By Luke Furman
WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson will be a very interested observer when WBA/WBO/IBF champion Sergey Kovalev defends his titles in a rematch against Jean Pascal on January 30 in Montreal, Canada.
Kovalev (28-0-1, 25 KOs) stopped Pascal in the eighth round when the boxers clashed in Montreal on March 14. Pascal claimed the stoppage was premature by the referee and Kovalev has agreed to give him another chance to set the record straight.
Stevenson (27-1, 22 KOs) hopes to get in the ring with the winner in June, including his countryman Pascal (30-3-1-1, 17 KOs). The two Canadian stars have been at odds for a long time. They were once stablemates under promoter Yvon Michel. Pascal broke away to promote himself and soon began calling for Stevenson to face him.
He gives Pascal, who has good power, a shot to get the upset if he lands the right punch.
"Kovalev is the favorite against Jean Pascal but in boxing we never know," Stevenson told TVA Sports. "One punch can change everything. If Pascal beats Kovalev, then of course I would face him."
Stevenson is focused on returning to the ring in early 2016 and then he wants the Kovalev-Pascal winner in the summer.
He feels he was robbed of the titles when Bernard Hopkins backed away from their negotiations in 2014 and instead took a fight with Kovalev.
"Kovalev's belts belong to me. I was supposed to have them when Bernard Hopkins held them, if I would have fought him," Stevenson said.
Luke Furman covers boxing for bokser.org.
