By Jake Donovan
There will remain two lines of discussion when it comes to Adonis Stevenson these days: who he next faces, and the one opponent everyone wants him to face.
The reigning World light heavyweight champion was once on a collision course to face unbeaten knockout artist Sergey Kovalev, but his alignment with Al Haymon and the SHOWTIME family helped destroy those plans, or at least place them on an extended hold.
So while most of the rest of the world—including many in the media—remains stuck on that one super fight, Stevenson proceeds with the marching orders with which he is presented. That road leads to his being the first headliner on Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions series on CBS (#PBConCBS, for those who live and die by the hash tag), as he faces former super middleweight titlist Sakio Bika.
Their bout takes place on April 4 in Quebec City, Canada. The show is strategically placed as the lead-in to CBS’ Final Four coverage of the NCAA Tournament. Absent of a showdown with Kovalev, there wasn’t much of a need to go very far down the list of willing combatants to face the southpaw.
“He was the first opponent they presented. We’re happy with it,” insists Stevenson (25-1, 21KOs), who makes the 5th defense of his World light heavyweight crown. “He was a super middleweight champion. He’s a good boxer. It’s a good opportunity for him to fight for the light heavyweight championship. It’s a good opportunity for me too.”
Stevenson enjoyed a huge year in 2013, chief among his achievements claiming the lineal crown with a one-punch 1st round knockout of Chad Dawson. The year also saw the now-37 year old slugger avenge his lone career loss and successfully defend his championship twice.
The year that was in 2014 wasn’t quite as kind, in the ring or in the court of public opinion. Stevenson was vilified for his role in a planned showdown with Kovalev falling through the cracks, and for the opponents he instead wound up facing.
A points win over Andrzej Fonfara in May not only ended his streak of 10 consecutive knockouts, but also saw the defending champ hit the deck late in the fight after having Fonfara down and in major trouble. Stevenson resumed his knockout ways in his most recent fight, albeit in a sparsely viewed event as little attention was paid to his five-round destruction of Dmitry Sukhotsky last December.
The next couple of months were spent sitting on the sidelines as his powerful adviser figured out how to best piece together all of the moving parts. Haymon’s PBC series has already premiered on NBC and Spike TV, both drawing rave reviews and stellar ratings. For the April 4 edition, a fighter of Stevenson’s ilk was required in premiering on a new network, though also a question of whom he would face, and the assurance that the selected opponent would come to fight.
Team Stevenson remains content with the choice made.
“As far as looking for a style, I’m happy with the selection of Sakio Bika,” insists Javan “Sugar” Hill, who took over as head trainer for Stevenson following the passing of his Kronk mentor, the legendary trainer Emanuel Steward in 2012. “I like the style because he’s coming forward. Adonis loves to fight.
“(Bika) loves to go toe-to-toe and he loves to box. He’s a strong, determined and tough veteran. He can take a punch, and never been knocked. This is an opportunity for Adonis to go 12 rounds. He was able to do against Fonfara. This fight is a test. Adonis loves to be tested and I love him to be tested as well. It’s the only thing that will make him a better fighter.”
Bika (32-6-3, 21KOs) comes in having not won in nearly two years, but in part due to inactivity and a general unwillingness in his divisional peers willing to enlist his services. The Cameroon-born boxer—who represents Australia but trains stateside—managed to claim a super middleweight belt in his last win, a 12-round decision over Marco Antonio Periban in June ’13.
The duration of his reign was spent drawing with and losing to Anthony Dirrell in their pair of fights, inactive since their rematch last August. The current winless streak and his coming up in weight could suggest a mismatch, although Bika’s fighting style has proven nightmarish for nearly everyone he’s faced through 14-plus years as a professiona.
“Bika just keeps coming forward. I love this kind of style. He’s large and aggressive. If you make a mistake like that, it will (end in) knockout,” Stevenson acknowledges.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
