In Glendale, Arizona, Alexander vs Martinez and Selby vs Montiel didn’t mirror what the Tale of the Tape told us. Aron Martinez, generally considered a good journeyman-slugger type, beat top contender and former champ Devon Alexander via Unanimous Decision. At the final bell, official scores came in at 96-94, 97-93 (twice).
Martinez improves to 20 wins, 4 knockouts, 4 defeats, 1 draw, while Alexander now finds himself on the border of fringe-contender territory, falling to 26 wins, 14 knockouts, 4 losses. See Alexander vs Martinez Highlights here.
Credit where credit’s due, Martinez was the better man tonight, and did a great job of forcing Alexander into another scrap – seemingly against his will. Why Alexander, a natural boxer-type, keeps getting into these kinds of dog fights – as he did against Shawn Porter in 2013 – is beyond me. Perhaps, like Timothy Bradley, he just can’t help it? However you look at, telephone-booth style scraps are not Alexander’s forte.
He was outlanded and bossed for the most part, taking the heavier punishment in this 10-rounder. Alexander was effective and sharp in the opening two rounds, but from that point on, began trading at close range. For Martinez, Christmas had come early, and what followed was reminiscent of his recent encounter with Robert Guerrero (which Martinez won via Split Decision).
By the 6th round, Martinez was the boss, simply having to keep on plugging away until the final bell chimed. Alexander left everything in the ring in the 10th, obviously chasing a knockout, but it just wasn’t enough. By this point, Alexander had tired considerably after being physically overwhelmed by Martinez. But Alexander’s bold effort in the 10th should still be applauded, nonetheless.
What happens next for both fighters? For Martinez, his future keeps on getting brighter and brighter. He’s now defeated two decent Welterweights in Guerrero and Alexander, and will surely find himself in another headlining bout in his next outing. And fighting under the PBC banner means he’s in good hands – just don’t expect this warrior to start beating elite talents like Keith Thurman, who also fights under PBC.
As for Alexander, his future is very uncertain. As I mentioned above, he’s getting dangerously close to fringe-contender status. And if he loses another fight, he will no doubt be considered a gatekeeper, just like fellow Welterweight Jesus Soto Karass. Can Alexander’s flaws be fixed by a new trainer not named Kevin Cunningham? It’s hard to say. Perhaps at 28-years-young there’s still enough room for improvement?
Thoughts on this unlikely upset, boxing fans? Spill the beans on Alexander vs Martinez in the comments.
