ALTHOUGH Devon Alexander has been scheduled to fight in Las Vegas before, Saturday’s clash with Amir Khan marks his first appearance in Sin City.
“It feels wonderful, it feels awesome,” he said. “I’ve been looking to fight in Vegas for a long time. I’ve been coming to fights but to see my name in the bright lights and to be in the hotel to see my name and face everywhere is amazing. Who would ever think that a guy from St Louis came to the forefront of the MGM Grand? It’s big, but I’m excited at the same time and I’m going to enjoy winning on Saturday night. It means a lot.”
Khan has a similar attitude and has this week been bombarded by questions about a possible future fight with Floyd Mayweather. Alexander doesn’t mind either being the underdog or overlooked.
Exclusive interview with KHAN in this week’s Boxing News
“I’ve been the underdog [before],” he added, when asked how he felt about being second favourite in the sportsbook. “There’s no pressure at all. I’ve beaten guys I wasn’t supposed to beat so it doesn’t matter. It’s gambling so it’s okay. I’m not a betting man but if I was I would bet on myself.
“I can’t help that some press might ask him about the [Mayweather] situation but he knows that I have just as much as him. He has speed, I have speed. He has power, I’ve got power. He doesn’t have anything I don’t have and I think my resumes outweighs his resum. What can Khan do that I can’t deal with? I’ve got power and we’ve been working on stringing the shots together and hurting him more. I plan to make him feel it this fight. He may be the fastest guy I’ve fought but I’ve fought plenty of fast guys. I’m fast too, but is that all you can say about Amir Khan? I’m fast too so what does he have that no-one talks about.”
Khan has beaten decent left-handers like Zab Judah and Luis Collazo, but Alexander, while not dismissing those triumphs, has not been impressed.
“Collazo’s not that fast in my opinion. He’s got okay speed but that’s not fast. Collazo in my opinion is way past his good years. I just don’t look at that. Take nothing away from Khan, he’s a good fighter, he’s here for a reason. Everyone at this level can fight, it’s about who’s better prepared and has the best game plan. He hasn’t fought a southpaw who has speed and power and can match that with him. What did Zab do? He didn’t do anything. He wasn’t even punching.”
Alexander also has confidence in his ability to take a shot, only power-punching Argentine Lucas Matthysse has dropped him and he is aware of Khan’s susceptibility.
“This is boxing,” he said. “Anything can happen but if you’re not born with a chin it’s kind of hard to get it. It’s kind of hard to take a good punch. If you’re not born with a good chin, every time you take a shot you know you’re going to get it. If I catch Amir Khan with a good shot he’s going out. I’ve just got to follow a game plan and do what my coach tells me to do. It seems Khan can’t fight on the inside; he likes to keep you out. And you see that little flurry, that four-punch combination, that’s what he does. And he moves and punches and moves but once you’re standing there he’s not unbeatable.”
Of course, he is thinking about his own future and big fights, not Khan’s.
“There are a lot of options,” he said, talking assuredly about victory. “I’ve never shied away from any opponents. Floyd [Mayweather] says he’s looking for an opponent, [Manny] Pacquiao, it doesn’t matter. I will fight all the top guys. All of the top guys are on my list. It doesn’t matter who I fight.”
On the same night, across the street at The Cosmopolitan, old rival Timothy Bradley is the headline act and he won’t rule out a rematch of their disappointing first clash.
“It always comes across my mind because he’s one of the guys that beat me and I definitely want to do that,” he said. “If it does come around I know I can beat him pretty easily once I’m focused.”
Exclusive interview with KHAN in this week’s Boxing News
