Stevenson-Bellew: Ticket Sales Are Going Strong

By Jake Donovan

Anticipation continues to grow for Adonis Stevenson’s upcoming World light heavyweight championship title defense versus mandatory challenger Tony Bellew. The bout headlines at Colisée de Quebec (nee Pepsi Coliseum) this Saturday, and airs live on HBO World Championship Boxing.

Stevenson (22-1, 19KO) became one of 2013’s breakout stars, scoring three stoppage wins in as many fights in what has been a career-best year for the Haitian-Canadian. For his upcoming showdown with England’s Bellew (20-1-1, 12KO), current tickets sales confirm his star on the rise.

“Ticket sales are excellent considering Adonis is world champion since less than six months,” notes promoter Yvon Michel, whose GYM Promotions hosts this weekend’s event. “We have over 7,000 tickets sold and counting.”

The undercard features another light heavyweight title fight, with the hope of one day matching the winners. Sergey Kovalev makes the first defense of his belt as he faces Ismayl Sillakh in the HBO-televised co-feature. Kovalev won the bout in emphatic fashion, stopping Nathan Cleverly in four rounds on the road in Wales this past August.

Stevenson entered boxing’s elite when he stopped Chad Dawson in just over a minute to win the lineal light heavyweight championship this past June. The feat was followed by a one-sided thrashing of Tavoris Cloud this past September. Both bouts aired live on HBO, with this weekend marking his third straight appearance on the network.

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