By Allan Fox: According to RDS.ca, Yvon Michel, the promoter for #2 IBF super middleweight contender Adonis Stevenson (18-1, 15 KO’s), was surprised today to learn that Andre Dirrell (20-1, 14 KO’s) had decided not to face his fighter Stevenson on August 11th in an International Boxing Federation 168 pound eliminator bout in Montreal, Canada.

Michel told RDS.ca “Last Friday I spoke to Leonard Ellerbe of Mayweather Promotions, and he told me that Dirrell had no problem coming to Montreal and he just wanted to negotiate a fair deal for everyone. And one hour before a conference call we had expected, I received a call from the IBF to tell me that the manager of Dirrell had told them that his boxer had no intention of facing Stevenson. Ellerbe was not even aware.”

This is sad news for boxing fans because the backup fighter that will be stepping in to face Stevenson is #12 IBF Don George (22-2-1, 19 KO’s), who is coming off a one-sided 10 round unanimous decision loss to Edwin Rodriguez last March in a fight where George didn’t seem to fight hard after he fell behind in the fight early on. Against Stevenson, George will likely quickly fall behind in the fight due to his slow hands and his limited boxing skills.

It would be disappointing to see Stevenson in an uncompetitive bout for the IBF super middleweight mandatory spot. At least in a fight against Dirrell, it would be competitive between Stevenson and Dirrell due to Dirrell’s fast hands and excellent defensive skills. You can’t really say the same thing for Stevenson-George. That will likely be a lopsided win for Stevenson if he’s unable to KO George.

The Stevenson vs. George fight will take place on the undercard of the Jean Pascal vs. Tavoris fight. This should be an excellent fight if Pascal doesn’t have too much ring rust from his long absence from the ring.