Ranking the Best Matchups for Adonis Stevenson's Next Fight
Adonis Stevenson proved his mettle Saturday night as one of the best boxers on the planet by dominating tough customer and former alphabet titlist Tavoris Cloud over the entirety of their seven-round encounter at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
The bout was wisely halted after Stevenson had buzzed the usually durable Cloud more times than his corner could stomach. Stevenson is the first person to defeat Cloud by stoppage.
The 36-year-old Haitian-born Canadian was defending the TBRB Light Heavyweight Championship he earned last June by spectacular one-punch knockout over Chad Dawson, as well as his WBC and Ring Magazine alphabet straps.
After the shellacking of Cloud, a fighter expected to test the new champion, the fight world was abuzz with scintillating options for the light heavyweight king, Stevenson.
While ESPN’s Dan Rafael reports his next fight is to be a mandatory alphabet defense against England's Tony Bellew, it’s clear the robust weight class has much more to offer the exciting boxer known as “Superman.”
Here are the five best potential matchups for Stevenson, ranked by historical significance as well as overall general intrigue.
5. Jean Pascal
1 of 5
Buzz meter
A battle between two Haitian-born Canadians for the light heavyweight crown isn’t something you see everyday, and the Bell Centre in Montreal would be rocking as loud as ever on fight night.
Moreover, each man’s style lends itself to aggressive power punching.
Would Jean Pascal be able to get under Stevenson’s long jabs and crosses early and often enough to unload his own devastating hooks and teeth-clinching uppercuts? Or would the boxer-puncher, Stevenson, have his way from the outside?
Whatever were to happen, the winner of the bout would become king of boxing in Canada.
Why it’d matter
A win over Pascal, a former titlist, would give Stevenson yet another solid victory on his increasingly impressive ledger. It would solidify his claim to the throne and give his Canada-sized fanbase something to cheer for.
Meanwhile, a victory by Pascal would mean two linear light heavyweight champions from Canada in a row. It’d also put him in better position to land a third bout against Bernard Hopkins, who he is 0-1-1 against.
4. Carl Froch
2 of 5
Buzz meter
Carl Froch campaigns at 168 pounds, but his efforts to secure a rematch with Andre Ward would be bolstered in moving up to 175 and snagging the linear crown. Moreover, the awkward but accomplished Froch has shown himself capable of winning at the very highest levels of the sport.
The bout would generate tons of attention, especially if Stevenson could be lured over to the U.K. through copious amounts of cash.
Would Froch’s herky-jerky style keep him out of harm’s way over a full 12 rounds? Or would Stevenson potshot Froch from the outside and knock him down to size?
Why it’d matter
Froch’s been in the ring with a who’s who of 168-175-pound stars. Andre Ward, Mikkel Kessler, Lucian Bute, Glen Johnson and Arthur Abraham give him the kind of high-class experience Stevenson can only dream about at this point.
A win over Froch would garner Stevenson a tremendous amount of respect on both sides of the pond.
For Froch, becoming light heavyweight champ would lend credence to his claim of being one of the better (if not best) U.K. champions in history.
3. Bernard Hopkins
3 of 5
Buzz meter
Bernard Hopkins has made a second (or maybe third) career of picking up title belts against young champions hoping to make names for themselves.
The fight would generate a lot of interest simply because Hopkins has pulled off the unthinkable so many times now.
At 48, would the grand master become linear champion of the 175-pound division yet again? Or would Stevenson’s power and patient boxing skills be too much for the ageless one?
Why it’d matter
There probably isn’t a bigger name for Stevenson to fight that would garner more accolades in the long run than Hopkins.
He is a surefire Hall of Famer who is still competitive at the very highest levels of the sport.
On the other hand, a win by Hopkins over Stevenson gives perhaps the greatest fighter of his generation even more claim to being the most successful champion in the history of boxing.
2. Sergey Kovalev
4 of 5
Buzz meter
There is no better opponent for Stevenson stylistically, at least from a fan perspective, than hard puncher Sergey Kovalev.
In his Round 4 KO win over the previously undefeated Nathan Cleverly in August, Kovalev showed he was more than just a stone-fisted brawler. He used technical skill to stalk Cleverly to the canvas time and time again in the fight.
Against a vile hard hitter like Stevenson, the bout would be fast and furious until someone was rendered unconscious.
Why it’d matter
With just one title defense on his resume, the 36-year-old Stevenson would be wise to face the best and brightest challengers he can find in order to secure the most amount of money as quickly as possible.
Moreover, wins over rugged sluggers like Kovalev are what keeps most TV-watching fight fans glued to the tube.
Meanwhile, a win for Kovalev would launch his career into the stratosphere.
1. Andre Ward
5 of 5
Buzz meter
This fight would generate a tremendous amount of interest and would be especially intriguing at 175 pounds.
Stevenson showed himself a competent boxer against Cloud, but Andre Ward is a different animal. He’s got power, speed and has proved capable of game planning as well as anyone in the sport today.
Would Stevenson’s power keep Ward off of him long enough to do damage? Or would Ward’s boxing skills ultimately prevail?
Why it’d matter
Stevenson-Ward would pit two current linear champions against each other.
While Ward’s 10-round TKO win over Chad Dawson last year gives the native Californian such a victory on his ledger already, a jump up to light heavyweight against Stevenson would give the aspiring superstar two linear titles in two weight classes at the same time.
Meanwhile, a win for Stevenson would start paving his way up many pundits’ pound-for-pound charts.
.png?w=600 "Ranking KD Trade Ideas, Landing Spots 📍")
