By Rick Reeno

Kevin Cunningham, trainer/manager of WBC/IBF junior welterweight Devon Alexander, reached out to BoxingScene.com to respond to an earlier news report involving Andriy Kotelnik. The former WBA champion, Kotelnik, said he would consider an offer to fight Alexander in the HBO televised headliner on August 7 - but first he needed at least one tune-up, and planned to take a few weeks off to travel to the United States to land a possible promotional deal.

According to a statement from Kotelnik, he will "provide an answer" to Alexander's challenge, after a tune-up bout was held. Cunningham wants to send a message to Kotelnik. If the former champion does not accept the offer in a reasonable amount of time, the opportunity to fight Alexander will never come again.

"I looked and saw what Kotelnik said in an interview up on BoxingScene in reference to the possibility of getting a shot at Devon. His name has been mentioned as a possible opponent for August the 7th, an HBO date, but I just want to make one thing clear to Mr. Kotlenik," Cunningham told BoxingScene.com. 

"I see that he's talking about needing a tune-up. I don't know what he's thinking or who he's talking to, but if he's not available for August 7th, he will probably never see a fight with Devon and never get the opportunity to fight for the IBF/WBC championships. Devon is the unified champion, he's not going to sit and wait around for Andreas Kotelnik to finish a tune-up. Either he gets in the ring on August the 7th and gets the opportunity at the junior welterweight titles on HBO or it's never going to happen."

"If Kotelnik wants the opportunity, he can have it, but after August 7th, Devon is not even thinking about a fight with Andreas Kotelnik. He has bigger fish to fry after August the 7th. If he doesn't take the opportunity, then f*ck him. He can sign with any f*cking promoter he wants to sign with, but he will never get in the ring with Devon Alexander."