Tweet
by David P. Greisman - Fight fans by the very nature of this sport enjoy picking one boxer to root for and, symmetrically and diametrically, one to root against.
Those who follow boxing the closest are just as likely to take sides when there is conflict or rivalry outside of the ring. You need look no further for proof than the years of debates at water coolers, on bar stools and in message board forums over Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao and the reasons that bout remains unsigned.
It was only logical, then, that people opted to opine on another pair who went unpaired: lineal light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson and titleholder Sergey Kovalev.
Those opinions began last year as part of the debate about which power-punching 175-pounder would win, particularly after both men shared a card and scored knockouts over their respective foes.
The opinions ventured into discord when Stevenson signed earlier this year with villainized boxing adviser Al Haymon, then asked for more money from HBO for a fight with Andrzej Fonfara than the network was willing to pay and offered fewer guarantees than HBO wanted him to provide — Stevenson didn’t want to promise to face Kovalev later in the year. Showtime, HBO’s chief competition, bid on Stevenson-Fonfara and aired the bout, ostensibly to set up a fight between Adonis and another light heavyweight appearing on Showtime programming, famed titleholder and future Hall of Fame inductee Bernard Hopkins.
And the opinions veered toward delight on one side and defensiveness on the other when the proposed bout between Stevenson and Hopkins fell apart, as Hopkins no longer wanted to wait for the deal to be consummated and instead signed to fight Kovalev, a match that took place this past weekend on HBO. [Click Here To Read More]
Those who follow boxing the closest are just as likely to take sides when there is conflict or rivalry outside of the ring. You need look no further for proof than the years of debates at water coolers, on bar stools and in message board forums over Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao and the reasons that bout remains unsigned.
It was only logical, then, that people opted to opine on another pair who went unpaired: lineal light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson and titleholder Sergey Kovalev.
Those opinions began last year as part of the debate about which power-punching 175-pounder would win, particularly after both men shared a card and scored knockouts over their respective foes.
The opinions ventured into discord when Stevenson signed earlier this year with villainized boxing adviser Al Haymon, then asked for more money from HBO for a fight with Andrzej Fonfara than the network was willing to pay and offered fewer guarantees than HBO wanted him to provide — Stevenson didn’t want to promise to face Kovalev later in the year. Showtime, HBO’s chief competition, bid on Stevenson-Fonfara and aired the bout, ostensibly to set up a fight between Adonis and another light heavyweight appearing on Showtime programming, famed titleholder and future Hall of Fame inductee Bernard Hopkins.
And the opinions veered toward delight on one side and defensiveness on the other when the proposed bout between Stevenson and Hopkins fell apart, as Hopkins no longer wanted to wait for the deal to be consummated and instead signed to fight Kovalev, a match that took place this past weekend on HBO. [Click Here To Read More]
Comment