Adonis Stevenson vs. Badou Jack – “Superman” returns to the ring this Saturday, May 19 when Adonis Stevenson faces his stiffest test yet against Badou Jack live on SHOWTIME (Sky Sports in the UK) from Air Canada Centre in Toronto.
Stevenson (29 -1, 24KOs) will be making his ninth world title defence of the WBC Lightweight Heavyweight Championship against the rugged two-division world champion Jack (22 -1, 13KOs).
The longest-reigning champion at 175-pounds has not fought in nearly a year so it will be interesting to see if ring rust might be a factor. That could be consequential against Jack, who impressed in his division debut with a KO win over Nathan Cleverly last August.
Despite widespread consensus that this could be Stevenson’s toughest test to date, the champion appears unfazed.
“Every fight is a big fight for me,” said Stevenson. “This fight is nothing different. Badou Jack is a good fighter and people think very highly of him. But in my mind, he’s just the next guy that I have to beat.”
Stevenson is certainly the bigger puncher of the two and owns one of the most lethal left hands in the business. However, he is also 40 years old, barely active and faces a slightly bigger and younger lion.
That said, Stevenson is still a gifted boxer-puncher who continues to defy conventional wisdom and possesses enough skills to turn back a hungry fighter like Jack.
Badou will need to focus on winning the majority of rounds using his overall skillset and speed while avoiding those bombs in the early going. I can see the Swede wearing Stevenson down in the second half –en route to a decision win if he can follow that blueprint.
Adonis has home field advantage but must not get carried away in looking for an early knockout. This could really become a long and difficult night for the champion if he does not set the right pace from the onset. One punch can change the entire course of a fight though and he has the body count to prove it.
An intriguing footnote is that both men have tasted defeat in a single loss, with each of those loses coming via knockout so neither is impervious in the chin department.
Will this be the fight where the seemingly immortal Stevenson finally shows his age or will we all be treated to another mind-boggling performance?
I think that Stevenson vs. Jack is a true 50/50 fight where either man could potentially win by stoppage or hard-fought decision.
What do you guys think? Please leave your comments below.
