By Jake Donovan

It was a year to forget for Adonis Stevenson, but the reigning World light heavyweight king at least ended with a bang, scoring four knockdowns en route to stopping Dmitry Sukhotsky in five rounds Friday evening at Colisee de Quebec in Quebec City, Canada.

Action was slow to begin, at times creating restlessness among those in attendance and viewers at home - particularly fans in the East Coast once again forced to watch a televised main event creep past midnight. Stevenson gradually picked up the pace, with the first moment of excitement coming with a flash knockdown scored in round two.

It was all Stevenson from there - really from the opening bell - as Sukhotsky looked every bit the part of a massive underdog. The fateful end came in round five, as Stevenson let his hands go and eventually send his fans home happy. Three knockdowns came of the round, the last of which prompted veteran referee Michael Griffith to step in and stop the slaughter.

The official time was 2:46 of round five.

Stevenson advances to 25-1 (21KOs) with his 12th straight win. Sukhotsky falls to 22-3, snapping a four-fight win streak.

The bout aired live on Showtime. 

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as the Records Keeper for the Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and a member of Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox