By Scott Gilfoid: WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson (22-1, 19 KO’s) already has someone in mind for his next fight after be takes care of business on Saturday night against his mandatory challenger Tony Bellew (20-1-1, 12 KO’s) at the Colisee de Quebec, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
Stevenson wants 48-year-old Bernard Hopkins next in a unification bout, as he sees this as a good business decision due to Hopkins’ popularity.
Stevenson, of course, also is interested in fighting WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev, because that’s the whole reason his title defense against Ismayl Sillakh has been made as the co-feature on Stevenson’s card. But Stevenson wants Hopkins next.
Stevenson’s promoter Yvon Michel told ESPN “We understand that Kovalev is on the fast track and wants to fight the best in the division, Adonis Stevenson, although you can say that Bernard Hopkins, because of his longevity, is better known. Stevenson-Kovalev is not a fight we are opposing. It’s business…After Saturday, Adonis’ priority is to fight Hopkins.”
It’s good to see a promoter telling the cold truth instead of talking a bunch of blather that hides the real truth. At least Michel tells it like it is. They’re going after Hopkins because it’s a better business fight than fighting the lesser known Kovalev.
It’s too soon for the Stevenson vs. Kovalev fight anyway. Kovalev needs to beat some guys with a pulse, because his win over Nathan Cleverly and fight against Ismayl Sillakh won’t be enough to get the casual boxing fans excited about a Stevenson-Kovalev fight. What Kovalev needs is to face guys like Chad Dawson, Tavoris Cloud, Carl Froch, Mikkel Kessler, George Groves, Jermain Taylor, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Bellew, Jean Pascal and Lucian Bute. If he can beat some of those guys, a fight between him and Stevenson will be a big deal. But until then, it’s hardly worth it for Stevenson to waste his talent on fighting Kovalev because the money just isn’t there yet.
This Saturday night, Stevenson plans on making quick work of Bellew so that he doesn’t get any ideas that he can actually win the fight.
Stevenson said this about Bellew at the final press conference “I know you are dreaming to be world champion. You will never fight a man and Superman like me. I will know you out cold. I am going to knock you out cold.”
When Stevenson says he’s going to knock Bellew out cold, you believe him because he has that kind of power and Bellew has already shown himself to be a little chinny from his past fights.
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