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Cloutier’s Canada Corner
Stevenson vs.
Kovalev Or Pascal Will Be Presented September 26 In The New
Québec City Colisée
By Daniel Cloutier
QUÉBEC CITY, Canada —— Yvon Michel, the promoter of the GYM
Group in Montréal, made an agreement with the mayor of
Québec City, Régis Labeaume, concerning the presentation of
a unify WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF light heavyweight
championships of the world in the new Québec City Colisée, a
modern and magnificent arena which will be inaugurated
September 15th 2015. Labeaume hopes his fabulous building
will host several rock concerts, boxing events and a NHL
hockey team. Labeaume hopes to resuscitate the Québec
Nordiques by the way of an expansion or a relocation of an
existing NHL team with financial difficulties.
This unify light heavyweight world titles bout would oppose
the Montrealer Adonis Stevenson (25-1-0) and the Russian
Sergey Kovalev (26-0-1), or Stevenson and the Montrealer
Jean Pascal (29-2-1).
Kovalev, the WBA, WBO and IBF 175 pounds world champion,
will defend his titles against Pascal March 14th at Bell
Centre in Montréal.
“Adonis will sit in the first row of the ringside March 14th
at Bell Centre, and trust me, when the fight will be over,
he will challenge publicly the winner, said the promoter
Yvon Michel. Adonis wants to face Kovalev or Pascal, and
both want to fight Adonis. A match up Stevenson-Kovalev or
Stevenson-Pascal seems inevitable in the circumstances. This
mega fight will be presented in the new Québec City Colisée
September 26th. And I promised to the mayor or Québec City
to organize four boxing shows in the new Québec City Colisée
during 2015 and 2016.”
WBC light heavyweight champion of the world, Stevenson was
clearly satisfy of his work after his win by KO in the fifth
round against his seventh contender, the Russian Dmitry
Sukhotsky (22-3-0), Friday evening in the ring of the old
Québec City Colisée.
He got an ovation at the end of the bout by his 7,000 fans
presents in the stands. “Sukhostky showed a pretty strange
style at the beginning of the bout, maybe to confuse me,
then, i studied him in the first round, and started to
attack in the second round, said Stevenson in the press room
after the event. More the minutes of action were going, more
i felt comfortable. I was moving well in the ring, and my
punches were solid and accurate. You know my power. As you
saw it, I floored him in the second round. At that point, I
was really feeling I was controlling the action. Sukhotsky
has a dangerous right hand, but I never gave him the chance
to use it. He did not connect me many times as you saw it.”
Stevenson provoked a second, third and fourth knockdowns in
the fifth round, winning automatically by KO. Sukhotsky was
clearly hurt after his second knockdown of the fifth round.
But he came back on his feet, and right away, Stevenson
knock him out with a power shot to the chin.
“After the second knockdown in the fifth round, I knew the
fight was over, said Stevenson. Sukhotsky could not defend
himself anymore.” For Sukhotsky, it was a first defeat by
KO.
Stevenson is dreaming now to unify the light heavyweight
world titles in facing Kovalev. “I am positive Kovalev will
beat Pascal March 14th in Montréal, and I want absolutely to
face him in September to unify the titles, said Stevenson. I
just made a fourth successful defence of my WBC crown, then,
it’s time now to determinate the real king of the 175 pounds
division. I am expecting to get a fight in April to be
better prepared to face Kovalev or Pascal… but certainly
Kovalev, at the end of September. I am improving technically
and strategically in each bout, and I am sure i will
dominate Kovalev in 2015.”
In April, Stevenson could offer a rematch to the American
Polish Andzej Fonfara (26-3-0). Last April at Bell Centre,
Stevenson hurt his left hand in the third round, and finally
beat Fonfara by unanimous decision. Stevenson believes this
injury prevented him to win by KO or TKO.
Yvon Michel was more than happy after the show Friday
evening at the old Québec City Colisée. “I think we will
live an incredible year in 2015, said Yvon Michel. Adonis
will become a big star on the international scene if he
becomes unify champion of the world, and I really believe I
will do it. And Arthur Beterbiev, who has only seven pro
bouts (7-0-0) of experience, is already ranked in the world
and no doubt in my mind he will become world champion before
the end of 2015 or 2016. We have with Adonis and Artur the
two jewels of the light heavyweight division. Our boxing
fans will be so excited to follow our stars in the next
years. If Adonis becomes WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF champion of
the world in 2015, he will achieve something never achieved
so far in Canada. And watch what Beterbiev will achieve in
the next five years.”
In September, Beterbiev created a real commotion at Bell
Centre in Montréal, in beating the former IBF champion of
the world, Tavoris Cloud (24-3-0), by KO in less than two
rounds. Friday night, he inflicted to Jeff Page Jr, a boxer
from Andover, Kansas, his first defeat (15-1-0), in beating
him by KO in the second round. Beterbiev is now NABA, NABO
and IBF North American light heavyweight champion. “It’s
true that I was feeling a bit sleepy in the first round, but
when I went on the floor, it’s was not a real knockdown,
said Beterbiev in the press room after the event. I fallen
because Page put his feet on mine. I lost by balance and
fallen. However, I felt insult, and I became very mean
after. Page paid finally the big price…”
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