Adonis Stevenson outpointed Sakio Bika before a decidedly sparse crowd at the Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec City, Canada, yesterday afternoon on the first Premier Boxing Champions broadcast on CBS. It was a fight that offered little of what might turn new eyes to the sport, and scant more of what might keep old eyes from rolling.
Stevenson-Bika pitted one fighter, the southpaw Stevenson, who would be rendered nearly helpless should he injure his left hand, against another, Bika, whose brand of violence would be only slightly less effective were he to lose both of his hands entirely. No such disaster befell either fighter. Yet, despite their four good hands they failed to conjure a memorable moment over 12 trudging rounds. Ivan Denisovich had more success building walls then Stevenson and Bika did building excitement.
A mind might forgivably wander musing over what led Bika to an opportunity for which he was so undeserving and unfit. Bika, born in Cameroon but now living in Sydney, Australia, had not won a fight since his June 2013 majority decision over Marco Antonio Periban, and he followed that win with a disputed draw and points loss to Anthony Dirrell. Nor had Bika, a career super-middleweight, any credentials above 168 pounds. Bika is known mostly for being as tough as he is dirty, and for invariably losing to the best fighters he has faced. Bika is, however, a member of Al Haymon?s stable, and that was enough to cast him opposite ?Superman.?
After a few rounds of Stevenson failing to find the mark on an opponent leading with his chin?a puzzling difficulty the commentary team labored to attribute to some underappreciated nuance in Bika?s game?a wandering mind might begin to question Stevenson as well. Four of Stevenson?s last seven opponents?Darnell Boone, Chad Dawson, Tavoris Cloud and Bika?were coming off losses when they faced him. Not to unfairly diminish Stevenson?s reign as the man who beat the man (Dawson) who was knocked out in his previous fight, Stevenson, born in Haiti but now living in Laval, Quebec, also cold-cocked the venerable Tony Bellew and Dmitry Sukhotsky. That Stevenson?s competition has stagnated since he won a title is hardly unique: milking titles is a time-honored tradition, and one not surprisingly embraced by a 37 year-old late to success. Moreover, with Stevenson lowering expectations, Bika, 32-7-3 (21), could be fashioned?however unconvincingly?into a potentially dangerous opponent. Any struggles on Stevenson?s part could be attributed not to his shortcomings but to how troublesome Bika is.
Bika is indeed troublesome enough to capture a wandering mind every few rounds, mostly because of his comfort beyond the margins of sportsmanship. Like the animal in his moniker, whatever evil ?The Scorpion? promises in his clumsy arms is trumped by the weapon he wields between them. He had his moments too, hitting with forearms, wrists, and of course, his head, though at no point did he imperil Stevenson. Nor was he was supposed to.
This reality became clear early on, and should have translated into a stoppage for Stevenson, Bika?s reputation for toughness be damned. That it did not, raises questions about Stevenson. Like Nonito Donaire, Stevenson has a lethal left hand, but none of his remaining physical or intellectual equipment can be trusted should that punch be denied him (admittedly a tall order). This is why, despite hurting Bika early, Stevenson, 174 1/2, was clowning his opponent as early the fifth round. Stevenson could toy with Bika, sure, but only because he could not put his awkward opponent away. A fighter with more offensive dimensions would have used the threat of his left hand to open Bika up, would have worked the body, and added uppercuts when Bika, 174 1/2, leaned over his front foot. But Stevenson did nothing but fire round after southpaw round at Bika, whose acclimatized chin handled most of what his guard did not catch.
To his credit, after seeing his opponent grind himself into the fight, Stevenson, 26-1 (21), finally adjusted and dropped Bika in the ninth round with a left to the chin set up by a committed body attack. From that point forward Stevenson carried the inaction with histrionics and, of course, left hands. Inexplicably tight scores of 116-110, 115-110, and 115-111 awarded Stevenson the victory.
However dull his recent fights have been, Stevenson?s future could be interesting enough to keep a mind from wandering. With Sergey Kovalev his mandatory, and a purse bid scheduled for April 17th, it seems Stevenson is closer than ever to taking the fight he has denied the public for some time. Backed by Al Haymon?s deep pockets, GYM, which promotes Stevenson, should win the purse bid, and that would allow them to determine the fight?s network and venue. There are complications to overcome for certain, specifically HBO?s resistance to Kovalev moving off their airwaves, especially for a fight that has magnitude. Such concerns put the cart before the horse however. Haymon may not be interested in risking one of his clients against a threat he does not profit from. And to hear company parrot Paulie Malignaggi squawk about Artur Beterbiev, the much-hyped prospect (and Haymon client) who crumbled Gabriel Campillo on the undercard, Kovalev may not even be the Russian the Stevenson braintrust has in mind. It is telling that, even with the purse bid looming, Kovalev was not mentioned at all in Stevenson?s post fight interview. And really, why would he be? Until Kovalev is in some way controlled by Haymon, he might as well not exist. Is it any wonder, then, why minds wander?
