Juan Urango (left) and Devon Alexander will square off Saturday night at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conecticut.
The roadwork, the sparring and the gym sessions are now over with. All that remains is the fight.
One of St. Louis' favorite sons, unbeaten WBC super lightweight beltholder Devon Alexander "The Great" 19-0 (12) KO from St. Louis, Missouri arrived Monday at the Mohegan Sun.
After a Las Vegas-based training camp that lasted eight weeks, Alexander, 23, is now undergoing the final preparations for his world championship unification match on Saturday night at this sprawling casino.
In an attempt to unify the championship and win his second world title, Alexander will face off against IBF junior welterweight titlist Juan "Iron Twin" Urango, 22-2-1, (17) KO from Monteria, Colombia now fighting out of Cooper City, Florida.
"The boxing world knows Juan Urango as a slugger, a brawler and I've looked at plenty of his tapes. I know what he's coming in the ring to do," says the soft-spoken Alexander.
Both fighters are left-handed and while that causes problems for some, Alexander claims it will be no problem for him as he makes his second appearance in a Conneticut ring as a prizefighter.
"Him being a southpaw is not an issue," claims Alexander. "I've been sparring with Cory Spinks [son of Leon and a two-time world champion] since I was 14-years-old. Cory is one of the slickest southpaws in the world, so Urango being a southpaw is not going to be a problem."
Under the watchful eye of trainer Kevin Cunningham, Alexander has developed from a boy, to a man, to a world-class boxer.
Many observers feel one of the factors that could present a problem for Alexander is the fact that Urango is one of the largest, strongest and hardest punching fighters in the world at 140-pounds. Urango has the physique of a man twenty-five pounds heavier and has the appearance of a bodybuilder.
"As far as the power, I've been in fights with guys way bigger than me, way stronger than me my whole career, so that's not a factor. What's going to kill Urango is my speed and my energy level. There's nothing he's going to do that's going to stop me from going out there and unfying my belt."
Alexander is trained by former police officer Kevin Cunningham, who recruited Alexander into boxing when he was on security detail in the early 90s at the North St. Louis elementary school Alexander attended. The duo have been together since Alexander was 7-years-old and as a result, Alexander claims he is well-prepared for any opponent and any eventuality in the ring.
"No pressure on me, because I saw Cory become an undisputed champion," says Alexander. "I've been bred to be in the spotlight. I've been bred to be one of the best fighters in the world, so no pressure at all."
March 2010
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