Sources close to the situation have informed FightHype that the winner of the February 25th welterweight clash between Devon Alexander and Marcos Maidana will likely face Victor Ortiz in June. The news comes just one day after Andre Berto suffered a ruptured left bicep, requiring surgery to repair and canceling his fight with Ortiz on February 11th.
Maidana burst onto the scene in 2009 when he stopped the then rising star Ortiz on HBO, knocking him down twice and forcing him to quit in the 6th round. That loss for Ortiz derailed his future temporarily, as he had to rebuild his image culminating in his Fight of the Year victory over Berto in their first bout last April. Maidana has since gone 5-1, with the only loss being a close unanimous decision to Amir Khan after having Khan seemingly out on his feet in round 10.
Alexander was once viewed by most as one of boxing's rising stars also, but a loss and two close decision victories in his last three fights have some wondering if he will ever reach his full potential. After knocking out Juan Urango in March of 2010, Floyd Mayweather called Alexander and said he would pass the title of top pound-for-pound fighter to him when he retired. Alexander contributes his struggles over his last three fights to having trouble making the 140-pound jr. welterweight limit, and he believes he will be a force to be reckoned with at the more comfortable welterweight limit of 147 pounds.
With Berto likely on the shelf for a couple of months, the winner of the Ortiz vs. Maidana/Alexander showdown could be in line to face Floyd Mayweather in late 2012 after Mayweather is released from his prison sentence beginning on June 1. Talks of a Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao November clash have been rumored, but as we all know by now, until those two sign on the dotted line, we can't believe anything we hear or read when it comes to negotiations. All three fighters are associated with Golden Boy Promotions and the fight should be easy to make since Mayweather uses Golden Boy to promote his fights.
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