On Saturday night, Devon Alexander and Lucas Matthysse stepped into the ring at the crossroads, but by the end of their 10-round clash, they both put themselves in place for another big fight down the line. While each can take pride in their incredible battle, only one came out the victor. When the scorecards were read, the opinions were split, but in the end, it was the hometown favorite Devon Alexander who walked away with the victory. FightHype, however, scored the bout 96-93 in favor of Matthysse.
Matthysse pressed the action early, and even dropped Alexander in the 3rd round. Although he was landing the harder shots throughout the fight, it was Alexander's speed that seemed to make the difference. For Alexander, he momentarily quiets the critics who slammed him for his poor performance in a controversial win against Andriy Kotelnik last August and a loss to Timothy Bradley last January. With the win, he finds himself in line for another big fight by years end in a crowded Junior Welterweight class.
As for Matthysse, he can still find himself a big fight with any of the other big names at Junior Welterweight, although he would probably prefer a rematch with Alexander. Last November, Matthysse also dropped a split decision to current IBF champion Zab Judah in Judah's hometown. At the time, it was another decision that many deemed controversial. History appears to have repeated itself, this time in Alexander's backyard.
Also on the card, IBF light heavyweight champion Tavoris Cloud successfully defended his title against a game Yusaf Mack, who appeared to be doing a good job of outboxing Cloud before he ran out of steam and got caught with a flush left hook followed by a devastating combination in the 8th round. In another title fight, IBF jr. middleweight champion Cornelius "K9" Bundrage successfully defended his title against Sechew Powell, edging him out on the scorecards.