Devon Alexander has unified titles, at least for now. The WBC junior welterweight titlist stopped IBF titleholder Juan Urango in the eighth round tonight on HBO Boxing After Dark.

Alexander (20-0, 13 KO) knocked down Urango (22-3-1, 17 KO) on a humongous right hand uppercut early in the round, then finished him off moments later. Referee Benjy Esteves waved the fight off despite minor protests from Urango, but the Colombian was finished. His legs were totally gone, his face showed serious shock, and Alexander knew he was hurt. Alexander was accurate enough all night that there was almost no way Urango was coming back into that fight, so the stoppage was a good one for sure.

It was a very impressive performance overall from Alexander, especially when you consider that nobody was picking him to stop the durable Urango. Most picked Devon to win, but by decision, and wide. He showed what we expected, that he could easily outbox the plodding Urango and pick him off without much trouble. Urango did show some fire here and there, but Alexander was just too fast, too skilled, and too dynamic.

Urango, 28, is going to have a tough time climbing back into things. He's dangerous enough to knock out just about anybody, but he's also just not very good. He is a one-speed fighter with a really good right hook, but would you favor him against Lamont Peterson? I think it's also actually worth questioning the durability he's been known for. No, Ricky Hatton didn't break him down at all, but he did hit him a lot. Urango was decked by Randall Bailey, but Bailey is a nasty puncher. Tonight, Alexander eventually blew him up. And yes, it was a great punch, but could the years be piling up on him?

With the way the division is shaping up, Urango could find it tough to find another good fight by the end of this year. He might have to just take a stay-busy bout and get back in there when the chance comes. He's borderline top 10 at this point, as he's badly lost to the three best fighters he's faced and his best win is either Herman Ngoudjo or Bailey. A move up to welterweight seems possible, but I think he'd struggle with the same issues up there, as he showed against Berto.

But the focus now should be Devon Alexander, who has the sort of ability to become a really special fighter, and tonight, he showed it.

Tonight's 140-pound title unification between Devon Alexander and Juan Urango is live on HBO Boxing After Dark at 9:30pm ET, and we'll be here with live, round-by-round coverage, scoring and analysis for the bout. We'll also be starting with ShoBox at 9pm ET on Showtime, as hyped Aussie prospect Leonardo "Lenny Zappa" Zappavigna will get his first American TV exposure in the opening fight against Fernando Angulo.

DEVON ALEXANDER		JUAN URANGO
	Main Event

HBO had one fight card in January, and then the boxing department went dark for the entire month of February. Saving up for the big fights can be deadly dull for the fans, who sit and twiddle their thumbs in anticipation of what's coming, especially if the empty month is February, which is an awful sports month to begin with.

Now they return with a Boxing After Dark on Saturday, a card that has been gutted and left standing with just one fight worth being televised, a 140-pound unification bout between titlists Devon Alexander and Juan Urango. Odds are pretty heavily in favor of Alexander, a flashy, exceptionally quick fighter who goes in against a lumbering bulldozer who has only one speed.

WBC and IBF Junior Welterweight Titles: Devon Alexander (19-0, 12 KO) v. Juan Urango (22-2-1, 17 KO)

Alexander, 23, and Urango, 29, meet at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, in front of what you might rightly expect won't be much of a crowd. St. Louis native Alexander has yet to spread his wings outside of the Gateway City, and Urango is a Colombian based in Florida, where 10 of his last 13 fights have taken place.

In Alexander's favor is speed and natural ability. This is a young fighter with huge upside, the kind of guy who can really turn heads with his quickness and style. He's been handled with kid gloves since beating DeMarcus Corley and Miguel Callist in 2008, finally stepping up last year to face and defeat Junior Witter for the vacant WBC title. Witter quit after eight, claiming a hand injury.

Urango is a bit more familiar to the avid TV boxing fan. In January 2007, he challenged Ricky Hatton at the Palms in Las Vegas, and despite being routed, got some publicity for being a guy that Hatton simply could not back down. Whatever you think of Ricky Hatton as a fighter, there's no questioning that the guy can do more than just crack an egg with his power, but he barely put a dent in Urango, who lumbered forward all night and just found himself outboxed by a better fighter.

He won two fights before facing Carlos Wilfredo Vilches on ESPN2 in April 2008, scoring a highlight reel fourth round knockout with a right hook. Nine months later, he went to Montreal and beat Herman Ngoudjo from pillar to post, winning the vacant IBF title. He tried his luck at welterweight last spring against Andre Berto, losing a really boring fight where Berto showed no interest in engaging Urango, and came back late in the summer to beat Randall Bailey in a predictably entertaining Friday Night Fights main event.

Strength of schedule goes to Urango. He's fought more good fighters (several more that weren't named here were solid tests given career status) and frankly just done more, but it's also not as wide as it might seem on first thought. Witter, Corley, Callist and Chuy Rodriguez aren't that far behind what Urango has fought.

What it boils down to, I think, is talent, execution, and where the fight goes. I cannot see a possible way that trainer Kevin Cunningham gets Devon Alexander into a firefight with this guy. There's no reason to. Alexander should be able to batter Urango with quick combinations, either from distance, or by moving in and getting out before Urango can unleash a wild left hand or his right hook. The danger in getting caught is there for anyone against Urango, but his bomb can be diffused by a guy with skill, and Alexander has plenty of skill.

Urango is almost certainly going to do what he always does. Hunt, march, and swing. He's a stalker that isn't afraid to get hit, with only a Randall Bailey right hand bomb so much as noticeably hurting him in his career, and Urango made a nice recovery from that trip to the canvas.

Neither guy has fought since last August, so rust shouldn't be a key factor for either. If it affects anyone, I'd guess it'd be Alexander. There's not much Urango does that requires a shaking of the rust.

I think you'll be able to tell within four rounds where this fight is going. Of course Urango can knock this guy -- or any guy -- out at any point with a great punch. He's got that sort of power. But if Alexander is picking him apart early, Urango has never shown an ability to really change what he does and force someone to do something different. For the most part, he hasn't had to. His only losses have come to Ricky Hatton (not exactly dynamic himself) and Andre Berto (who was just too good and too safety-first on that night).

Hope for an entertaining fight is certainly there, but the more I play this fight out in my head, the more I see Alexander doing a lot of things that Berto did and pretty well cruising to a routine decision. Alexander UD-12

As an aside, don't get yourself too excited about this being a unification bout. Chances are whoever walks out with both will give up one of the belts soon enough when he doesn't want to face whatever ridiculous and useless mandatory challenger is named for him.

By jove, there is news outside of Pacquiao-Mayweather!

Felix Sturm targeting Kelly Pavlik | Fight News

Not a big surprise, but Sturm is once again stating he wants to unify with Kelly Pavlik.  The article also mentions that he's walking around at about 192 pounds at the moment, so we'll see how much longer he can actually make the middleweight limit. 

Felix Sturm signs big new deal | Bild.de (link in German)

Sturm recently signed a 20 million Euro contract that officially gives him the largest multi-fight contract in German history.  The contract is with promoter Ufa Sports (which is really more of a general sports agency than a boxing promoter) and he'll likely have his next 10 fights televised on RTL, the German television station where the Klitschkos' fights are aired, since RTL is a partner with Ufa.  All of this is contingent on him winning his lawsuit with Universum, where he's declared that he's a free agent.  However, this contract may end up being a problem because... 

Sergei Dzinziruk still a Universum fighter | ESPN

Speaking of fighters wanting to break with Universum, according to Dan Rafael, Universum has won a lawsuit against Sergei Dzinziruk upholding their contract and stating he's actually NOT a free agent.  Universum is, however, amenable to a buyout whenever someone else makes a contract offer.  We'll see if that offer's actually coming.  Dzinziruk isn't even a draw in Germany. 

Bute may be heading back to Romania | Financiarul.ro

Fortunately not permanently, but with a lack of available big-name opponents and an interest of backing by the Romanian Boxing Federation, Romanian-born but Montreal-based Lucian Bute may be heading back to Romania for a title fight in the near future.  The Romanian authorities say they have come to a general understanding with Bute promoter Interbox, and it seems that the fight would likely be in the summer in an outdoor soccer stadium. 

Alexander-Urango unification seemingly official | St. Louis American

Devon Alexander will unify with Juan Urango on HBO's Boxing After Dark.  This is the first time I've seen Alexander's trainer talking about it like it's a certainty.  According to the BBC, former titlist Gavin Rees could step in if Urango falls through as an opponent.  If he doesn't get this fight, Rees may be contemplating moving to lightweight.  Frankly, he could probably make super featherweight if he really tried hard. 

David Haye vs. John Ruiz to take place April 3 at O2 Arena | ESPN

No word on whether there will be US TV coverage of this one, but I'd bet it's another independent pay per view.  Haye and the British boxing public really overestimate how much of a draw Haye is in the U.S., which is to say that he isn't one at all here. 

Nkosanthi Joyi to face Raul Garcia for IBF Strawweight Title | Dispatch Online

South African promoter extraordinairre Branco Milenkovic won the purse bid to ensure that the fight between two top five undefeated minimumweights will be in South Africa.  Milenkovic beat out Top Rank with a purse bid in the mid-six figures, which is huge for this weight class.  Unfortunately, this probably means no exposure for these two miniature warriors in the US. 

Mike Tyson to host Monday Night RAW | TV By the Numbers

WWE Raw has been running out different celebrity guest hosts each week, including Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather serving as prior hosts.  This Monday, Mike Tyson, who has some connections to the old WWF, will be hosting.  Just hope he doesn't don any tights. 

BoxingScene.com's Rick Reeno reports that the rumors have come to a deal, and it looks like Devon Alexander and Juan Urango will meet on March 6 to unify 140-pound titles. HBO will televise.

Alexander (19-0, 12 KO) won the vacant WBC strap against Junior Witter in August, and that same month. Urango (22-2-1, 17 KO) won his IBF title against Herman Ngoudjo in January 2009, and after a step up to 147 to challenge Andre Berto, came back down for a successful August defense against big-punching Randall Bailey.

It's a hell of a clash of styles. Urango is powerful, but not especially one-punch powerful since his speed is such a detriment. He's rugged and I've never really seen him so much as dented until he fought Bailey and was knocked down, after which he took over the fight. Ricky Hatton and Berto were able to do nothing with him, though they did beat him handily.

It'll be interesting to see if Urango can even catch Alexander, who is quick on his feet and is top five in the entire sport in hand speed, in my opinion, up there with the likes of Floyd Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan. The kid has lightning-quick hands.

I get the early feeling that Alexander will use that speed, pop Urango from distance, and never really let Juan into the fight. Urango is a lunging, bull-rushing guy with as big a body as you can have at 140 pounds. He's a totally legit fighter, a fine titlist, and I like the matchup, but I don't like Urango's chances to win it. But that's why they fight the fights.

Don King (who promotes Alexander) mentioned a while back that he had a March date with HBO, and that Cory Spinks could be in the co-feature. There's no venue set, but King seems to have an absolute love affair going on with the Treasure Island Casino in Las Vegas, so I'm guessing he'll at least give that a long, hard look, but I won't be surprised if it just winds up in St. Louis, either.