FORMER two-weight world champion Devon Alexander only has winning on his mind ahead of his fight with Aron Martinez tomorrow night [October 14].
In his last outing, Alexander was handily outpointed by Amir Khan over 12 one-sided rounds in what was a close fight on paper.
He now faces Martinez who dropped a close split decision to Robert Guerrero in June, having dropped his man in the fourth, and Alexander insists his mind is on the job.
“This camp has been all about getting things right. I had to make sure my mentality was right,” he said.
“Losing is not an option anymore. In my loss to Amir, it wasn’t anything that he necessarily did to make me lose. All the losses that I’ve had I think I could have just as easily won those fights. This is a mental game, and I wasn’t there mentally for those fights.
“I had to get rid of the distractions around camp that were keeping me from fully focusing on the task at hand and how important boxing is to me. I had to focus and then re-focus on how much this means to me. Everybody needs to reprogram themselves once in a while to help you remember what’s important.
He meets Martinez at the Gila River Arena in Arizona, on the same bill as Lee Selby’s featherweight title defence against Fernando Montiel, and is convinced of victory.
“I know Aron Martinez is going to come to fight. He knows my record and that I’ve beaten some of the best,” he mused.
“So he knows it’s going to be tough for him, and I’m sure he’ll bring his best into the ring with him, but it’s not going to be enough. When I’m focused like this nobody can beat me.”
