Alexander vs. Matthysse Fight for Recognition
By Dave Patek, SEF President
In what was a very entertaining card Saturday night, Devon Alexander pulled out a victory over Lucas Matthysse…even though most in the boxing industry staunchly disagree with the outcome.
After the scorecard totals were
announced, many on press row were shaking their heads – or trying to avoid making eye contact with the Matthysse camp who was glaring at us for justification. I reserved final judgment (as usual) until I had the chance to watch the replay on HBO the following day, and my adrenaline buzz had subsided. My initial impression was that Devon had managed to salvage his reputation with a gutsy…and frankly ballsy performance. The replay pretty much confirmed what I had suspected of my assessment the night before…
It was an entertaining fight that Devon seemed to dominate early until being floored in the fourth round. He was forced to engage with a very aggressive and powerful fighter, who knew that he would have to stop Devon in order to walk away with a close decision. There were a few swing rounds (which, as a homer – I gave to Devon)…and that’s why my scorecard looked different than many of the other press folks that were there. My press row scorecard had Devon winning by a round…, round 10, but my post-fight HBO card was different.
Here’s my breakdown:
Round 1 – Devon (10-9)
Round 2 – Devon (10-9)
Round 3 – Devon (10-9)
Round 4 –Lucas (10-
(knockdown)
Round 5 – Devon (10-9)
Round 6 – Lucas (10-9)
Round 7 – Lucas (10-9)
Round 8 – Lucas (10-9)
Round 9 – Devon (10-9)
Round 10 – Lucas (10-9)
Alexander – 94
Matthysse - 95
While coming to grips with this revelation, I searched around the MANY online boxing forums, and found that there is a sharp outrage at the decision. Forum junkies across the globe are angrily posting replies to threads titled “Did Mattyhsse get robbed?” or “Alexander is Overrated”. Here are some examples from the past 48 hours:
“I know it's completely unrealistic. But if fans boycotted beneficiaries of robberies, it would take away the incentive to pay off judges. It's impossible but it would be great if boxing fans had the integrity to do that.”
“It was a fairly close fight, I think, mainly because of how busy Alexander was but if you compare the number of hurtful punches, add in the knockdown, the aggression and everything else, and it's hard to have Matthysse losing. His defense and technique was better than Alexander's, so it's not like he was being outboxed…”
“Terrible decision. In a 10 round fight with someone as busy as Alexander, the scorecards won't be totally one sided but Matthysse was the clear and deserving winner.”
“It is annoying because Alexander, a guy who is clearly undeserving of big fights, will get even more chances whilst Matthysse will probably be lucky to get on HBO again in his next bout, considering how packed 140 is. It's bullshit that Alexander will continue to make big money whilst Matthysse will be 'the opponent' yet again.”
“felt this fight was a very close one and could have even been a draw. I don’t accept the 96-93 for either fighter, but had Alexander 95-94 winning the last two rounds. I think many had the Judah fight in mind influencing this fight the way they view it. I felt Alexander did enough to win by one round or even a draw. Even when he was hurt I felt he stay in action and even got some good shots. He was involve in the whole fight except for that one round. I don’t think a robbery the way some are making it to be like it is. If it was 7-3 then yes, but I felt there was a lot of close rounds except for two rounds that were clearly Matthysse.”
“I had it a draw really, Devon won the first 3rds with the busy jab, Lucas won a two point round in rd 4, Devon came right back & won rd 5, I gave 6 to Lucas, 7 to Lucas, 8 to Lucas, 9 Devon & 10, Lucas, that gives Lucas a one point win on my cards, yea Lucas landed the harder shots late but he didn't dominate the fight by any stretch, it was a close fight I would have understood a draw but could see how the last judge could have gave Devon 6 rds, some middle rounds were close but damn neither fighter won decisive so shit happens, quit crying robbery all the damn time...”
“Alexander lost clearly. His redemption night raised far more questions about his future. I thought he was very poor.”
Granted, these are only a snapshot of what I found out there…but the majority of posters seem to think that Devon not only lost – but failed to redeem himself for his performances against Kotelnik and Bradley. Many believe that Don King greased the palms of ringside (and possibly) in-ring officials. Regardless of the chatter that’s out there, Devon is not gaining fans among the world’s boxing aficionados. Even the ringside locals seemed to be critical of everything from Devon’s defense, his inadequate jab…and his trainer (Kevin Cunningham). For a guy who was declared the winner, he was certainly being treated as if he was the clear loser.
Personally, I was thrilled to see Devon engage with the heavy handed
Matthysse. He was able to counter Lucas’s missed haymakers, and land combinations – something he failed to do against Tim Bradley. He was knocked down, but fought like a warrior after immediately getting to his feet. He did not run in mid rounds as I expected him to do. It was a very good performance against a fighter that is not as limited as I had thought he was. Matthysse is most certainly a guy who is going to be a force in an already talent-heavy division.
I’ll leave you with this - Devon Alexander IS the real deal. He is human, however…and as much as the St. Louis public loves him and wants him to be the best in the world – he has some limitations and obstacles he needs to overcome in order to win back the favor of enthusiasts outside of Arch City. My main concern for Devon is that he might not carry the ‘killer’ instinct that many of the great fighters have. He is such a nice kid that it’s hard for me to imagine him striking fear in anyone. He does have power, but it’s not the kind of power that makes other fighters run. He is fast, but he seems to pull a lot of his punches rather than commit to them. He is susceptible to right hands…and gets hit with them more than anything else.
What Devon does have is heart and a willingness to learn from his mistakes. He has a terrific skill set for a young boxer, and knows how to win. Devon did look better in this fight than in his previous two. He has a good corner that cares deeply about his success and safety. He has many adoring fans locally that will always be there…and a few of us in the media that will always give him positive encouragement.