Fight Night!

HBO BOXING AFTER DARKŪ: DEVON ALEXANDER VS. MARCOS MAIDANA AND ADRIEN BRONER VS. ELOY PEREZ KICKS OFF A NEW YEAR OF ACTION FOR THE HIT LATE-NIGHT RING FRANCHISE SATURDAY, FEB. 25


In a welterweight showdown, hometown hero Devon Alexander (22-1, 13 KOs), who as a child found refuge from the hardscrabble Hyde Park section of St. Louis in a boxing gym, takes on the formidable Marco Maidana (31-2, 28 KOs) of Buenos Aires, Argentina in a scheduled ten-round contest. A former junior welterweight champ, Alexander brings speed and effective combinations to the ring. Bouncing back from his only pro loss to Timothy Bradley with a victory over Lucas Matthysse, he is moving up to the talent-rich 147-pound division with the ultimate goal of capturing another title.

Maidana, known for his exciting style and knockout power, returns to the U.S. after a memorable victory over Eric Morales in April 2011, which followed his narrow decision loss to Amir Khan in 2010s consensus Fight of the Year. A decisive win could reestablish Maidana on the boxing landscape.

The opening bout is a junior lightweight title showdown of undefeated fighters, with Cincinnatis Adrien Broner (22-0, 18 KOs) defending his crown against Eloy Perez (23-0-2, 7 KOs) of Salinas, Cal. in a scheduled 12-round bout. Broner, who has taken the boxing world by storm with impressive wins and thrilling performances, is a budding star. Perez looks to use his speed and aggressive style to halt Broners streak and take his title in this intriguing 130-pound contest.