Super middleweight Adonis Stevenson (18-1-0, 15 KOs) will face Donovan George (23-2-1, 20 KOs) in an IBF title eliminator this Friday, October 12, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, the winner to be the mandatory challenger of second-ranked and IBF titleholder Carl Froch.
Pre-Fight Buildup
“It is unfortunate for George because I’m hungry and I’m getting my rage on him,” Stevenson said. “It will hurt Friday when I am victorious. I want to dedicate this fight to my trainer, Emanuel Steward, who is still hospitalized. I know what a triumph means for my career, so my mind is totally focused on my opponent.”
George, a 27-year-old American, held his training camp in Florida. He respects his opponent but he is unabashed, “Stevenson is dangerous at the start of fights but he is not invincible. When we find ourselves fighting past the eighth round, I’ll be in my comfort zone. I put everything I have on the line for this fight, I will fight with all my energy and I’ll win decisively. I will be the next No. 1 contender.”
George has been in Montreal since Monday, along with her father and coach, Peter George, and his promoter, Leon Margules, of Warriors Promotions, who has no doubt about the outcome of this battle: “We are very excited about this opportunity for Don. It’s been a fight he wants and he is confident of victory by knockout. I want to thank Yvon Michel and everyone at GYM for their hospitality.”
Fight Preview
Stevenson, who recently turned 35, has the hometown advantage, while George (no, we’re not related) is younger — he’ll turn 28 next month. Stevenson is ranked fifth, while 10th-ranked George [See: Super Middleweight Division Top 10] is slightly more experienced (he had his first pro fight in 2004; Stevenson in 2006). But Stevenson is a southpaw, the scourge of the orthodox fighter. As Willie Pep said: “They ought to take all left-handers, drop them in a sack and throw the sack in a river.”
Most importantly, Stevenson and George are masters of the knockout. They’re both coming off recent TKO wins — Stevenson over Noe Gonzalez Alcoba in April (in the second); George over Dionisio Miranda in August (in the sixth).
Trade-offs, yes, but these guys are pretty much equally skilled, which should make for a great match.
The winner of the twice-delayed bout may very well find himself in the ring with seventh-ranked Edwin Rodriguez some time next year (the Froch match is scheduled for early February, but boxing schedules are written more in sand than etched in stone). The undefeated Rodriguez thinks Stevenson the likely winner of Friday’s bout. “La Bomba” defeated George earlier this year (by 10-round unanimous decision). He fought Stevenson as an amateur, and got hurt. According to Rodriguez’s trainer, Ronnie Shields, Rodriguez “had never been hurt like that before” and “had never been hit that hard”.
All respect for Rodriguez’s opinion, but a pigtailed and Mary-Janed little girl has a stronger chin than Stevenson. Recall that Darnell Boone, a journeyman at best, TKO’d him in the second round a couple of years back, handing him his sole defeat thus far.
George is an incomparably better fighter, and hits a hell of a lot harder, than Boone, whose record stands at a singularly unimpressive 19-19-2, with 8 KO wins and 3 KO losses. Come to think of it, those stats are downright embarrassing. I’m reminded of Sugar Ray Robinson’s first professional opponent, Joe Echevarria, who won three and lost 38 (including the final 17 bouts of his career). But bad things happen to good boxers, and Stevenson is a whole lot better than just good.
Stevenson vs. George Prediction
Stevenson’s chin, in combination with his opponent’s hitting power, will prove his undoing, and George will knock him out by the middle rounds. That said, I expect the fight to be competitive — at least until the fifth or sixth round.
An interesting aside is that “Superman” Stevenson and “Da Bomb” George are good friends. Watch the fight Friday night — you’d never know it.
