Ferguson turmoil still weighing on Devon Alexander ahead of rebound fight

It's been a year since the city of Ferguson, Missouri, was in the spotlight after the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a police officer that turned the country upside down and generated a vigorous debate about the relationship between African Americans and law enforcement.

Although it is not in the spotlight as prominently as it once was, the trials and tribulations of a community that rests eight miles from St. Louis remain troubling. For Devon Alexander, one of the city's brightest stars, it certainly had an effect on his professional boxing career.

Although he won't use it as an excuse, the events that transpired near his hometown of St. Louis impacted the former world champion's preparation for his bout against Amir Khan last December.

"It affected me a little bit," Alexander (26-3, 14 KOs) told Yahoo Sports.

Before the bout, there was talk that Michael Brown's father would be in attendance (he ended up attending a police brutality rally elsewhere) and the spotlight on Alexander's fight burned bright. But when the lights came on at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, Alexander fell flat and lost a one-sided decision in what was certainly a devastating loss. Several months removed from that night, Alexander opened up on the tough loss and the circumstances surrounding it.

"I tried to stay away from it as much as possible but it's still in your face," Alexander said about how he was torn between training for one of the biggest fights of his career and watching the riots that were happening mere miles from where he grew up and honed his craft. "This was right up the street from where everything was going on. You still have to stay focused but it was definitely on my mind."

Alexander says that the people of Ferguson are still busy fighting against police brutality and says that he won't let Brown's death be in vain. If there was any good to come out of the riots, it's that the city has received nationwide attention to its problem areas.

"I can say that people are still definitely aware of the problems going on here that have plagued the city for a long time and need to be rectified," Alexander said while citing the city's troubling murder rate in addition to police brutality. Forbes lists St. Louis as the 2nd most dangerous city in America with a violent crime rate of 1,857 per 100,000 residents. "The people of Missouri are still working but in my opinion it's never fast enough. You need people that will keep on hammering the nail until it gets all the way through the wood. I think people just forget about the issues after a while and we need someone who is not going to let us forget."

As Alexander prepares to bounce back from last December's loss with a welterweight fight against Aron Martinez (19-4-1), the former champion says that he will approach every fight moving forward waving his city's flag. He realizes that he represents the hopes and dreams of the city and, instead of allowing it to become overwhelming pressure, he uses it as motivation.

"I represent them because I am a product of the city and they are me," Alexander said. "The only thing different for me and them was opportunity and that was when my coach Kevin Cunningham started a gym and took me under his wing. He made sure I didn't stray into the things going on in the neighborhood and a lot of people need that."

Win or lose on Oct. 14, Alexander knows that he is a success story and plans to continue giving back so that he can see others flourish against oftentimes dire circumstances.

"It's in my heart to go back and talk to the kids and help as many as possible," he continued. "I want to have my own recreational center to help the kids in the city. Hopefully I get there because a lot of kids need help. I had help and they need help now. It's getting worse and they are going to need someone who is there to help and I want to be part of that."