Amir Khan vs. Devon Alexander: Showtime Boxing Play-by-Play & Live Updates

Undercard Results

Junior middleweight contender Errol Spence Jr. tore apart late-replacement Javier Castro for almost five full rounds before he scored the stoppage. Spence picked his opponent apart in every round and it was somewhat surprising to see Castro last as long as he did. After beating Castro (27-8, 22 KOs) from pillar to post, Robert Byrd finally stepped in and halted the action. The official time of the TKO was 2:43 of the fifth round, allowing the Texan to improve to 15-0 with 12 KOs.

Former champion Victor Ortiz proved he was too much for his welterweight opponent, Manuel Perez, stopping him in the third round. Ortiz took his time in the fight but when he saw the openings, he capitalized and eventually ended the fight with a perfect straight left, which dropped the Denver fighter. Perez (21-11-1, 4 KOs) got back to his feet but Vic Drakulich had seen enough and halted it. The official time of the TKO came just 51 seconds into the third and it allowed Ortiz (30-5-2, 23 KOs) to break a three-year long losing streak.

Beibut Shumenov bounced from his April loss to Bernard Hopkins by slowly taking apart overmatched Robert Thomas and stopping him at the end of the fifth. Shumenov was unspectacular and it seemed like his move up to cruiserweight may have hurt him. But Thomas (14-3-1, 9 KOs), who hails from West Virginia, eventually wilted and was deemed unfit to continue at the conclusion of the fifth. Shumenov, Las Vegas, improved to 15-2 with 9 KOs.

Yoshihiro Kamegai (25-2-1, 22 KOs) dropped San Jose’s Oscar Godoy three times before finally stopping him in the fourth round of their junior middleweight showdown. The Tokyo fighter floored his foe twice in the second and then again in the fourth. Godoy (13-4, 6 KOs) was not able to beat the count and was thus counted out.

Junior middleweight contender Jermell Charlo remained unbeaten with a near-flawless performance against the out-gunned Mario Lozano. Charlo never truly hurt the Chihuahua fighter, but he busted him up with slick counters and annoying jabs. Charlo, who hails from Houston, won every round on all three official scorecards, winning 100-90 across the board to improve to 25-0 with 11 KOs. Lozano dipped to 27-6 with 20 KOs.

Jermall Charlo needed a win on Saturday night to become the number-one contender in the IBF’s junior middleweight division. Luckily for him he was pitted against the grossly overmatched Lenny Bottai, a solid contender from Italy, though he was clearly in way over his head.

Charlo took his time against Bottai early in the contest but once he dug a ferocious left hook to the body midway through the second frame, Bottai buckled. From there, it was just a matter of time before Charlo took him out because Bottai seemingly lost his will to exchange with the Houston fighter.

During an exchange early the following round, Charlo cracked his opponent with a short left hook that landed on the forehead. Bottai crumbled back and then onto his back, where he struggled to climb back up to his feet. Referee Jay Nady eventually reached the count of ten just as Bottai finally stood up, all the while his corner was throwing in the towel. The official time of the knockout came just 38 seconds into the third, allowing Charlo to improve to 20-0 with 16 KOs. Bottai, for his efforts, dropped to 22-3 with 9 KOs.

Abner Mares is now looking to take over the super featherweight division and on Saturday, he took a step in the right direction. Mares, a former three-division world champion, was all over opponent Jose Ramirez, a massively overmatched journeyman from Mazatlan, Mexico from the opening bell. Mares scored three official knockdowns en route to a between-rounds stoppage to improve to 28-1-1 with 15 KOs.

Mares floored Ramirez with a double left hook to the body in the first, but didn’t stop there. He picked his foe apart at will and was awarded a second knockdown in the third when Ramirez sat on and then almost through the ropes after taking a left hook. Ramirez stormed back and tried to brawl with the former Olympian, but his attempts were futile.

Mares closed the show in the fifth round when he leveled Jose with a left hook. Ramirez was able to barely beat the count, but he spit out his mouthpiece to gain some time, which prompted veteran referee Jack Reiss to deduct a point. Mares teed off on Ramirez until the end of the round, where Ramirez stumbled back to his corner.

Between rounds five and six, Ramirez’ corner, which continuously looked inept and took upwards of thirty seconds to get into the ring during almost every break, finally did something right by throwing in the towel.

Mares declared after the match that he plans on dominating both the featherweight and super featherweight divisions and promised that he is back. A rematch with Jhonny Gonzalez is what he seeks and with how easily he dominated Ramirez (24-4-2, 15 KOs) tonight, that could become a reality sooner than later.

Amir Khan vs. Devon Alexander

Round 1

Alexander fires off two quick jabs from the southpaw stance. Khan goes to the body and then to the head, though the left to the dome is glancing. Khan immediately looks much faster than Alexander. Amir goes to the head with a left hook and then follows it up with a right. Khan tags him with a left jab and then when Alexander clinches, the Brit lands two right uppercuts on this inside. Alexander digs a left uppercut to the gut. Khan opens up with a six-punch combo upstairs and Alexander returns the favor with a flurry of his own. The two go toe-to-toe briefly, with Kahn getting the better of the two. 10-9 Khan.

Round 2

Khan storms out of his corner and throws three quick jabs. Amir’s three-punch combo upstairs misses. Alexander tries to come inside but he walks into a short left uppercut. Khan misses with a wild overhand right/left hook. Alexander takes a deep left jab to the body and then a right to the cheek. Hard left jab/straight right by Khan with about 35 seconds left. Hard right hand by Khan again moments later. Khan digs a right to the body of Alexander, who looks at least a step slower than his foe. 10-9 Khan.

Round 3

Khan opens the round with a double jab/right hand/left hook but Alexander takes it well. Alexander fires off a right hook that misses and is grazed by a loopy left hook from Khan. Alexander is still having a difficult time trying to figure out Khan’s rhythm with a minute left. Khan, though not landing a huge amount of shots, is in total control of the action. “King” Khan misses a right cross but makes for it with a short left hook that lands cleanly. The punch shakes Alexander, who has to step back to regroup. Khan pops him with a straight right hand over Alexander’s jab just before the bell. 10-9 Khan.

Round 4

Sweeping left hook by the Englishmen moments into the round. They trade left hands, both of which connect. They jab at each for a minute or so. Alexander clinches, but Khan rakes a series of rights to the ribs. Khan lands a slick three-punch combo to the face with a minute left. Alexander is not letting his hands go much at all; he’s relegated to right jabs. Hard lead right hand lands right on the button for Khan just before the bell. This punch came after a nifty exchange between the two. 10-9 Khan.

Round 5

Khan slips on the way in but makes for it when they clinch. They trade wild shots on the inside but Khan lands a few nasty shots to the body and head before Byrd separates them. Alexander pops off a double jab. Hard left cross by Alexander lands cleanly but Amir takes it well. Khan walks into a lead left hand but returns with a three-punch flurry to the head. Alexander blocks three more shots upstairs and answers with a short right hook. Crisp, short left hook by Khan as Alexander throws a wild combo. Very close round. 10-9 Alexander.

Round 6

They trade meager jabs early in the round. Alexander just misses a counter right hook over Khan’s jab. Amir lands a sweeping left hook over the jab, but Alexander doesn’t flinch. Stiff jab from the Englishman snaps Alexander’s head back. Another. Khan slaps him with a left hand after Alexander misses with a lunging right cross. Amir connects with a solid left hook near the bell. 10-9 Khan.

Round 7

Alexander charges right after Khan to begin the round but nothing he throws lands cleanly. Khan rattles off jabs to the head and body. Alexander answers with a right hand that tags his foe on the head. Beautiful left jab by Khan causes the sweat to fly off Alexander’s head. Khan misses three punches to the head but finally connects with a right hand as he exits the pocket. Left/right by Khan, who follows that up with a counter left hook over the right hand. Khan fires off a perfect left/right, then another and then connects with a hard left hook on the inside. Alexander stiffens for a second, backs up to regroup and then throws a right hand that misses. Nice left jab by Khan near the bell. 10-9 Khan.

Round 8

Alexander lands a nice right jab early in the frame. Khan unfurls a slick four-punch combo, only to be answered with a similar combo from the American. Khan lands a solid right hand. Khan backs away and sets up his jab as Alexander simply walks after him. Amir just misses with a counter left hook but then lands one moments later. “The Great” finally comes through with a lead right hand, but he eats a counter left from Khan for his effort. The Bolton native digs a right uppercut to the gut. Khan lands a few decent punches as Alexander comes in to clinch at the bell. 10-9 Khan.

Round 9

Alexander tries to go with a lead left, but Khan unloads a right/left that is clean. Alexander takes it well, though, and dishes out a left hook that misses. Khan throws a five-punch combo that is completely blocked. The crowd is growing restless for the lack of action. Khan backs away with his jab, looking to set a trap. Alexander follows him but is not letting his hands go. Some boo birds emerge with about 15 seconds left. 10-9 Khan.

Round 10

Khan begins the round with a double jab and then a left hook. Alexander follows him but doesn’t throw any punches. Finally, the St. Louis fighter lands a loopy right hand but Khan is undeterred. Khan comes back with a right/left, only to be answered by a right by Devon. Khan again backs away and more angst arises from the crowd. Khan wakes up the crowd with a four-punch combo the face as Alexander backs up. Hard overhand right by Khan as Alexander comes in. The attendance is announced officially as 7,768; 7,134 of which are listless and sighing from the lack of action. 10-9 Khan.

Round 11

Entering the championship rounds, Alexander is likely way behind on the cards and needs a miracle. Khan simply tags him with the jab and then the right hand. No urgency at all in Alexander’s steps as he trudges forward, looking for one shot. Khan jabs and moves to his left over and over. Alexander comes inside but Amir rakes him with a left/right to the head. Alexander paws with the right hook and misses by a foot. With a minute left in the round, the crowd is almost mute. Khan, way ahead on the cards, appears to be taking no chances and is in coast mode. Alexander paws out three right jabs, all of which miss. Finally, Alexander lands a nice left hand but Khan is unfazed. Due to the lack of action, it’s a very close round. 10-9 Alexander.

Round 12

There doesn’t seem to be any sense of desperation in Alexander’s corner between rounds even though he likely needs a knockout to win. Alexander connects with a stiff right jab once the action begins. Alexander is no coming forward with authority, landing two jabs and a left hand. Khan throws a double jab and then a straight right, all of which connect. Jab-jab-jab by Khan as he backs away to his left. Khan is throwing nothing but quick jabs to keep the American at bay. Alexander can’t seem to get past the jab and has lost his sense of urgency with a minute left. Hard right hook by Alexander with 50 seconds remaining. Khan comes back with a right of his own. More boos from the restless crowd. Alexander connects with a decent lead left late. Khan backs away with both of his hands raised as time expires. 10-9 Khan (118-110 Khan).

The Official Result

Amir Khan def. Devon Alexander via Decision (Unanimous) [Glenn Feldman: 119-109, John McKaie: 118-110, Jerry Roth: 120-108] 3:00 R12