2014 NOT STEVENSON’S BEST
Stevenson Out Of Touch Or Mind?
The 2013 “Fighter of the Year” Adonis “Superman” Stevenson (25-1, 21 KO) had a very lackluster 2014 in terms of opposition. In May, he defended the WBC 175 lb. title and the lineal light heavyweight championship against the solid but not extraordinary Andrzej Fonfara (26-3, 15 KO). Stevenson won clearly, but suffered a knockdown and seemed to gas substantially while earning a unanimous decision win after 12 rounds. This past Friday, Stevenson demolished Dmitry Sukhotsky (22-3, 16 KO) in 5 rounds. This would be a great highlight for Stevenson’s career…if Sukhotsky were ranked in the top 10 at light heavyweight.
FRIDAY NIGHT SHOWTIME BOUT WAS A FARCE
Call me crazy, but I believe a lineal champion should fight people who are at least ranked in the top 10 in their weight class. Some may point out that Sukhotsky was in fact ranked #5 by the World Boxing Council. Even if that ranking was legitimate, which I do not feel is the case, that still means there are 4 other fighters that would have been better choices as opponents for the lineal champion.
ALVAREZ, CHILEMBA, AND SAVIGNE SNUBBED
Eleider Alvarez (16-0, 9 KO), Isaac Chilemba (23-2-2, 10 KO), and Umberto Savigne (12-1, 9 KO, 1 NC) were ranked 1, 2, and 3 by the WBC at the time Stevenson fought #5. It is unclear why they were overlooked, but what is clear is that Stevenson chose not to fight the best available opponent even by the WBC’s standards. Fonfara was ranked #4 when Stevenson fought Sukhotsky.
TRANSNATIONAL RANKINGS MORE LEGIT THAN WBC
The unbiased Transnational Boxing Rankings, which can be found at tbrb.org, are the best way for fans to keep up with the best boxers in the sport. Dmitry Sukhotsky was not in the top ten of the TBR rankings at the time Stevenson fought him, and should not have been given a shot at the lineal championship.
KOVALEV THE REAL LINEAL CHAMP IN MY MIND
Sergey Kovalev (26-0-1, 23 KO) has a better win in a 49-year-old Bernard Hopkins (55-7-2, 32 KO) than Stevenson has anywhere on his resume. Adonis was simply in the right place at the right time when he won the lineal title from Chad Dawson (34-4, 18 KO) a guy who had just been stopped by super middleweight Andre Ward (27-0, 14 KO). Ward has never been known for his power, yet he was able to drop a reportedly weight-drained Dawson 3 times. I think a strong breeze would have knocked Dawson down the night Stevenson beat him, and “Bad Chad” has not looked the same since the Ward loss.
WHO WILL ADONIS FIGHT NEXT?
The winner of the March 14 fight between Sergey Kovalev and Jean Pascal (29-2-1, 17 KO) will become Stevenson’s mandatory challenger for his WBC belt. Negotiations between Stevenson and both fighters have fallen through in the past due to “money”, according to Stevenson’s camp. It appears that Stevenson is not exactly clamoring for a match with Kovalev, and it is understandable. He does not want to be obliterated and lose all of his earning power. What confuses me is why he turned down a Canadian mega-fight with fellow countryman Pascal, which is a winnable fight for Stevenson and would net him a large sum. Rumors have begun swirling that Stevenson will rematch Fonfara in April.
FONFARA REMATCH TOO SOON, IF NECESSARY AT ALL
Fighting Andrzej Fonfara again would prove nothing about Stevenson as a fighter, other than that he is a coward looking for easy money. Will he finally fight Kovalev or Pascal? Or will he simply vacate his title and fade into irrelevance? 2015 will be the defining year of Adonis Stevenson’s career.