Boone looks to beat Stevenson again
Second-round 2010 loss an epiphany for Longueuil fighter
It was, to say the least, an interesting boxing analogy. Darnell Boone on Thursday stated he was as smooth as orange juice.
We’re not sure if that was with or without pulp.
All kidding aside, the 33-year-old native of Youngstown, Ohio, will attempt to capture lighting in a bottle for the second time in his career Friday night at the Bell Centre. Boone meets Longueuil’s Adonis Stevenson in the 10-round light-heavyweight main event.
It would appear to be a mismatch. Boone has an unflattering 19-20-3 record along with only eight knockouts. He has only two victories in his last eight bouts. But Boone is also the only boxer to have defeated Stevenson, 19-1 with 16 knockouts. That the upset came nearly three years ago can’t be overlooked.
And here’s more food for thought: Boone is also the only fighter to knock down world champion Andre Ward, albeit more than seven years ago en route to a six-round unanimous decision defeat.
Boone scored a devastating one-punch, second-round technical knockout in April 2010, connecting with a perfectly timed right-hand counter-punch against Stevenson, 35. And now, he has upset on his mind again.
“I remember him going to sleep. I put a jab in his face, a quick, overhand right over the top,” Boone said following the weigh-in. “He’s real aggressive and tried to play the bully game. I used it against him. I think he’s going to use that again this time. He’s go- ing to try and knock me out. He has to try and get that knockout back. I see everything in his game. He hasn’t fought a guy like me since.
“To come back to me to get a tune-up fight, I don’t think that was right,” Boone added. “I think he’s overconfident and I think he’s underestimating me. He’s got the most dangerous Darnell Boone he’s ever going to get.”
There’s another intriguing plot at work here. Although it has yet to be announced, widespread reports have Stevenson meeting World Boxing Council 175-pound champ Chad Dawson on June 8 at the Bell Centre. The bout is to be televised in the U.S. by specialty network HBO. A loss against Boone would scuttle those plans, as would any potential injury inside the ring.
HBO was against Stevenson meeting Boone, as was Gary Shaw, Dawson’s promoter. Indeed, even Yvon Michel, Stevenson’s promoter, was less than enthusiastic and had to be convinced. Stevenson hasn’t fought since last October and normally competes in the 168-pound supermiddleweight division.
“It’s good for him to be active. And this has become for Dawson. They talked me in. But it made sense, what they were telling me.”
Losing to Boone might have been an epiphany for Stevenson. He took a year off following the defeat. The loss also quashed a potential deal with U.S. promoter Lou DiBella. too personal,” Michel said. “He’ll be champion by June 8 and figures there will be no place on his agenda to fight (Boone) again. It’s now or never.
“I don’t like it, especially since the guy beat him before. But I understand their position. And,” Michel added in obvious understatement, “if he doesn’t beat Boone, he has no place (being) in the ring But it provided Stevenson with the push he required. Not only did Michel sign him, Stevenson went to Detroit, arriving — unannounced — at the famed Kronk gym where he was trained by the legendary Emanuel Steward. Steward died last October after undergoing surgery for diverticulitis, a digestive disease. Colon cancer also contributed to his death.
Steward’s nephew, Javan Steward, took over Stevenson’s training.
“I want to avenge the loss. I need this fight. I need Darnell Boone,” Stevenson said. “This fight’s personal. Now it’s do or die.
“I have better balance. I can box. I have good balance. I’m going to do my thing and he’s going down. I know I can punch. For sure, I’m going to knock him out.”
Boone’s career path is similar. He fought for years without the guidance of trainers and a management team, often taking bouts on fewer than two weeks’ notice, sometimes out of his weight class. His last 14 opponents have a combined record of 169-93. Eleven were undefeated. Boone went 3-10-1 over that span.
Boone has fought in Montreal, losing to Jean Pascal and Walid Smichet.
“My confidence is through the roof,” Boone said. “The pressure’s not on me. I knocked him out before. I sleep good at night. This is a big opportunity for me. It can catapult my career.”
Stevenson is ranked first by the International Boxing Federation, and Boone hoped to meet him for the North American Boxing Association title, but the NABA’s sanctioning body refused to approve a title shot. Originally, the two were fighting at 168 pounds, before Michel pushed it up to 173. Both easily made weight.
Boone’s career now is guided by Lights Out Management. Sammy Calderon has trained him for two months. Boone has 251 rounds’ experience compared to Stevenson’s 73. But, at 5-foot-9, Boone is two inches shorter.
“I’m not overlooking him. He is strong,” Boone said. “He’s a good fighter ... average ... nothing really too special.”