Randall Bailey vs Devon Alexander

Only 45 punches were credited to the defending champion over twelve rounds, as Devon Alexander took Randall Bailey’s IBF welterweight title in a contest dominated by caution, holding and intermittent scoring. Their meeting at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on 20 October 2012 ended in a unanimous decision for Alexander, who became a world champion in a second weight division. Bailey’s low output reflected his inability to find regular opportunities for his powerful right hand, while Alexander’s movement and greater activity secured the rounds. The crowd repeatedly booed the lack of sustained exchanges.

Bailey, 38, entered with 43 victories, seven defeats and 37 knockout wins. He had captured the vacant championship by stopping unbeaten Mike Jones in the eleventh round on 9 June. Trailing heavily, he had knocked Jones down in the tenth before finishing him with a right uppercut in the next round. Alexander, 25, brought a record of 23-1, with 13 stoppages, and had previously held the WBC and IBF light-welterweight championships. Their contest was originally scheduled for 8 September in Las Vegas but was postponed after Bailey suffered a back injury. It was subsequently added to the Barclays Center’s inaugural boxing programme, headed by Danny Garcia’s rematch with Erik Morales. Both men weighed 147 pounds.

The opening round contained little action. Bailey followed the southpaw challenger but seldom released his punches, while Alexander declined to remain stationary within range. In the second, Bailey landed a right hand that briefly jarred Alexander, without producing a follow-up. Alexander found more rhythm in the third, although the fourth again consisted largely of tentative punches and clinches. Bailey had further opportunities in the fifth. Alexander tied him up during one attempted right hand, but two later rights reached the challenger’s face. He took them without going down and answered before another clinch interrupted the exchange.

The repeated holding brought intervention in the sixth. With approximately a minute remaining, referee Arthur Mercante Jr. deducted one point from each boxer. The penalties did not change their relative positions on the scorecards and produced little improvement in the action. Bailey subsequently drew a warning for pushing, while Alexander punched during a break. Both tried to increase their activity in the seventh, but the contest remained disjointed. Alexander showed more effective boxing in the eighth and continued collecting points in the ninth as Bailey’s search for an opening became increasingly unproductive.

There was no late reversal comparable to Bailey’s victory over Jones. Alexander maintained his cautious approach through the remaining rounds, using movement to limit the champion’s chances and doing sufficient work to preserve his advantage. Bailey remained dangerous in individual exchanges, but his power did not compensate for the long periods in which he threw little. Neither boxer scored a knockdown. Alexander completed the distance with the contest under control, having denied Bailey the sustained opportunities needed to turn it.

Don Ackerman scored 116-110, Tony Paolillo 115-111 and Waleska Roldan 117-109, all for Alexander. CompuBox credited him with 120 landed punches from 534 attempts, against Bailey’s 45 from 198. Alexander landed 91 power punches to Bailey’s 28, although both connected with approximately 35 per cent of their power attempts. The difference lay chiefly in how often they worked. Alexander improved to 24-1 and took the IBF championship in Bailey’s first defence; Bailey fell to 43-8. The result was clear, despite a performance that satisfied the challenger’s tactical requirements more readily than the spectators’ expectations.

I understood why Alexander treated Bailey’s right hand with respect. Bailey had rescued a losing fight against Mike Jones with a knockout, and that danger was what made people watch him. Alexander gave him movement, brief exchanges and very little time to set himself.

It was dull, though. I can credit the tactics without pretending the boxing was good to watch. Alexander scored, moved and tied Bailey up when they got close. Both lost a point for holding in the sixth, which tells you how untidy it became. Bailey’s bigger problem was waiting for the perfect opening instead of creating one. You can’t defend a world title by following a bloke around and barely punching.

I’ve no argument with Alexander winning unanimously. He controlled the distance and did considerably more work. Bailey landed just 45 punches across twelve rounds. His power remained a threat, but his lack of activity made Alexander’s job far easier than it should have been.