By Ryan Burton
WBC/lineal light heavyweight champion Adonis "Superman" Stevenson isn't done with his verbal assault on WBA/WBO/IBF light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev. Over the past couple of years both fighters have feuded over various social media outlets as their promoters and mangers have failed to come to an agreement to make what would be one of the biggest fights in the sport.
A few days ago on BoxingScene.com, Stevenson accused Kovalev's promoter of using his name to secure Kovalev a new HBO deal.
A purse bid was ordered earlier this year and Kovalev's promoter Main Events walked away from bidding even though they were the ones to ask for the purse bid in the first place. Stevenson feels that is a major sign of weakness.
"Kovalev is scared. You know why he is scared? They called a purse bid and they backed away from the purse bid because he is not sure he is going to beat me. That is why he didn't take the fight. If he was sure he would beat me then he would take the fight.
"He didn't take the fight because he could lose the fight. He's signed with HBO but before that he wasn't and could have fought me but now he says, 'I'm with HBO, blah, blah, blah, blah, and all that bullsh*t. So we went to purse bid where we could make the fight happen and he doesn't do it because he doesn't want to lose his belts," Stevenson told BoxingScene.com in an exclusive interview.
The 37-year-old Stevenson feels that Kovalev and his team are creating a smokescreen in the media and are trying to shift the blame of the failure to make the fight to his adviser Al Haymon and himself. Stevenson said he has no problems with facing Kovalev and accused the Russian of holding his belts hostage.
"He can run for a long time and play a game saying that it is me that doesn't want to fight him and blame me and that is all totally bullsh*t. He knows what he is doing. He knows what he is doing because he wants to make money and defend his belt. Make money a couple times before he loses his belts to me," Stevenson said.
"He won't say, 'I want to defend my belt a couple times before I lose to Adonis Stevenson.' He is just trying to have people say I'm ducking him. He's still the #1 with the WBC for the purse bid."
Stevenson said that Kovalev should tell his team to let the fight go to a purse bid and let the highest bidder promote the fight. The Montreal, Quebec native doesn't understand why Kovalev wants to stay away from what would be the biggest payday of his career.
"If he accepted the purse bid he would make more money than he makes rights now. Kovalev now doesn't make money. If he fights Adonis "Superman" Stevenson - the superstar of the light heavyweight division - he would make huge money and for the rest of his life he won't be broke anymore. He has to understand that I am the man. I am the light heavyweight lineal champion of the world. You have to fight me because no one is going to give you more money than my team would give you," Stevenson explained.
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