Stevenson aiming to knock out Jack
Forty-year-old Canadian defends light-heavyweight crown against Sweden’s boxer
>> TORONTO: Haitian-born Canadian Adonis Stevenson, boxing’s second longest-reigning world champion at age 40, makes the ninth defence of his light-heavyweight crown tonight in Toronto (tomorrow morning Thai time) against Sweden’s Badou Jack.
Southpaw Stevenson, who hasn’t fought outside Canada in nearly seven years, knocked out Chad Dawson in 2013 for the World Boxing Council crown and has stopped six of eight opponents since.
What he hasn’t faced in the run is a rival champion, frustrating former light-heavyweight champs such as Bernard Hopkins and Andre Ward.
“I’m the king at light heavyweight,” Stevenson said. “I beat the king to become the king. I’ve accomplished some great things and me and my team plan to do everything we can to stay on top.
“I’m the best fighter in this division, period. When I win I’ll just be doing my job. People might still talk trash, but I’ll still be the champ.”
Stevenson, 29-1 with 24 knockouts, has not fought since stopping Poland’s Andrzej Fonfara last June in Montreal.
No sanctioning body recognises a current reign longer than Stevenson’s although Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux’s linear crown at super bantamweight is nine weeks older than Stevenson’s existing run.
Jack, 34, is 22-1 with two drawn and 13 knockouts. He owned the WBC super-middleweight crown from 2015 to 2017 and stopped Britain’s Nathan Cleverly last August in his most recent bout for the World Boxing Association light-heavyweight crown, a title he later relinquished.
“Badou is a two-time world champion for a reason,” Stevenson said. “I’m not underestimating him. I know he’s durable and that he has attributes like good head movement and I’ll have to be ready for everything.
“Every fight is a big fight for me. Jack is a good fighter and people think very highly of him. But he’s just the next guy that I have to beat.”
Stevenson said he will be aiming to knock out Jack, whose only defeat came by TKO to American Derek Edwards in 2014. “I’m always going for the knockout,” Stevenson said. “I want the stoppage every time. I’m hungry for knockouts. If Badou comes in aggressive, this could end very quickly. If I connect right just one time, that’s it, lights out.”
Jack, a 2008 Olympian for his father’s homeland of Gambia, dropped the WBA crown for his chance to dethrone Stevenson. “I asked for the Adonis Stevenson fight a long time ago and I finally got it,” Jack said. “Now I just have to take advantage of the opportunity.
“Adonis has always fought everyone put in front of him and I respect that. He’s definitely a good fighter, but I’m a better fighter. I was willing to fight him anywhere, including his backyard. I know he’s good and very dangerous and that’s the reason I want to fight him.”