Devon Alexander beats England’s Junior Witter for WBC 140-pound title

Alexander beats Witter for WBC 140-pound title

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — Devon Alexander won the WBC 140-pound title Saturday night when Junior Witter quit before the ninth round of their bout for the vacant belt, citing a hand injury.

Alexander, a 22-year-old rising star from St. Louis, remained unbeaten with a fundamentally solid performance against the unorthodox Witter, who didn’t appear to take much serious punishment beyond a cut over his right eye. The English fighter’s corner declined to send him out for the ninth, handing the victory to Alexander (19-0, 12 KOs) at the Agua Caliente Casino Resort, just outside Palm Springs.

After the fight, Witter (37-3) said he couldn’t continue due to extreme pain in his hand, which recently healed from a hairline break.

Alexander wept when he claimed the WBC belt vacated by Timothy Bradley, who elected to fight Nate Campbell for the WBO belt in the main event rather than taking a smaller payday against Alexander, the WBC’s mandated challenger. With training partner and fellow St. Louis native Cory Spinks cheering him from ringside, Alexander largely dominated the fight.

“It’s time to take the belt back to St. Louis,” Alexander said. “Cory taught me a lot to be prepared for this fight. I watched lots of tape. I had a game plan, and I stuck with it.”

Witter’s decision baffled the fans who expected a full fight from the 35-year-old former champion who had lost just once since June 2000. His arms resting on the ropes, Witter shrugged at fans shouting “Witter the quitter!” from the stands.

“I felt the fight was quite even,” Witter said. “I had a hairline fracture to my hand six months ago, and it felt like I re-injured it just like that again in the fourth round. The pain would move from my hand to a jolt in my elbow. I tried to switch it up. If you notice, I’d start with my right and try to finish with my left, but I couldn’t.”

Alexander opened a cut near Witter’s eyebrow in the second round, but the injury slowed the veteran. Alexander staggered Witter into the ropes in the fifth, and remained more aggressive until Witter quit.