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Cloutier’s Canada Corner
Stevenson Gets Two Knockdowns, Beats Bika
By Unanimous
Decision; He Wants Kovalev Now
By Daniel Cloutier
Photos: Robert Lévesque
QUÉBEC CITY, Canada — The Montrealer Adonis Stevenson and
the African Sakio Bika both predicted their win by KO or TKO
in the last days.
Who was right? Neither one.
However, Stevenson said: “I will show up in the ring with
the belt of WBC light heavyweight champion of the world, and
I will get out of the ring with the same belt…”
He was right on that.
A southpaw ranked among the 10 best punchers pound for pound
in the world, Stevenson proceeded to a fifth successful
defense of this WBC light heavyweight championship of the
world Saturday afternoon in the ring of the old Québec City
Colisée, in beating Bika by unanimous decision. Stevenson,
who was the aggressor in most of the rounds, floored twice
his opponent and hurt him seriously more than 15 times.
The judges Glen Rick Crocker, Don Griffin, both from Texas,
and Jack Woodburn, from Montréal, scored respectively the
fight 115-111, 116-110 and 115-110, all in favour of the
Montrealer.
“I clearly won the bout, then, I am satisfied, said
Stevenson when he got out of the ring. Bika said I was
nervous and worried, and I was scared of him? Come on! I was
the aggressor in almost every moments of the fight. I really
controlled the action. But I got to admit that Bika is very
tough, even he went twice of on the floor. He never lost a
fight by KO or TKO. But I know I hurt him many times in that
bout. My power shots were accurate and explosives. I believe
I got a good fight technically and strategically.”
The fight was televised by CBS.
The two fighters scored few good shots in the first round, a
round very close.
Stevenson took the control of the action in the second round
with five good power shots.
Stevenson scored again several power shots in the third
round, but Bika found a way to finish the round on a good
note, in being more aggressive.
In the fourth, the Montrealer still the aggressor and he
connected more than 30 power shots to the head and the body.
Stevenson hurt seriously Bika in the fifth round. Three
times Bika looked in serious trouble.
Stevenson floored Bika with a powerful left hand to the head
in the sixth round.
Bika got a couple of good attacks in the seventh round, but
each time Stevenson was connected him with a power shot, the
fighter from Cameron was clearly suffering.
In the eight, Bika got his best moments of the fight
offensively. He looked more energetic than his opponent in
that round.
Stevenson became back the aggressor in the nine round, and
provoked a second knockdown with an another great left power
shot.
Stevenson maintained his attacks in the 10th round, but Bika
was resisting. In the 11th round, each fighter got his
productive moments offensively.
Bika (32-7-3) tried to save his fight in the 12th, he worked
very hard, but Stevenson hurt him a couple of more times.
Bika lost clearly the bout, but he showed a great courage in
the circumstances. Stevenson was the sixth world champions
that Bika was facing.
Stevenson (26-1-0) got a big smile when a journalist asked
him if he is ready now for Sergey Kovalev. “I am the WBC
light heavyweight champion of the world, and Kovalev is WBA,
WBO and IBF champion of the world", said Stevenson. "It would
be so logical to organize a unification bout between us. I
want all the 175 pounds world crowns, and he wants the same
thing. I really hope we will be in the same ring in
September.”
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