Alexander injured, Brook fight to be postponed

A biceps injury to IBF welterweight titleholder Devon Alexander has forced the postponement of his Showtime-televised Feb. 23 clash with Englishman Kell Brook that was slated for the Masonic Temple Theater in Detroit, according to Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer.

IBF Public Relations director, Jeanette Salazar, informed RingTV.com that IBF Championships Chairman Lindsay Tucker and IBF President Daryl Peoples "are aware" of the development.

Alexander's trainer, Kevin Cunningham, could not be reached for an immediate comment.

A southpaw, Alexander (24-1, 13 KOs), who is 25, is coming off October's unanimous decision that dethroned  hard-punching Randall Bailey, while Brook (29-0, 19 KOs), who is 26, is coming off October's third-round stoppage of Hector Saldivia.

Alexander-Brook was originally scheduled for Jan. 19 before Brook's apparent ankle injury forced its postponement from that date.

Schaefer said that Alexander-Brook will be rescheduled at a site to be determined in the United States, and that the rest of the card "will go on."

Alexander-Brook was to be complimented by an IBF junior middleweight title defense by Cornelius Bundrage (32-4, 19 KOs) against veteran Ishe Smith (24-5, 11 KOs), which will still take place, according to Schaefer.

Smith has won three straight, two of them by knockout, since falling by unanimous decision to Fernando Guerrero, whom he floored in the eighth round of their clash in July of 2010.

Also to be featured on the card is an all-Michigan battle as Detroit prospect J'Leon Love (14-0, 8 KOs) takes on former titleholder Bronco McKart (54-10-1, 32 KOs), of Monroe, Mich., on Showtime Extreme.

McKart had won three straight prior to losing by seventh-round stoppage to Mundine in July.

Schaefer said that he plans to discuss the rescheduling of Alexander-Brook with Showtime "this week."

Lem Satterfield can be reached at lemuel.satterfield@gmail.com