Team Stevenson Dismisses Possibility of Froch Showdown

By Jake Donovan

Well before Saturday’s HBO-televised doubleheader in Quebec, Canada, fans have been clamoring for a showdown between light heavyweight knockout artists Adonis Stevenson and Sergey Kovalev.

Both fighters did their part to further create interest in such a future pairing; Stevenson successfully defended his World lineal championship with a 6th round stoppage of Tony Bellew, while Kovalev emphatically knocked out Ismayl Sillakh inside of two rounds.

Kovalev (23-0-1, 21KO) continues to call out Stevenson, who for whatever reason continues to look elsewhere for his next opportunity. During his post-fight interview with HBO’s Max Kellerman, Stevenson (23-1, 20KO) insisted his fans would rather first see the Haitian-Canadian take on the likes of Carl Froch or Bernard Hopkins.

The reaction from the fans didn’t suggest any sort of growing support, though Stevenson comes with honorable intentions. Calling out the aforementioned fighters is his way of attempting to further restore order for the Canadian boxing scene; both fighters own wins over Jean Pascal, with Froch also handing Lucian Bute his first – and, to date, only – career defeat with a 5th round stoppage last May.

At least one of those challenges are expected to die out without ever making its way to the negotiating table, perhaps both.

Froch is barely a week removed from a controversial 9th round stoppage win over George Groves, a fight in which he was losing up until referee Howard Foster inexplicably stopped the contest. A rematch has been discussed as the first piece of business Froch and Groves will see in 2014.

Aside from that, Froch is in the wrong weight class for the future Stevenson’s handlers have in mind.

“Even if Adonis claims he still can make 168, it would not be my recommendation to do it,” insists promoter Yvon Michel, also pointing out Froch’s future road map as an additional roadblock. “Possibly a catch weight could be agreeable.

“Adonis is the premier champion in the light heavyweight division, is more and more comfortable fighting at that weight. At 36 years old I am not sure it is a good thing to play yoyo with his weight.”

Stevenson moved up in weight earlier this year, knocking out Chad Dawson in just 76 seconds to win the light heavyweight crown. The fight was considered a risk, since Stevenson had in the bank a mandatory title challenge at super middleweight, though instead accepted the Dawson fight while allowing Froch to pursue a rematch with Mikkel Kessler.

The risk reaped major rewards; Stevenson’s huge knockout win served as the first of three straight HBO televised appearances, all of which have taken place at light heavyweight.

The weight issue would make Froch a secondary challenge to Hopkins, who began a second tour (or third, depending on the lineage fans choose to honor) at light heavyweight with a 12-round decision over previously unbeaten Tavoris Cloud in March. Hopkins is a minor stakeholder with Golden Boy Promotions, a role he’s enjoyed for nearly 10 years.

Such association leaves him tied to Showtime for the moment, thus greatly reducing the possibility of a unification bout with Stevenson, a favorite among HBO brass these days.

Saturday’s win over Bellew was the 10th straight for Stevenson, all of which have come by knockout since suffering the lone loss of his career, an April ’10 stoppage loss to Darnell Boone which he avenged earlier this year. Four knockouts wins on the year have led many to hail the 36-year old as the leading candidate in the Fighter of the Year sweepstakes.

Kovalev enjoys an equally ferocious tour of terror, having scored seven straight stoppages, which – like Stevenson – also includes four in 2013. Saturday served as his second straight HBO appearance, coming three months after his network debut, a 4th round title-winning beat down of Nathan Cleverly.

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board, Yahoo Boxing Ratings Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox