Tonight on Showtime Championship Boxing, WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson defends title against Andrzej Fonfara?
Tonight at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in a fight televised live on Showtime Championship Boxing, WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson (28-1, 23 KOs), the hard-hitting southpaw from Blainville, Quebec, Canada, by way of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, defends his title against Andrzej Fonfara (29-4, 17 KOs), the spoiler from Chicago, Illinois, by way of Warsaw, Poland.
Their first fight sizzled. Stevenson had 10 stoppages in a row coming in, but Fonfara went the distance and gave as good as he got. He lost decision on all three cards, but punched his way out of oblivion into the hearts of fight fans everywhere.
?When I get in the ring I?m going for a knockout,? Stevenson said. ?I?m ready because I know Fonfara is dangerous. I won the first fight, and I know him very well. I know what he can do. I know Fonfara is training hard to take my belt. I know he?s a tough fighter, and I know it?s not going to be easy for me? [But] he?s going to get punishment the whole time. I definitely am going for the knockout.?
The late Emanuel Steward told Stevenson, ?Knockouts sell,? and he was smart enough to listen.
In the first fight Fonfara dropped Stevenson, but twice got dropped himself
At the age of 39, and with a mega-fight always just over the horizon, Stevenson needs to look better in the rematch than he did in the first fight.
The Polish-born challenger, meanwhile, continues to train with Virgil Hunter.
?I?m a much smarter fighter now,? Fonfara said. ?Mentally, I?m much stronger and smarter. I bettered myself. Virgil has taught me a lot of new stuff? Now I?m ready to show everything in this fight.?
Fonfara respects Stevenson, but believes he will beat him tonight.
?I respect him because he?s the champ. I came here to show that, this time, I?m the better fighter,? said Fonfara.
?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.?
?I?m ready to take the title. My time has come. A world title is the only thing I?ve never had. I?m ready to be the new world champion.?
While Fonfara is looking for his first world title, and tonight might be the night, Stevenson wants to unify and is ready to meet the winner of the second fight between Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev.
?I?m focused to win this fight with Fonfara and then unify the title,? he said. ?If Ward wins I want to fight him, if Kovalev wins I want to fight him. I started (my pro career) at 29 years old. I did not have a lot of amateur fights. My body is still good compared to other fighters that are younger.?
That 39-year-old body of his had better be good, especially if he hopes to defeat Ward or Kovalev at the age of 40.
