Adonis Stevenson held off tougher than expected Andrzej Fonfara to retain his WBC light heavyweight title after 12 scintillating rounds of action?.
Saturday night at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada, WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis ?Superman? Stevenson (24-1, 20 KOs) held off tougher than expected Andrzej Fonfara (25-3, 15 KOs) to retain his title by scores of 115-110 twice and 116-109 after 12 scintillating rounds of action.
Fighting out of the red corner in Kronk gold, Stevenson, hailing from Haiti but fighting out of Quebec, is one of the fight game?s hardest hitters. But as he has shown in the past, and as was revealed again last night, his power, which cannot be denied, masks several liabilities. Stamina is an issue. His defense is porous. He is essentially a one-handed fighter.
Fonfara, fighting out of the blue corner in black trunks and fighting out of Chicago by way of Poland, was the designated loser coming into the bout. But someone forgot to tell the Polish Prince. Even though he had never lost a fight at light heavy, few gave him a chance to defeat Superman. But Fonfara?s strengths?his resiliency, his heart, his skill?made it a fight to remember.
Fonfara got things underway by bringing it to Stevenson. He landed a left and right, followed by another short right. Stevenson is an offensive machine and returned fire. Halfway into the first, Superman put out a rangefinder right jab followed by a short left that dropped the Pole to the deck. He beat the count but was hurt. Stevenson jumped on his challenger, who fought back the best he could under the circumstances, when the bell rang to end the round. It was a 10-8 round for the champ and already looked like it was going to be a short night.
Between rounds, Fonfara?s trainer, Sam Colonna, told him, ?Keep your hands up and throw that right down the middle. If you have to grab him, grab him.?
At the start of round two, Fonfara went on the attack. He landed two rights, forcing Stevenson to momentarily hold. But that moment passed and Stevenson unleashed his left hand, which exploded on Fonfara?s head and body. The champ was busy, very busy, too busy for Fonfara. Superman looked unstoppable. It looked like the fight was in the bag.
Stevenson drew first blood in round three. He was moving beautifully. His uppercut had found a home. He even landed some combinations. But Fonfara was in it. He was falling behind, losing rounds, losing the fight. But he never lost his will to win. His left hook was on the mark and he landed some combinations of his own. The champ was comfortably ahead on the scorecards. The gap, however, was narrowing.
Another hook from Fonfara started the fourth. The challenger was landing. But the champ was landing more. Stevenson?s work rate was off the charts. He seemed to hurt Fonfara several times. Fonfara fought back, that?s what fighters do, but he was throwing one punch at a time. It seemed as though the fight was slipping away, which Fonfara?s trainer highlighted between rounds.
?Let?s go,? he said. ?You?re throwing one punch at a time. It ain?t gonna work. Throw combinations and it will work.?
It almost all fell apart in round five. Stevenson had been going to the body throughout the fight. He knew those shots would exact a toll. At the 1:48 mark a left to the solar plexus caused Fonfara to grimace, turn away, and take a knee. He made it to his feet at the count of five, but Fonfara was hurt. It was a big 10-8 round for Superman.
Fonfara brought the pain from round five into round six. He fought defensively, with Stevenson bent on destruction, throwing punches and driving him to the ropes. Fighting fire with fire, or power with power, is all well and good if one can get back it up. But Stevenson?s power is his ace in the hole. It isn?t Fonfara?s strong suit. A straight left caught the challenger and hurt him again. The champ was going for broke. He wanted to end it then and there.
But then the bell rang to start the seventh. Fonfara, trailing on the scorecards and with the fight hanging in the balance, dug deep. The round was close, but Stevenson was tiring. He was slowing down. He was dropping his hands. His punch output was declining. We?ve seen it before and will no doubt see it again, but the challenger, in this case Fonfara, managed to pull a rabbit out of a hat and take rounds seven and eight. He was landing hard combinations and stunned Stevenson on several occasions. The champion had been so dominant in the first half of the fight, it made Fonfara?s surge all the more impressive.
Fonfara parlayed the turnaround into an incredible round nine. Stevenson landed a straight left. Fonfara landed a right-left-right. Then Fonfara caught and dropped Stevenson to the canvas. A hush descended in Montreal, while Chicagoans and Poles were going nuts. The tide had turned. It looked like the challenger might beat the champ. Stevenson rose from the canvas on wobbly legs and his nose was bleeding. Superman did nothing for the rest of the round; nothing, that is, except eat punches.
Between rounds Stevenson?s cornerman implored, ?Slow the pace up. Tie him up. Tie the man up.?
Adonis took those words to heart. After buying time by clinching to regain his wits, the champ regained control in round 10. An uppercut landed and had Fonfara in trouble. Stevenson resumed landing thudding to the Fonfara?s body, one of which strayed low. Fonfara landed two lefts. Stevenson caught him with a hook below the rib cage. They were going at it, toe-to-toe, tooth and nail, hammer and tong. Now it was the challenger?s turn to wilt as Stevenson turned up the heat down the stretch. Superman was back and pocketed the round.
It was Stevenson?s turn to dig deep in the championship rounds. Fonfara landed two rights followed by a 1-2. Stevenson was landing downstairs. Fonfara caught the champ with a left hook. Stevenson connected with an uppercut that drove Fonfara to the ropes. The pace was torrid. Stevenson landed more and won the round, but what was supposed to be a showcase had turned into one helluva fight.
In the 12th and final round, Fonfara couldn?t contain his enthusiasm. He and Stevenson continued to trade, with the advantage shifting from one man to the other. Sometimes Fonfara was fading. But it was Stevenson who was fighting for dear life. He knew he had won, just as Fonfara knew he had lost. But since context is everything, they were throwing punches right until the final bell (and in Fonfara?s case, even after the final bell).
Stevenson may not be a perfect fighter, but he?s the genuine article. The same can be said for Fonfara, who one day in the not-too-distant future will wear a crown befitting his nickname.
