Devon Alexander

Devon Alexander (born February 10, 1987) is an American professional boxer.

They met during high school in 2003 and began dating after Alexander's father passed away in 2005.

He was a four-time Silver Gloves champion from ages 10–14; three-time PAL national champion; Junior Golden Gloves and Junior Olympics national champion; 2003 United States national champion in the 19-and-under division; and 2004 United States light welterweight national champion.

Alexander made it to the final round of the 2004 Olympic trials, where he battled Rock Allen to a draw and was knocked down once before losing on a tie-breaker.

At age 17, Alexander made his professional debut, defeating Vincent Torres by first round technical knockout in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan.

He went up against former WBO junior welterweight champion DeMarcus Corley on January 19, 2008, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Alexander easily defeated Corley by unanimous decision.

On August 1, 2009, Alexander defeated Junior Witter to claim the vacant WBC light welterweight championship.

Witter gave up on his stool after the eighth round, claiming that he had re-injured his left hand.

Alexander was hurt by a right hand in round 2.

All three judges had Alexander ahead at the time of the stoppage 79-73, 79-73, 80-72.

Alexander was next scheduled to face two-time champion Juan Urango of Colombia in a title unification bout.

He is a former world champion in two weight classes, having held the unified WBC and IBF light welterweight titles in 2010, and the IBF welterweight title from 2012 to 2013.

March 6, 2010 bout was held at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut and was televised on HBO's "Boxing After Dark" telecast.

To train for the fight, Alexander used a Las Vegas house lent by promoter Don King as training base.

Devon Alexander defeated Juan Urango by TKO in round 8.

Alexander threw an uppercut which dropped Urango.

Urango made the count but Alexander resumed his attack and threw a hook to Urango's temple which again dropped him.

Urango stood up but was clearly dazed, resulting in a stoppage by the referee.

Urango, who suffered his first KO defeat, called out Timothy Bradley after the fight, but a fight was never made because Bradley just moved up to welterweight.

In his next fight he faced Andreas Kotelnik, the former WBA Light Welterweight champion, in his hometown of St. Louis Missouri on August 7 in front of members of the St. Louis Rams, Evander Holyfield and Floyd Mayweather.

Alexander won the fight by a controversial unanimous decision with all judges scoring the fight 116-112.

On October 22, 2010, Alexander was stripped of the IBF Junior Welterweight title for not fighting the no. 1 contender, Kaizer Mabuza.

Alexander's next fight, on January 29, 2011, took place against Timothy Bradley, which he lost via 10th round TD after an unintentional head-butt forced a stop to the bout.

On June 25, 2011, Alexander defeated Lucas Matthysse in a controversial split decision.

The judges scored the fight 96-93 and 95-94 for Alexander and 96-93 for Matthysse.

Alexander was prescribed Tramadol after surgery in 2012, and thereafter had to battle opiate addiction, coming clean in 2018.

Alexander grew up in the Hyde Park neighborhood of north St. Louis, Missouri in an area described as rough, gang- and drug-infested.

He would later join the boxing gym that Kevin Cunningham, a former police officer and security officer at Clay Community Center, turned trainer, founded in the basement of an old police station.

Thirty youngsters joined the boxing program of Cunningham, who had hoped to keep them out of trouble, off the streets, and in the ring.

A stablemate of Alexander's, Cory Spinks would later become welterweight champion.

Devon Alexander is married to Cesily Alexander, with whom he has five children.

In 2014, Devon and Cesily Alexander were married.

Their children, listed from oldest to youngest, are Devon Alexander Jr, Cesily Alexander, Sevyn Leigh Alexander, Levon Alexander, and Lesily Alexander.

At 36 years of age, Devon Alexander is set to open a gym in St. Louis called the Devon Alexander Multi Sports Complex, aiming to give back to the community that has supported him.

On November 4th, 2023, he hosted his first amateur boxing show, the Devon Alexander Amateur Boxing Invitational Classic.

Alexander has also signed a contract with Harris Stowe University, located in St. Louis, to host seasonal shows supporting local boxers and keeping youth engaged.

As he enters this new phase of his career, Alexander is committed to giving back and plans to become a promoter for St. Louis-based professional boxers in the coming summer.

This endeavor marks the beginning of his efforts to make a significant impact on his community.

Alexander had an outstanding amateur career, compiling a record of 300-10 under the tutelage of Cunningham.