Don King Announces Huge St. Louis Multi-Title Fight Card

Promoter Don King will bring Devon Alexander “The Great” (21-1, 13 KOs) back to the St. Louis area on June 25 to face a significant test in his hometown from noted Argentine knockout artist and WBO No.-3 ranked contender Lucas Matthysse (28-1, 26 KOs) at The Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo.

King will support the Alexander-Matthysse main event with a history-making fight card that will mark the first time four world championships have been presented in Missouri during a single event.

Undefeated IBF light heavyweight champion Tavoris “Thunder” Cloud (21-0, 18 KOs), from Tallahassee, Fla., will defend his title against IBF No. 1-ranked mandatory challenger Yusaf “Mack Attack” Mack (29-3-2, 26 KOs), from Philadelphia; rising heavyweight Bermane “B-Ware” Stiverne (20-1-1, 19 KOs), from Haiti, will square off in a WBC heavyweight elimination bout opposing Ray “The Rainman” Austin (28-5-4, 18 KOs), from Cleveland; WBA cruiserweight champion Guillermo “El Felino” Jones (37-3-2, 29 KOs), from Colon, Panama, will meet undefeated WBC USNBC champion Ryan “The Irish Outlaw” Coyne (16-0, 6 KOs), from St. Louis; and IBF junior middleweight champion Cornelius “K9” Bundrage (30-4, 18 KOs), from Detroit, will defend his title against IBF No. 1-ranked mandatory challenger Sechew Powell, from Brooklyn, N.Y.

Alexander, 24, skyrocketed to become the World Boxing Council super lightweight champion at age 22. The talented southpaw became a unified world champion last year after defeating then-International Boxing Federation 140-pound champion Juan “Iron Twins” Urango.

Alexander’s career undefeated streak was snapped on Jan. 29 by World Boxing Organization junior welterweight champion Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Mich. After suffering numerous head butts throughout the contest, referee Frank Garza halted the match in round 10 after consulting with the ringside physician. The judges favored Bradley 96-95, 97-93 and 98-93.

Rather than opting to face a lesser opponent, Alexander has chosen a dangerous puncher in Matthysse, 28, from Chubut, Agrentina. Matthysse has a career knockout percentage over 92 percent with 26 of 28 victories coming by knockout.

In his most notable bout, Matthysse came within a whisker of knocking out five-time world champion Zab “Super” Judah in the 10th round on Nov. 6 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Matthysse tagged Judah with a brutal right hand in the 10th round that sent Judah to the mat. Later in the round, Matthysse landed a sweeping left hook that staggered Judah again. Judah managed to escape the round and finish the fight—winning by the slimmest margin possible. One judge favored Matthysse 114-113, but the remaining two scorers favored Judah by a point, 114-113.

Matthysee and Alexander have a common opponent in former world champion DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley. Matthyssee knocked Corley down nine times en route to an eighth-round win by technical knockout on June 21 in Argentina. Alexander won a unanimous decision over Corley in 2008 at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

The winner of this match will become the top contender at the 140-pound weight limit.

Tavoris Cloud returns to the Gateway City after successfully defending his IBF light heavyweight crown in a slugfest against former world champion Glen Johnson on Aug. 7 at Scottrade Center. Cloud won a unanimous decision by the identical scores of 116-112.

Cloud possesses an 81-percent knockout ratio, even though his last three fights were won by unanimous decisions. Possessing an aggressive style and a plethora of power in both hands, Cloud is a throwback fighter that likes to overwhelm his opponents with brute force.

His tenacity and vaunted power have caused other world champions to avoid facing him. Yusaf Mack does not have that luxury as he has been named by the IBF as the mandatory challenger to Cloud.

Mack is a 31-year-old veteran from Philadelphia. He remained unbeaten in his first 24 matches, fighting between middleweight and super middleweight. Mack settled in at the 175-pound light heavyweight limit beginning in 2008, and he promptly reeled off five straight victories.

He fought well in a pivotal fight with respected former light heavyweight world champion Glen Johnson in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., on Feb. 5, 2010, before being stopped by technical knockout in the sixth round.

In his last appearance, Mack defeated Otis Griffin on March 4 in Los Angeles. This was an IBF elimination bout, which put Mack in line to next face Cloud. He is also the reigning USBA light heavyweight champion; former NABA and NABF light heavyweight champion; and former USBA super middleweight champion.

Emerging heavyweight Bermane Stiverne and title-tested veteran Ray Austin will meet in an important WBC elimination bout with ramifications at the top of the sport.

Stiverne has a staggering 86-percent knockout ratio with an equally stunning 14 first-round knockouts. Only two of his fights have gone the distance. Most of his victims have fallen prey to his powerful right hand.

Austin has hovered at the top of the heavyweight division for the last five years, having faced Wladimir Klitschko, Andrew Golota, Sultan Ibragimov, Odlanier Solis and DaVarryl Williamson, among others.

This will clearly be the toughest opponent yet for Stiverne. A win here would set up bigger fights in the future. Austin will be trying to prove that he is still a force in the heavyweight division.

WBA cruiserweight champion Guillermo Jones will receive a test from undefeated hometown fighter Ryan Coyne who holds the WBC USNBC national cruiserweight championship.

Jones began his career at 147 pounds but it took him adding and astonishing 53 pounds and fighting at the 200-pound limit before he won his first world championship, a 10th-round technical knockout over Firat Arslan in 2008. Jones is a gifted athlete and true fighter who has an uncanny ability to find a way to win in almost every circumstance.

The Panamanian lost a disputed split decision in 2005 to future world champion Steve “USS” Cunningham, but he rebounded to defeat former world champions Kelvin “Concrete” Davis and Wayne “Big Truck” Braithwaite.

In his last appearance, Jones scored an 11th-round technical knockout over respected former interim WBA cruiserweight world champion Valery Brudov when the two met on Oct. 2 in Panama City, Panama.

Coyne graduated from St. Charles High School where he was named “St. Charles County Football Player of the Year” in 2001. He played collegiate football at University of Missouri from 2001 to 2002. Injuries shortened his football career, and he returned to St. Charles to pursue a boxing career while earning a bachelor’s degree from Lindenwood University in 2005.

He has made steady progress in his boxing career, maintaining an unblemished record since turning professional in 2006. He won the WBC-USNBC national title last summer at Scottrade Center in St. Louis by knocking out Warren Browning in the ninth round.

Coyne also is known for having fought into the semi-finals during the fourth season of The Contender, televised on Versus, before suffering an accidental headbutt that forced him to leave the competition.

Coyne trains out of the Sweat Pound 4 Pound Gym in Clayton, Mo., under the tutelage of trainer Jose Ponce. The addition of strength and conditioning expert Matt Brown has helped “The Irish Outlaw” to increase his power.

IBF junior middleweight champion Cornelius “K9” Bundrage has an old score to settle with Sechew Powell. After a stunning fifth-round technical knockout over Cory Spinks in St. Louis on Aug. 7 to win his first world title, the Emanuel Steward-trained Bundrage immediately looked to avenge his first loss as a professional, which came at the hands of Powell in 2005.

Powell is a southpaw who won his first 20 fights before running into Kassim Ouma at New York’s Madison Square Garden in 2006, where he lost by decision. His only other loss came against Deandre Latimore in 2008, a defeat he avenged in his last appearance on March 3, 2010, winning a majority decision over St. Louis’s Latimore in an IBF elimination bout that earned Powell the right to face Bundrage, the newly crowned champion.

Bundrage was also a fast starter, having won his first 21 fights before running into Powell. He later did what Powell was unable to do, winning a unanimous decision over Ouma when he faced the Ugandan in 2008.

Bundrage went on to face future world champion Yuri Foreman in 2009. The bout was ruled no contest after an accidental clash of heads in the third round left Foreman unable to continue. Bundrage immediately went on to take the title from Spinks in his next match.

Tickets priced at $25, $50, $125 and $300 will go on sale on Friday (May 20) at 10 a.m. and can be purchased at the Family Arena Box Office, all MetroTix outlets including online at metrotix.com or charge by phone at (314) 534-1111. All tickets include parking. The event is being promoted by Don King Productions. Alexander vs. Matthysse, presented in association with Golden Boy Promotions; Cloud vs. Mack, presented in association with Bash Boxing/Lights Out Promotions; and Stiverne vs. Austin will be televised on HBO beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT (8:45 p.m. CT).