Boxing News Boxing News
Two world champions from one of the most active and exciting weight divisions in boxing will meet in a unification bout on March 6 when undefeated World Boxing Council super lightweight champion Devon Alexander “The Great” faces International Boxing Federation junior welterweight champion Juan Urango at Mohegan Sun Arena. (HBO 9:30 p.m. ET/PT)
Alexander (19-0, 12 KOs), from St. Louis, won the vacant WBC 140-pound championship by stopping a former holder of that crown, Junior “The Hitter” Witter, when they met on Aug. 1 in Southern California.
Always a hot prospect, the 22-year-old Alexander successfully emerged from the shadow of fighting his entire career out of the Cory Spinks camp by displaying elusive defensive skills—no doubt picked up from his mentor—while unloading enough firepower to cause a tough Brit to quit on his stool.
Urango (22-2-1, 17 KOs), a Colombian native now fighting out of Cooper City, Fla., also won his first world championship in his last fight by rising from the canvas to stop noted knockout artist Randall Bailey on Aug. 28 in South Florida.
Bailey, long known for having one of the best right hands in the sport, sent Urango to the mat in the sixth round. The Colombian showed great fortitude to survive the round, then rallied to floor Bailey three times, leading Bailey’s corner to throw in the towel in the 11th round.
Alexander has been building his unblemished record since high school. He served notice that he would soon be a force to be reckoned when he won a unanimous decision over former world champion DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Jan. 19, 2008.
The 29-year-old Urango’s two losses came against fighters at the top of the sport: Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton in 2007 and Andre Berto—in Urango’s lone foray up to the 147-pound limit—on May 30, 2009.
The event is being promoted by Don King Productions. Doors will open at 5 p.m. to accommodate a full undercard, to be announced soon.
Tickets priced at $175, $95, $50 and $35 go on sale Friday, Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. at the Mohegan Sun Box Office and through Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster customers may log on to ticketmaster.com; call Ticketmaster’s national toll free Charge By Phone number (800) 745-3000; or visit any Ticketmaster outlet.
