By Elisinio Castillo
As previously reported on BoxingScene.com, the mandatory fight between Adonis Stevenson and Eleider Alvarez is heading to a date in early 2017.
Their mutual promoter, Yvon Michel of GYM, felt it was best to push it back to early next year when more money would be available on the table. The two fighters also share the same adviser in Al Haymon.
Stevenson fought fire with fire when he knocked out Thomas Williams Jr. back in July in Quebec City. The card had Alvarez on the undercard, and he won a dominating decision over late replacement Robbie Berridge.
Alvarez (20-0, 10KOs) is going to keep busy while everyone works out the details for mandatory fight. He will return to the ring in a stay busy fight as part of GYM's fight series scheduled for December 10 at the Montreal Casino.
Stevenson has not made a mandatory defense of his belt since November of 2013, when he knocked out Tony Bellew. Alvarez became the mandatory challenger last year when he secured a close points win over Isaac Chilemba, who recently gave IBF/WBO/WBA world champion Sergey Kovalev all he could handle.
Alvarez has no issue with the delay, because the WBC is applying a lot of pressure on Stevenson to make a mandatory defense of the title.
"No matter which opponent they put in front of me - I can win. At the same time, I can lose - but I have a strong will that I am doing things right. Adonis is a great champion, he hits hard, he can fight well. Fortunately for me - I don't have a glass jaw, and I have good footwork and good technique - and when the time comes for that fight - I want to show everyone what I have and I want to be the first Colombian world champion in this division," Alvarez said.
