Devon Alexander vs Andriy Kotelnik Preview

Michael Nelson preview tonight's HBO Boxing After Dark main-event between junior-welterweights Devon Alexander and Andriy Kotelnik.  Check out Michael's preview of the show's opening bout... Storm Brewing in St. Louis: Tavoris Could vs Glen Johnson Preview

Devon Alexander was the favorite going into his March clash with Juan Urango, but nobody had beaten Urango in impressive fashion. Ricky Hatton punched and grabbed his way to victory against Urango after a body shot knocked the wind out of the British superstar. Andre Berto took note of Hatton's strategy and did the same last year.

So Alexander wasn't just battling Urango that night, he was battling the perception that the way to beat the Colombian slugger was to use spoiling tactics and stink the place out, crowd be damned. Once Alexander used smart (not excessive) movement, a heady strategy, and ambitious combinations to knock Urango out, he separated himself as more dynamic than Urango's previous opponents and became a fan favorite.

He'll try to do the same tonight against 140 pound stalwart Andriy Kotelnik.

Kotelnik has been beaten before. Notably, Junior Witter got a decision over him in 2005 that many felt was unearned. And Amir Khan beat him in lopsided fashion last July, but did so while staying on his bike for the bulk of the fight. The flurry-run-flurry-run strategy Khan employed made the fight resemble more like a 12 round amateur bout than professional boxing.

Alexander has other plans. The 23 year old virtuoso is expected to handle his business with craftmanship and style.

But as Marcos Maidana found out last February, that's easier said than done against the technical precision of Kotelnik. Maidana attempted to overwhelm the sturdy Ukranian with his power and instead got picked apart throughout the middle rounds. Although a furious Maidana rally down the stretch made the fight razor close, Kotelnik walked away with the decision.

As we came to find out, Kotelnik's incredibly hard to hurt, much less knockout, and he's not one to be bullied.

So how will the St. Louis native impress in front of his homecrowd? Expect smart (again, not excessive) lateral movement to go along with a steady stream of punches. Kotelnik has the stereotypical Eastern European style that mixes earmuff defense with accurate, but economical punching. The way to beat him is to outwork him while remaining disciplined enough to avoid the incoming.

The first step for Kotelnik to upset the heavily-favored hometown fighter, or at least provide some drama, is to learn from the Khan loss and simply punch more. He likely lacks the power to knock out Devon, but he has the whiskers to take a lot more risks than he's accustomed to taking.

If Kotelnik fails in his bid to upset the applecart and Alexander puts together his second consecutive impressive win, we can start banging the drums for a January showdown with Timothy Bradley (reportedly, close to being done), where Alexander will look to separate himself from his peers, once and for all.

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