American Devon Alexander retained his WBC and IBF junior welterweight titles with a unanimous 12-round decision over Andriy Kotelnik of the Ukraine on Saturday.
The 23-year-old Alexander (21-0) won 116-112 on all three cards.
He scored enough points early to withstand a late charge from 31-year-old Kotelnik (31-4-1), a former WBA super lightweight champion.
Alexander suffered a deep cut over his right eye in the 10th round but was able to keep away from Kotelnik long enough to record the decision. He hopes to face fellow title-holder Timothy Bradley (26-0) in a battle of unbeaten 140-pound (63.5kg) fighters in January.
“I thought I did enough to win,” Alexander said. “It was an OK performance. He was tough as nails, give him credit.”
Alexander, a southpaw, used a stick-and-jab method to rack up points early in the fight. He was the more active fighter and held a 1,113-763 advantage in punches thrown during the 12-round affair.
“I trained for 12 rounds and got the victory,” Alexander said. “That is what I came here to do.”
Kotelnik, 31, opened a cut above Alexander’s right eye in the fifth round. The cut opened further in the 10th, forcing Alexander to hang on down the stretch while cramping up in the final round.
“It was my first cut, but I fought through it like a world champion,” Alexander said.
Kotelnik, a silver medalist at the 2000 Olympics, won three of the last four rounds on one judge’s card and two of the last four on the other two. However, it wasn’t enough to overcome Alexander’s strong start.
Kotelnik felt the judges were influenced by the pro-Alexander crowd of 9,117.
“I want the belt, I deserve it,” Kotelnik said through an interpreter. “If the fight happened anywhere but here, I would be the champion. I have no words to describe what happened. That guy has something that belongs to me.”
Alexander, an amateur Golden Gloves standout, jumped into the limelight with an eighth-round knockout of Juan Urango in March and solidified his reputation as an up-and-coming fighter with the gutsy win on Saturday.
Earlier, IBF light heavyweight champion Tavoris Cloud of the US successfully defended his crown with a hard-earned unanimous decision over Jamaican veteran Glen Johnson.
Cloud (21-0), 28, used his strength to wear down the 41-year-old Johnson (50-14-2). All three judges scored the fight 116-112.
In a preliminary bout, Cornelius Bundrage recorded a technical knockout of IBF junior middleweight champion Cory Spinks 1:28 into the fourth round. Bundrage (30-4), the mandatory challenger, knocked Spinks into the ropes and referee Mark Nelson stopped the fight before completing the count. Bundrage has 18 knockouts. Spinks is 37-6.
Floyd Mayweather Jr, Evander Holyfield and St Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson were in attendance.
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