The Hottest Boxing Storylines for the Week of December 22

The holidays are a time for family and relaxation, but the sport of boxing never takes a break.

We still have plenty of news and events to break down.

Wladimir Klitschko is set to bring his act back to American soil for a heavyweight title fight. 

Will his return to New York finally put some attention back on his historic run as the dominant big man in the game?

Speaking of the big boys, Bermane Stiverne will defend the WBC Heavyweight Championship against Deontay Wilder in January.

We assess whether or not that fight is a proving ground to determine the top contender for Klitschko's legitimate heavyweight crown.

Adonis Stevenson scored a spectacular knockout of a lightly regarded foe on Friday night. Does his win do anything to help his damaged reputation?

All that and more in the hottest boxing storylines for the week of Dec. 22.

Will Wlad Take America by Storm?

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

Klitschko has quietly waged an assault on heavyweight boxing’s record books.

Quietly because, unfortunately, not many people have paid attention.

His 17 consecutive title defenses are the third-most in heavyweight history, behind just Larry Holmes (20) and Joe Louis (25). Louis holds the all-time record for defenses in any weight class, and Klitschko, depending on how much longer he soldiers on, seems to have an outside shot at that mark.

Much of his reign, and accomplishments, have flown under the radar, the result of less-than-stellar opposition and trouble finding networks to broadcast his fights, which were exclusively in Germany.

Klitschko recently solved two of those problems, sealing a three-fight deal with HBO which will bring his next fight to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, next April.

An opponent is yet to be finalized, undefeated American contender Bryant Jennings seems to be the favorite, but it will be Wlad’s first appearance stateside since dominating Sultan Ibragimov to win the WBO title at Madison Square Garden in 2008.

The move makes a lot of sense for everyone.

Heavyweight boxing has been rendered largely irrelevant these past few years, but with a new crop of interesting challengers—two of which we’ll discuss next—on the rise, the potential is there for a revitalization.

Bringing both the belts and the champ to the biggest city in America is a perfect way to drum up some interest in the big boys again and maybe get some attention on Wlad’s historic quest.

Is Stiverne vs. Wilder a Klitschko Elimination Bout?

Chris Carlson/Associated Press

Stiverne, the WBC heavyweight champion, and Wilder have finally agreed to terms on their hotly anticipated fight. The pair of big men will meet for the lone heavyweight strap not owned by Klitschko on Jan. 17 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The stakes are extremely high, and they have nothing to do with the heavyweight “title” that will be on the line.

The green belt is a nice trinket, no disrespect intended, but it doesn’t make either man a true champion. 

What it will do is position the winner for a shot at true heavyweight glory.

Wlad has been pretty clear about his desire to unify the WBC belt, previously held by older brother Vitali, with his WBA, IBF and WBO straps. He’s already the undisputed champion, but the iconic green belt is the one which has eluded him in his Hall of Fame career.

Stiverne or Wilder are all but locks to get a crack at the champion later next year. The winner of that bout would, presumably, become the first undisputed heavyweight champion to simultaneously hold all four sanctioning-body championships. 

Stiverne is the more accomplished of the two. He holds the “title” and has the more impressive wins, dominating Chris Arreola twice, busting up his nose the first time and stopping him the second.

Wilder is a straight-up bomber. He’s had 32 fights and put 32 men to sleep. Quality of opposition has been subpar, yes, but it’s pretty clear he has the goods to hurt any fighter on the planet if he can land clean.

Both men are fighting for the chance to become the legitimate top contender in a division desperately in need of one, and they don’t seem terribly fond of one another.

That's the type of fight heavyweight boxing fans want to see.

Let’s get it on!

Did Adonis Stevenson Prove Anything on Friday Night?

Stevenson blew out the woefully overmatched Dmitry Sukhotsky on Friday night at the Colisee Pepsi in Quebec City, but you’d be forgiven if you didn’t pay the fight any mind.

It capped off an absolutely terrible year for The Ring Magazine, lineal and WBC light heavyweight champion, one where he developed a reputation for ducking big fights and premium challengers.

ESPN’s Dan Rafael pulled no punches, labeling Stevenson “Superduck,” a play on his Superman nickname, and openly criticizing his decision to avoid high-profile fights.

Stevenson had a breakout campaign in 2013. He won four fights, all inside the distance, including a spectacular first-round demolition of Chad Dawson to capture the 175-pound crown.

It’s all been downhill since.

We could say that Stevenson has missed out on plenty of big fights since then, but there were choices involved.

Circumstances didn’t dictate events; he played a part in creating those circumstances.

He didn’t fight Sergey Kovalev because he made a choice to leave HBO for Showtime and Al Haymon, presumably to fight Bernard Hopkins.

He didn’t fight Hopkins because he took too long.

He didn’t fight Jean Pascal because of money issues.

So what did the fans get?

Sukhotsky, an absolutely woeful challenger who had no business being in the same ring or hyped as a legitimate challenger.

Post-fight bluster aside, Stevenson isn’t the man in the light heavyweight division any longer.

At least in the fans' eyes.

That would be Kovalev.

In the months that Stevenson spent securing second- and third-tier challengers, Kovalev dominated Hopkins, secured three-fourths of the light heavyweight title and signed to face Pascal in March.

He did everything Stevenson didn't do, even with opportunities in front of him.

Kovalev has dared to be great.

Adonis hasn't.

Why Are Pay-Per-View Numbers Down?

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Floyd Mayweather and Canelo Alvarez met in boxing’s highest-grossing fight last September, generating approximately 2.2 million buys on PPV.

Mayweather’s numbers have fallen off drastically since.

Neither of his 2014 fights with Marcos Maidana eclipsed the magic one-million mark—they did 900,000 and 925,000 respectively—even as they were the year’s biggest PPV draws by a good margin.

Manny Pacquiao fared even worse.

His April rematch with Timothy Bradley only drew in between 750-800,000 buys, and his fall contest with Chris Algieri was a complete bust, rumored at somewhere in the 300,000 range without any official word.

Even Miguel Cotto’s fight with Sergio Martinez badly underperformed, coming in at about 350,000 buys. Surprising since the Puerto Rican icon has always been good at the box office and was pursuing history.

So it’s not just Mayweather.

Numbers are down across the board, and Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya, in comments to Rick Reeno, thinks he knows why.

"

People are now fed up and they are tired. They are frustrated. If its not Manny Pacquiao and Mayweather who are going to fight, we are not going to buy pay-per-view. That's the fight that must happen for the sake of the sport. I don't care who wins. I just want to see it happen because its going to be a great fight and it will attract more fans.

"

It’s an interesting take, and hard to argue for or against. A lot of factors are obviously at play, but frustration with the lack of a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight could well be one of them, no?

What say you, fans?

Can Jesus Cuellar Become a Factor in the Crowded Featherweight Mix?

Jesus Cuellar put together a pretty solid follow-up performance on Saturday night on Showtime Extreme, successfully defending his interim WBA Featherweight Championship with a fifth-round TKO over lanky Mexican challenger Ruben Tamayo.

The Argentine burst on the scene with wins over former prospect Rico Ramos and a devastating second-round knockout of former world champion Juan Manuel Lopez earlier this year.

Cuellar has a style that many fans will appreciate if he continues to get mainstream exposure. There’s really nothing complicated about it. Once the bell rings, he’s going to come forward, throw lots of punches and try to get you out of there as fast as possible.

The Robert Garcia-trained fighter is a bit crude at times, not all that different from compatriot Marcos Maidana, but he can be a factor in a crowded featherweight division, and his style presents a handful for even the very best.

Cuellar called out Abner Mares, who beat Jose Ramirez on Showtime last weekend, for his next fight, but it’s unclear if that will happen right away.

Mares wants his rematch with Jhonny Gonzalez, and Cuellar’s name recognition might not justify the risk quite yet.