Adonis Stevenson will fight mandatory challenger Oleksandr Gvozdyk to defend his WBC light heavyweight title. The fight will take place on Dec.1 at the Videotron Centre, in Quebec City, according to promoter Yvon Michel.
Stevenson (29-1-1, 24 KOs) will make his 10th title defense when he fights with Ukrainian Gvozdyk (15-0-0, 12 KOs), who will go into the fight with Teddy Atlas as his trainer for the first time.
“Without a doubt, Gvozdyk will be the best opponent Adonis has faced in his title defenses. He comes from one of the largest boxing organizations in the world and works with a renowned trainer in Teddy Atlas.” Michel said.
“Gvozdyk will arrive with great confidence and everyone in his group believes that it is time for Adonis to bow down. I’m going to take the win. If it’s a K-O, that’s good, but I know it will not be easy. It will be a complicated fight.” Michel added.
Some experts believe that Gvozdyk has a suspicious chin. When questioned about it, Stevenson insisted that his opponent remains undefeated and that anything can happen in boxing.
“My opponent is a hungry guy. I expect him to give everything in the ring. I will have to work hard at training to be 100 percent ready. I want to prove to people that I remain No. 1 in light heavyweight and I will win by KO. All eyes will be on Quebec City. I’m really happy to be able to fight here.” Stevenson said.
WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson retained his title via majority draw with Badou Jack on May 19. (Source:www.sportsnet.ca)
Gvozdyk, 31, has an immaculate record. The bronze medalist at the 2012 London Olympics won 12 of 15 games by KO. His last fight dates back to March 17th. He had won his duel against Mehdi Amar by unanimous decision of the judges.
Stevenson does not think about retirement yet. He has been heavily criticised throughout his five-year title reign for a less-than-spectacular list of opponents, but the 41-year-old fighter will be taking on a top contender for the second fight in a row.
“I own several companies and I could stop now. However, my sport still animates me. I know many believe December will be the end of my reign against young undefeated Olympic medalist,” Stevenson said.
The WBC ordered a rematch between Badou Jack and Stevenson, who had fought a major draw on May 19 in Toronto. But, the Canadian fighter would like to find a way to unify the titles with his young opponent.
