Team Alexander confident Devon can upset Floyd Mayweather

Many in the boxing community were stunned when WBC welterweight champion, Floyd Mayweather, revealed that the front runner for his next fight -- which many assumed was Robert Guerrero -- is actually IBF welterweight champion, Devon Alexander.

Mayweather (43-0-0, 26 KOs) proposed the fight as a unification bout, but that won't be possible since Alexander (24-1-0, 13 KOs) is already under contract to fight mandatory challenger, Kell Brooks. The IBF has already stated it won't grant the welterweight champ an exception.

It's usually a smart idea to take everything Mayweather says with a grain of salt when he's in the process of negotiating, as he's proven to be a master at manipulating the media and boxing fans over the years.  For all we know, "Money" was simply trying to get a rise out of folks and some extra publicity when he made the revelation via Twitter.

Alexander's trainer, Kevin Cunningham, is obviously happy about the fact Mayweather is considering a fight against his pupil, and he even tried to goad boxing's undefeated pound-for-pound king during a conversation with Boxingscene.com.

"History always repeats itself," Cunningham said.  "In 1978, a fighter from St. Louis named Leon Spinks got the opportunity to fight the best fighter in the world, Muhammad Ali. Nobody gave Spinks a chance and we all saw what happened. Leon shocked the world and that is exactly what's going to happen if Devon gets the opportunity to fight Mayweather."

While Floyd says he's seriously considering a fight against Alexander, Cunningham refuses to hold his breath.

"Floyd says Devon is the frontrunner to get the fight but I don't blame him for taking his time with making a decision," Cunningham added. "Because if I know Floyd; he wants to keep his '0', so he better choose Robert Guerrero."

Cunningham might be confident about Alexander's chances against Money, but Guerrero is clearly the tougher option for Floyd's next fight.  However, even though many in the boxing community aren't exactly thrilled about a potential Mayweather vs. Alexander bout, the fight does make some sense if you look at it from Floyd's perspective.

After all, "Money" hasn't been inside the ring since his May 2012 fight against Miguel Cotto.  Devon doesn't hit nearly as hard as Guerrero does, making him the perfect tune-up opponent for Mayweather.