By Ian Aldous: This Friday night, Curtis ‘Showtime’ Stevens (25-4) takes on Patrick ‘The Machine’ Majewski (21-2) in a ten-round main event, broadcast live on NBCSN. Curtis is looking to bounce back following his unsuccessful but credible world title challenge against Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin. Less than three months after that fight, he’s already looking to earn a win that will propel him back into championship contention. Last week Curtis took a few minutes to talk with me ahead of the fight.
When I asked Curtis about how he would review his performance against Golovkin after having a couple of months to reflect on it, he’s quite harsh on himself despite the fact he had more joy than most of the Golovkin opponents of recent years. “I give myself probably a five out of ten. I was thinking too much and didn’t let my hands go.”
Let’s not forget that GGG is near the top of many pound-for-pound lists. The experience gained just by being in the ring with someone of his calibre is priceless to a fighter’s career. “That was my first title shot, you know. My first time in that predicament and like I said, I believe I was just thinking too much. I was thinking and not re-acting. It was mostly my fault, thinking too much and not letting my hands go.”
When I originally watched the fight, I was of the opinion that even though Stevens was eventually outclassed, he did have sporadic spells where he managed to land his shots on GGG. He didn’t necessarily agree with me. “Looking at the tape, I see that I was touching him but I didn’t feel that at any time I was really landing powerful shots. I may have hurt him but I didn’t see it. I feel that I wasn’t landing thumping shots, in my mind, so I really can’t tell (if I hurt him).”
Curtis was impressed with what the Kazakh world champion brought to the table in the fight but believes the defeat was mainly due to the manner in which he performed on the night. “Like I’ve said before, he’s a great fighter but I believe it was mostly my fault and things I didn’t do. I made the fight harder than what it really was.”
By the time the fight arrives on NBC this Saturday night, it will have been the fifth time that Stevens has fought in the last year (five days over a year to be precise!). The regularity in which he fights is refreshing and constantly keeps him in the minds of fight fans – it’s something he just loves to do. ” They (my promoter) offer the fights and it’s up to me to take it. That’s what I do for a living, I’m a fighter. I lost and I felt it was time for me to get right back in there and not take no time off. I gotta make up for that loss, January 24th is gonna be the road to redemption.”
The main-event bout takes on added significance due to the fact that both men come into it on the back of a loss. Majewski dropped a unanimous decision to the undefeated and fast-rising Patrick Nielsen in Denmark. The winner will climb the rankings whilst the loser will face a very tough road back to the top level of competition. “I don’t ever think (about a) loss in my mind. He’s coming to fight and I’m coming to fight, he just came off a loss and I just came off a loss, so I believe we both have something to prove. When the bell rings, we gonna lock jaws.” He continued “I seen a couple of youtube videos and he comes to fight just like I do. It should be an excellent fight for as long as it lasts.”
Friday, January 24th at Resorts International Casino and Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ features a ten-round middleweight battle between Curtis “Showtime” Stevens and Patrick “The Machine” Majewski in the main event.
The ten-round Cruiserweight co-feature between Thabiso “The Rock” Mchunu and Olanrewaju “God’s Power” Durodola, will be for the vacant NABF Cruiserweight Title. Six additional fights are planned for the undercard, all fights subject to change.
Doors are scheduled to open at 6:45 PM ET, First Fight at 7:00 PM ET. The main event and co-feature will be broadcast 10:00 PM ET on NBC Fight Night on NBCSN. The card is presented by Main Events, Peltz Boxing, Dibella Entertainment and Showpony Promotions.
Tickets are priced at $75 and $50. They can be purchased at the Resorts International Casino and Hotel Box Office, 800-736-1420; at TicketMaster 800-745-3000 or online (key word: Main Events); and at Peltz Boxing 215-765-0922.
NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets – will live stream Fight Night on Friday, Jan. 24 at 10 p.m. ET.
Coverage will be streamed via “TV Everywhere,” the media industry’s effort to make quality content available to authenticated customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.
For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app for mobile devices and tablets is available at the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and on select Android handset and tablet devices within Google Play.
Coverage airing on NBCSN will live stream to PCs, mobile devices and tablets through NBC Sports Live Extra, and to the digital platforms of participating cable, satellite, and telco services, via “TV Everywhere,” which is available on an authenticated basis to subscribers of participating MVPDs.
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