By Jake Donovan
The cruelest of cynics could gloat that Adonis Stevenson had this coming to him. A year after he left Sergey Kovalev high and dry when the two were believed to be on a collision course to face one another, the unbeaten Russian returned the favor on Tuesday when promoter Main Events announced it was withdrawing from an ordered purse bid hearing to be held on Friday.
Back when Stevenson and Kovalev were realistically expected to face each other, both owned separate titles, which meant neither were obligated to fight. However, it was the fight that fans, cable giant HBO and seemingly both fighters wanted, at least until Stevenson changed course, signing with Al Haymon and aligning himself with Showtime.
With Kovalev under contract with HBO, it meant the end of talks for such a fight – until Main Events forced its fighter into a mandatory ranking for Stevenson’s title, despite owning three belts of his own. The unique ruling made by the WBC allowing Kovalev’s clash with Jean Pascal to determine Stevenson’s next opponent was one that caught his team by surprise, but to which they were willing to comply.
In that vein, a feeling of disappointment and disgust surfaced when a note from Kathy Duva – head of Main Events - hit promoter Yvon Michel’s desk, indicating a drastic change in plans just three days before Friday’s purse bid hearing in Mexico City.
“It’s very disappointing,” Michel bluntly stated to BoxingScene.com after receiving the news. “The whole process was initiated by Main Events,” points out Yvon Michel, Stevenson's longtime promoter. “It was requested at the WBC Convention (last December) for Kovalev-Pascal winner to face Adonis. (Kathy Duva) went there requesting, to force Stevenson to fight the winner, without us knowing about it, as we were preparing for Adonis' fight with Dmitry Sukhotksy. We had been informed afterward by (WBC President) Mauricio Sulaiman; nobody asked our opinion.
“But we said fine, it’s a fight that everyone wants. We ensured to get the best revenue possible with the network that will invest the most and believes that has the most value for its viewers. We agreed to go through with the fight, no matter the result of the purse bid and what network aired the fight.”
Michel countered Main Events’ initial flurry, requesting an expedited purse bid hearing in lieu of a 30-days negotiation period. It was a bold move, one that nobody saw coming especially since it was common knowledge that Stevenson was in training at the time for an April 4 bout with Sakio Bika – which he won by decision – while Kovalev was moving towards a mandatory title defense of his own, versus Nadjib Mohammedi.
As the date drew closer, it became more apparent that – barring its getting HBO to crack open the vault – Main Events stood little chance of writing a check big enough to compete with what Stevenson’s team could bring to the table. With Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions series running across several platforms, comes a deep bankroll well into nine figures.
The likely scenario was that Haymon – through Michel, or another promoter in his rotation, such as Goossen Promotions, DiBella Entertainment or Warriors Boxing – would win the purse bid and bring the fight either to NBC or CBS, the latter network on which Stevenson headlined during Saturday afternoon coverage on Easter weekend.
In the spirit of fair play, Michel and Stevenson were willing to accept whatever outcome came of Friday’s purse bid, even if it meant Main Events winning and the fight taking place on HBO.
What rubs the promoter the wrong way is the fact that the other side knew the circumstances all along, yet decided to pull the plug when it was believed everyone was on the same page.
Sounds familiar? Sure. In all fairness, however, Stevenson and his team caught plenty of hell from the media and fans alike for more than a year in its role played in the fight falling through. Now it’s time for the other side to read about themselves.
“When Kovalev beat Pascal and became the mandatory, we requested a purse bid,” Michel notes. “We told the WBC that, given the past history with them, we had no plans to negotiate. But we guaranteed right away to the WBC that if we lost the bid, we would go through with the fight.
“They never mentioned anything like that; that the fight had to take place only on HBO. That big proposal that they made, you can’t just limit it to one network. We evaluated the gate, the sponsorship and revenue. We believed it was going to be the same on their side.
“They fought Pascal over here (in Canada). It was just a question of HBO assisting them and bringing a big bid. But they didn’t believe they will win the bid. They want to make everyone believe again that if the fight doesn’t happen, it will be our fault, it will be Adonis’ fault. They have instead decided to take a dive.”
While Duva’s statement to the press cited claims of Stevenson’s declining popularity in attendance and viewership, Michel is quick to point out whose recent fight generated the higher ratings. The easy counter is that more homes have access to CBS (which hosted Stevenson-Bika) than HBO (Kovalev-Pascal), but it also goes to Michel’s point that there’s more than one horse in the race in determining where the fight lands.
“They brought this proposal to the table, for Kovalev to be mandatory challenger and a 50/50 split. I agree, we go 50/50 and go with the network that could put up the best offer,” Michel notes. “We don’t have a contract with Showtime, but everyone knows we are affiliated with Premier Boxing Champions, with Showtime and now CBS.
“It was cheap that she mentioned decreasing popularity in Stevenson. He fought on Easter Sunday. His numbers were still higher than Kovalev-Pascal. But all they had to do was bring a good fight to the purse bid. If they win, they put the fight wherever they want. If we win, all they have to do is show up and collect the money.”
The Achilles heel finally came out that – due to his exclusive deal with HBO – Kovalev is locked out of fighting on any other network. Of course, that wrinkle had four months to get ironed out, which leaves Michel unsympathetic to any pain felt on the other side. Conversely, the promoter in fact questions whether or not Kovalev’s handlers really wanted the fight, knowing the limited scope they had to make it happen.
“I believe now it was a publicity stunt,” Michel states. “They were the ones who approached the WBC. They wanted to try to increase Kovalev’s popularity and notoriety off my fighter’s name. They wanted to make it seem like Adonis had to be forced by the WBC. We were going to do everything within their power to. His goal is to fight Kovalev.”
“They want to limit us to where they have their fighter fight, because they can’t get out of that contract (with HBO). If they were honest and said from the beginning that if not HBO then Kovalev can’t fight, we wouldn’t have to go through with this.”
For now, it appears that the biggest fight to be made at light heavyweight will have to marinate for a little while longer. Kovalev will likely move forward with a bout with Mohammedi, while a new mandatory challenger will be named for Stevenson.
That’s if, of course, present matters stand firm. Michel still hopes that – this being boxing – the other corner opts to get off its stool and soldier on.
“Unless the WBC says otherwise, we are going to Mexico City (for Friday’s purse bid),” Michel insists. “If they don’t show up, they lose by default. Knowing that, the WBC will name another mandatory and we will have to face another contender.
“I don’t know who that fighter will be, but there’s only one fighter I’m thinking about next for Adonis and that’s Sergey Kovalev. I still hope that his team will change their mind and put up a fight. They need to finish this fight - a fight that they have started.”
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
