IBF Champ Randall Bailey Injured in Sparring; Devon Alexander Fight Off

It appears as though Devon Alexander “The Great” will have to wait a little longer for his opportunity to become a champion in a second weight division. According to a report on Ringtv.com, Randall Bailey, the IBF welterweight champion, suffered an injury in sparring and their upcoming match has been postponed. 

In an interview with ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael, Alexander’s trainer, a seemingly very frustrated Kevin Cunningham, said the following:

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"He got the money, the date and the site, and then a week before the fight, he pulled out with this back injury. I don't think the guy is injured, to be honest with you. I just don't think he wasn't ready." 

 

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The fight was to be the main-event from Las Vegas on September 8, and broadcast on Showtime. 

Bailey, a two-time world champion, won his first title, the WBO Jr. welterweight belt in 2000. 

It took over 12 years for the Miami native to once again capture championship gold. Bailey won the IBF welterweight title this past June with a devastating 11^th round come-from-behind knockout win over Mike Jones. 

Alexander, who had previously held both the IBF and WBC Jr. welterweight titles, was going to be challenging for his first title at welterweight. 

It appears as though the Showtime broadcast will go on with hard-punching Argentine Lucas Matthysse taking on Ajose Olusegun of Nigeria as the main-event in a WBC Jr. welterweight title eliminator bout. 

The Matthysse vs. Olusegun matchup will be going head-to-head with the Andre Ward vs. Chad Dawson fight being broadcast on HBO the same night.