THE IDEC INDEX
Here is boxing writer Keith Idec’s inside look at the sport:
FEATURED FIGHT: Adonis Stevenson vs. Sakio Bika. Stevenson’s next defense of the WBC light heavyweight title, scheduled for April 4 in Quebec City, will be the first main event broadcast by CBS as part of CBS/Showtime’s new content agreement with Al Haymon’s “Premier Boxing Champions” series. Haymon’s company also has deals with NBC/NBC Sports Network, ESPN and Spike TV. Montreal’s Stevenson (25-1, 21 KOs) is one of boxing’s biggest punchers, yet has avoided higher-profile fights against IBF/WBA/WBO champion Sergey Kovalev (26-0-1, 23 KOs) and former WBC champ Jean Pascal (29-2-1, 17 KOs, 1 NC) since he won his title in June 2013. Russia’s Kovalev is scheduled to defend his 175-pound crowns against Quebec’s Pascal on March 14 in Montreal. Cameroon’s Bika (32-6-3, 21 KOs) is rugged and awkward, but has spent his entire 14-year pro career at super middleweight and middleweight.
LOCAL LOOK: Paterson’s Ian Green (2-0, 2 KOs) will face Daryl Fenton (1-0-1), of Wheeling, W. Va., in a four-round super middleweight match Feb. 27 at Paramount Theatre in Huntington, N.Y. Green, 21, won two New Jersey Golden Gloves titles at 165 pounds prior to the Eastside graduate turning pro last year. This Feb. 27 card also will include an eight-round welterweight bout between Paterson native Jeremy Bryan (17-5, 7 KOs) and Philadelphia’s Ray Serrano (20-2, 9 KOs) that’ll be broadcast by ESPN2.
THE FINAL BELL: If Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao are to finally fight May 2, an announcement must be made within the next few days. As if we don’t have enough reasons to remain skeptical, they’re running out of time to schedule a multi-city promotional tour for a fight of this magnitude and get both boxers back to their home bases for two-month training camps prior to what likely would be the most lucrative event in boxing history.
