A promising beginning

By Jared Harmon

Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008 | 6:49 p.m.

After only four months of training, Del Sol junior DeHaven Alexander Jr. went 3-0 at the competitive Gene Lewis Boxing Tournament in Phoenix on Nov. 13 to 15 to emerge as the 141-pound champion.

Alexander stormed through the tournament with two wins by decision and a third by technical knockout.

His trainer, Gil Martinez, has had several fighters show promise early in their careers, but even he was stunned by Alexander's fast start.

"I thought maybe it was too soon for him to be in a big tournament like this," Martinez said. "But I also thought it would be a good learning experience for him so I told him to go. They called me from the tournament to tell me he won and I didn't believe it."

Alexander had confidence heading into the tournament because of his training and the lessons he learned in his first fight, a loss by decision on Sept. 20. After nerves and crowd distractions bothered him for two rounds, Alexander bounced back and won the third round but it proved too little too late.

"With a crowd like that, in my first fight I had stage fright but I got over that quick," Alexander said. "Now I love a big crowd — it makes me feel like a celebrity. I just try to relax and stay focused. The first fight was the toughest because I still wasn't sure what to expect."

Martinez expects Alexander to continue to improve because of his mental approach to training and his physical toughness in the ring.

"DeHaven is a real hard worker who's here everyday and you can do a lot with a kid like that," Martinez said. "He has long arms so he uses his reach to his advantage, but he's also very tough and that wears on his opponents. They hit him with everything they've got and he keeps coming. That gets to people."

Originally from Indiana, Alexander moved to Southern Nevada in June to live with his father, a former boxer in the military. He was already interested in boxing because his fondness for former champion Floyd Mayweather Jr., and decided to give the sport a try because of the stories he heard about his father's successes.

"I like to fight, it's just in my blood I guess," Alexander said. "My dad boxed and my uncle boxed. Now I have a great trainer in Gil and I have my dad who I go to for advice a lot."

Alexander said he uses his speed and quick feet to his advantage in the ring and feels it has given him an edge early on in his career — he is 3-1. His teammate and occasional sparring partner, Del Sol sophomore Oscar Rico, said that quickness can give opponents fits.

"When DeHaven first started coming to the gym he was real easy to pick off because if you came at him he'd stay in one spot and let you swing on him," Rico said. "Now he's real tough. He's gotten real fast and never stays in one spot."

Jared Harmon can be reached at 990-8922 or [email protected].