Devon Alexander to Move Up to 147 Pounds: Eyes Pualie Mallignaggi

After Devon Alexander (23-1, 13 KO) took down Lucas Matthysse (28-2 26KO) on Saturday night, Devon planned to leave the Junior Welterweight division and head up north to Welterweight.

According to Boxingscene.com, Devon’s trainer announced that his fight with Lucas Matthysse was his last one as a Junior Welterweight, and that his next fight will be in the Welterweight division.

Kevin Cunningham, Alexander’s trainer, already has an opponent in mind for Devon. He’s eyeing Paulie "The Magic Man" Mallignaggi, who last fought at Welterweight against Jose Miguel Cotto and Michael Lozando.

Upon hearing this, Paulie took the news as an insult and took to twitter, voicing his displeasure on the possibility of facing Alexander.

“You have big ba*&s callin me out, when you lost your last 3 fights.”

This, of course, is in reference to Alexander’s last three fights, in which he faced Lucas Matthysse, Timothy Bradley and Andriy Kotelnik. Alexander is 2-1 in those three fights, losing only to Timothy Bradley via technical decision after a clash of heads ended the bout.

There is, however, a degree of truth to Mallignaggi’s statement about Alexander losing his last three fights. Of the three fights, two were in his backyard of Saint Charles, Missouri, where Alexander is undefeated in 10 fights. It's debated that anywhere outside of Missouri, his record against his last three opponents would be 0-3. Both Kotelnik and Matthysse lost close and controversial fights to Alexander in which many people felt he received a hometown decision.

If this fight were to happen, Devon wouldn’t have to worry about getting seriously injured. In comparison to his last three fights, Mallignaggi is the lightest puncher of Alexander’s last opponents and doesn’t head-butt five times in the fight. Alexander would also receive a name on his resume if he wins, which could set him up for better fights in the Welterweight division.