he can do this, is by decisively beating or stopping Maidana. It is no secret that Maidana's biggest asset is his devastating punching power. To avoid getting caught, Alexander is gonna have to constantly stay off the ropes, while mixing it up against the Argentinian brawler. His best bet would be to take a page out of Amir Khan's book from his fight with Maidana. This involves intelligently moving in and out of Maidana's punching range, while mixing it up with alternating shots to the head and body. This chopping attack will exhaust Maidana, and even began to sap the energy of his punches. If he boxes smart, Alexander could win this by mid-to-late round stoppage and start making waves in the welterweight division.

Maidana (right) pounces on a hurt Amir Khan (left)
before losing a unanimous decision.

Marcos Maidana has been described as one-dimensional, reckless, and just shy of greatness, but you will never hear anyone say that he is boring. Anytime that Maidana fights, people acknowledge the chance that he might put on another Fight of the Year performance. For proof of this, one has to looks no farther than his barn burner of a fight against Victor Ortiz (24-1-1). Since then, Maidana has taken on a role of a gate keeper with promoters. They use him as a kind of measuring stick, to test just how deep their fighter is able to dig in order to beat the relentless Maidana. One such example of this occurring, was in his match-up with Amir Khan (23-2-0). Khan and his promoters were hoping to make a statement that he didn't have a "glass jaw" with a victory over the powerful puncher. Sure enough, Khan was able to earn the decision after out-boxing the Argentinian, but this didn't come easily. In the tenth, Khan was nailed with a vicious Maidana hook which had him badly wobbled. This shows just how great a threat Maidana is regardless of how early or late it is in the fight. Since the loss, Maidana has earned wins in an exciting match against Erik Morales (51-6), and a dominant win in a tune-up against Petr Petrov (29-2-2). Coming into his fight with Alexander, there is no denying that Maidana has the experience as far as handling the extra weight in the welterweight division. He has also shown that his power can carry on through to a higher weight-division, which has yet to be seen with Alexander. As predictable as it may be, Maidana can win this fight only if he turns it into the type of brawl he loves most. He will have to assault Alexander both early and often, and try to push him against the ropes as many times as possible. As soon as Maidana gets Alexander on the ropes, he must unleash his trademark power punches in hopes to finish the young Alexander. Maidana must finish Alexander in order to avoid the "home cooking" decisions that both Kotelnyk and Matthysse had fallen victims to. If he can pushing the pace, and applying his pressure, expect Maidana to finish Alexander and hand him the second loss of his young career.

Prediction
At the start of the first round, both fighters will come out tentative as they try to gain a feel for each other's reach and speed. Alexander will start showing his superior speed by landing crisp jabs to Maidana's head and body. Maidana will answer back, but will only be landing two or three reaching hooks. In the second and third rounds that follow, Alexander will feel as if he finally timed the Argentinian. He will circle Maidana, cleverly mixing it up, until Maidana gives Alexander his first taste of just the kind of power that he possesses. Alexander will have been wobbled for a second, as Maidana pounces on his injured foe. Before he can finish the job, the bell will ring, allowing Alexander to recover. In the mid-rounds, Alexander will be much more tentative, hoping to avoid another chin-check by Maidana. Maidana will have finally set his pace, and will begin stalking Alexander. As he Argentinian begins throwing power shots, Alexander will again try to avoid getting caught on the ropes. Maidana will continue stalking Alexander, throwing punches punches to both the head and body. At this point, the fight will be relatively close on the score cards on account that both are effectively boxing. As the fight approaches the later rounds, Alexander will come out knowing that the fight is close. He will continue his game plan of effective movement while mixing it up, all while avoiding the stalking Argentinian. Alexander will eventually land a crisp shot to the body of Maidana, and after noticing the effect, Alexander will turn up the pace in hopes for a stoppage. As he comes in, Maidana will once again catch the young American coming in and once again test his chin. Before anything can happen however, the bell once again rings. In the championship rounds, both fighters will be having to dig deep. Alexander will continue his usual strategy, as Maidana tries to control the final rounds. Maidana will try to trap Alexander against the corners of the ring, while throwing a barrage of heavy-handed punches. Alexander will avoid getting trapped for the most part, but he will certainly face a scare at the end of the eleventh. In the final round both fighters will come out knowing that the fight is close. At the start, Alexander will be in control and he begins applying pressure on Maidana. As the round reaches it's final minute, Maidana will come in throwing wild punches in hopes to secure the final round, and the fight in his favor. The end will finally come, and as expected it will be another close decision. Expect Alexander to win a split-decision based on effective footwork and crisp technique, while just adding duel to the idea that he is indeed the recipient of biased hometown judging.

Alexander (left) and Maidana (right) weigh-in before their
Saturday night clash.

Pick: Devon Alexander def. Marcos Maidana by controversial Split Decision (SD)

Quick Picks
Adrien Broner vs. Eloy Perez

The always cocky, Adrien Broner, is
hoping to climb the ranks with a
win over Eloy Perez.

There is absolutely no doubt that this could be the fight of the night. Between the constant trash-talking by Broner, and the fact that the two teams camps have almost come to a complete brawl at multiple points, further adds to the idea that this match-up won't disappoint. Both fighters are top ten junior lightweights, with the opportunity to further increase their notoriety in the boxing world with a good performance on Saturday night. As far as exposure goes, there is no denying that Adrien Broner is the one with the more recognizable name. With his cocky attitude, and Mayweather-esque pre-and-post fight rituals, he is on his way make himself a super star. This fight certainly won't be easy for either fighter as they both hold the skills necessary to stop the other, but Broner seems to be the safer pick on account of his punching power and overall skill set. Look for him to earn an exciting unanimous decision win against Perez.

Pick: Adrien Broner def. Eloy Perez by Unanimous Decision (UD)