By Ryan Burton
After an extended break from the ring, Adonis "Superman" Stevenson (28-1) is ready to to action. His last fight took place in July when he stopped Thomas Williams in four rounds in a bout that aired on Spike TV as part of the Premier Boxing Champions series.
One name that has been mentioned as a possible opponent is the fast rising Joe Smith Jr (23-1). The knockout artist from Long Island, New York went 3-0 in 2016. Amongst his wins were stoppages of rugged contender Andrzej Fonfara and future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins.
"If he wants to fight I am ready. He is a good fighter. He beat Hopkins. If I beat him him though I don't want anybody to say he's a bum," Stevenson said while laughing.
The WBC/Lineal light heavyweight champion has drawn criticism in recent years for his choice in opponents. After his breakout 2013 campaign that saw him go 4-0 with wins over Darnell Boone, Chad Dawson, Tavoris Cloud and Tony Bellew, fans began to criticize his selection of opponents after a fight against then WBO/WBA/IBF champion Sergey Kovalev failed to materialize for a myriad of reasons.
While still laughing, Stevenson said that if he fights Smith - and beats him, he doesn't want to hear anymore talk about all of his opponents not being worthy challengers.
"Everyone I fight they say he is a bum. I don't want people telling me the same sh*t. I don't want him telling me that this f***ing guy is a bum. He beat Hopkins but he's a bum. I will go to New York. I got no problem going to New York."
Smith belongs to a construction worker's union in his native Long Island and Stevenson wants to make it crystal clear that he believes Smith is a great fighter and he wouldn't have any issues fighting him in front of his hometown fans.
"The guy is a construction worker. A blue collar guy. I got to give it to him. He knocked two people out. I love this guy. I don't disrespect him," Stevenson told BoxingScene.com.
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