Adonis Stevenson probably won?t lose to Andrzej Fonfara on Saturday night. Stevenson (28-1, 23 KOs) is one of the best light heavyweights in the world ? even if he doesn?t fight often enough for us to remember it on a consistent basis ? and he dominated Fonfara for long stretches of the fight when the two first matched up in 2014.
Stevenson is also a -1100 betting favorite to beat Fonfara (29-4, 17 KOs) again (meaning you?d have to wager $1,100 in order to win $100), and Stevenson already seems to be looking forward to possibly fighting the winner of the Andre Ward-Sergey Kovalev II winner. Many of us look at this match and see that Stevenson will win it fairly easily.
But in actuality, Fonfara has a chance at pulling off the upset. Here are three reasons why.
1) Fonfara got stronger as the fight wore on last time: Yes, Stevenson won the first matchup by a relatively wide unanimous decision, and sure, Stevenson knocked down Fonfara twice in the early rounds. But Fonfara fought back hard in the later rounds and had the talent and willpower to actually make Stevenson nervous. Especially when this happened.
That should give Fonfara confidence heading into Saturday?s bout.
2) How much longer can Stevenson be considered an elite fighter? Stevenson is 39 years old, and he?s meeting a boxer who?s 10 years younger than him on Saturday. He also hasn?t fought in 11 months, and at some point, you?d have to assume that Stevenson will slow down enough to get beat. Can Fonfara be the one to turn him into an old fighter? Perhaps if he fights smart. ?I can?t make the same mistakes I did in our first fight,? Fonfara told reporters this week. ?Stevenson only has a good left hand. He?s the champ and he?s a good fighter, but his boxing isn?t amazing. He?s not easy, but he only has basic boxing skills. We must cut his left hand and be ready to throw my right. We need to control him.?
3) Stevenson is gunning for the KO; Fonfara could use that against him: Fonfara hasn?t looked great lately ? he got knocked out in the first round by Joe Smith Jr., and then was getting out-boxed by a faded Chad Dawson before Fonfara stopped him ? but he?s got skills. They?re not a good as Stevenson?s talent, but if Stevenson gets overzealous, Fonfara could use that overenthusiasm to his own advantage. ?He wants the KO,? Fonfara said, ?and I want the KO, too.?
Josh Katzowitz ,
Contributor
I cover the NFL, boxing and every sport in between.
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Adonis Stevenson probably won?t lose to Andrzej Fonfara on Saturday night. Stevenson (28-1, 23 KOs) is one of the best light heavyweights in the world ? even if he doesn?t fight often enough for us to remember it on a consistent basis ? and he dominated Fonfara for long stretches of the fight when the two first matched up in 2014.
Stevenson is also a -1100 betting favorite to beat Fonfara (29-4, 17 KOs) again (meaning you?d have to wager $1,100 in order to win $100), and Stevenson already seems to be looking forward to possibly fighting the winner of the Andre Ward-Sergey Kovalev II winner. Many of us look at this match and see that Stevenson will win it fairly easily. Glove
Forbes
But in actuality, Fonfara has a chance at pulling off the upset. Here are three reasons why.
1) Fonfara got stronger as the fight wore on last time: Yes, Stevenson won the first matchup by a relatively wide unanimous decision, and sure, Stevenson knocked down Fonfara twice in the early rounds. But Fonfara fought back hard in the later rounds and had the talent and willpower to actually make Stevenson nervous. Especially when this happened.
That should give Fonfara confidence heading into Saturday?s bout.
2) How much longer can Stevenson be considered an elite fighter? Stevenson is 39 years old, and he?s meeting a boxer who?s 10 years younger than him on Saturday. He also hasn?t fought in 11 months, and at some point, you?d have to assume that Stevenson will slow down enough to get beat. Can Fonfara be the one to turn him into an old fighter? Perhaps if he fights smart. ?I can?t make the same mistakes I did in our first fight,? Fonfara told reporters this week. ?Stevenson only has a good left hand. He?s the champ and he?s a good fighter, but his boxing isn?t amazing. He?s not easy, but he only has basic boxing skills. We must cut his left hand and be ready to throw my right. We need to control him.?
3) Stevenson is gunning for the KO; Fonfara could use that against him: Fonfara hasn?t looked great lately ? he got knocked out in the first round by Joe Smith Jr., and then was getting out-boxed by a faded Chad Dawson before Fonfara stopped him ? but he?s got skills. They?re not a good as Stevenson?s talent, but if Stevenson gets overzealous, Fonfara could use that overenthusiasm to his own advantage. ?He wants the KO,? Fonfara said, ?and I want the KO, too.?
Errol Spence-Kell Brook ratings: About a month after Anthony Joshua vs. Wladimir Klitschko scored big ratings for Showtime, averaging 659,000 viewers with a peak of 763,000 for a live broadcast that took place in the early evening on the U.S. East Coast, Showtime had another chance last Saturday to see how a live fight from England would fare in the ratings.
Turns out, not quite as well when it?s not two well-known heavyweights.
Though Errol Spence put together a strong performance in stopping welterweight titlist Kell Brook, the fight drew an average of just 291,000 viewers with a peak of 332,000, according to Nielsen Media Research. The cumulative audience average that included the weekend?s replays added some better news for the network. An average of 500,000 for the entire weekend saw Spence do this to Brook.
Manny Pacquiao sells tickets in Australia: Though the prospect of Manny Pacquiao facing the unknown Jeff Horn probably won?t make much of a dent in the head space of the average boxing fan, Australian fans have made it known that they?re willing to pay to see their home country hero try to upset the man who?s ranked No. 10 in the Forbes Pound-For-Pound Moneymakers list.
According to Kate Jones, the minister for tourism and major events of Queensland, Australia, said 40,000 tickets have been sold for the July 2 event, making it the biggest fight in Australia?s history. The previous high was in 1992 when Azumah Nelson beat Jeff Fenech in front of 38,000 fans. Nelson said she expects the event to generate more than $23 million into the local economy, and she said Suncorp Stadium could host as many as 55,000 fans for Pacquiao-Horn.
?We always knew this fight would pack a punch for Brisbane,? Jones said in a statement. ?? The chance to see our local hero take on one of the greatest boxers of all time is an opportunity too good to miss.?
Miguel Cotto has a new home: Only a few weeks after leaving Roc Nation Sports, Miguel Cotto has signed a multi-fight deal with Golden Boy Promotions. His first fight for the Oscar De La Hoya-led company will be a junior middleweight showdown against Yoshihiro Kamegai on Aug. 26.
Golden Boy also will partner with Miguel Cotto Promotions on helping advance boxing in Cotto?s native Puerto Rico. That includes the Golden Boy series on ESPN broadcasting ?a number of cards? from Puerto Rico during the next several months and years.
“Miguel Cotto is not only a legend in the ring, but on the entire island of Puerto Rico, which has one of the richest boxing traditions around the globe,” De La Hoya said in a statement. “Our new partnership will include Miguel’s upcoming fights; working with Miguel Cotto Promotions’ talented stable of fighters; and revitalizing boxing in Puerto Rico.”
