Duva: No Talks With Stevenson at Kovalev-Pascal

by David P. Greisman

Light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson was at the Bell Centre as fellow Quebec-based fighter Jean Pascal lost to Sergey Kovalev via eighth-round technical knockout.

There weren’t any conversations between Kovalev’s promoter and Stevenson about a long-awaited showdown, however.

“I was too busy trying to calm my heart down and catch my breath to negotiate,” said Kathy Duva of Main Events, referencing the swings in momentum during Kovalev-Pascal.

Kovalev will make a mandatory defense next against Nadjib Mohammedi, mandatory challenger to the International Boxing Federation title, one of three belts Kovalev holds.

But Kovalev is also in position to challenge for the World Boxing Council belt held by Adonis Stevenson. Duva says the WBC procedures to call on negotiations for that would start later in 2015. There’s also the possibility that Stevenson could vacate the belt.

“What I’m told by the WBC is after the fight with Mohammedi, the WBC will order Sergey to negotiate with Stevenson. Stevenson will be ordered to fight Sergey,” Duva said. “That will start the clock right after the fight happens with Mohammedi. Usually it’s a period of three or four months before the fight has to occur, so yeah, it could happen by the end of the year.”

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