Stevenson No Adonis, Tavoris in a Cloud, Bell Centre Montreal Fight Card Preview
By Robert Brizel, Head RCM Boxing Correspondent
Montreal, Quebec (September 27th, 2013)–Adonis Stevenson is a boxer, but he is not an Adonis. Stevenson is a fighting man, in the sport for the guts and the glory, not for looks. In April 2010, journeyman Darnell Boone finished Stevenson in the second round, exposing his chin. Stevenson may have gotten lucky with the poorly trained Chad Dawson (sans he ex-trainer Jon Scully when he fought Stevenson) when he stopped him in the first round and won the World Boxing Council Light Heavyweight title. Stevenson might get sent back to his native Haiti after fighting top ranked former champion Tavoris Cloud this weekend in defense of his title.
Stevenson, 21-1, 18 knockouts, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, will have his hands full with Cloud, 24-1, 19 knockouts, Tallahassee, Florida. Cloud threw 650 punches, including 282 power punches, while losing his IBF world title to Bernard Hopkins in March 2013. Cloud is a far better technical boxer, and a far busier boxer than Stevenson. Now if Stevenson can hit hard enough to knock Cloud out, that’s possible. However, Cloud will outbox Stevenson for the majority off rounds, dominating Stevenson with his jab, and walk away with the WBC title by 12 round unanimous decision. The winner of this bout will be a fresh face for Bernard Hopkins to fight sometime in 2014 if Hopkins wants the bout. Probably he will.
Regarding the six bout undercard, in three light heavyweight bouts, Eleider Alvarez should win by decision over Edison Miranda. Jean Pascal will stop George Blades after the fifth round, and the ex-Olympian Artur Beterbiev will decision aging trialhorse Rayco Saunders. Middleweight David Lemieux will win by unanimous decision over the now faded Marcus Upshaw. In two welterweight bouts, Kevin Bizier will stop Giuseppe Lauri, and Antonin Decarie will stop Salim Larbi.
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