Adonis Stevenson will take on one of his toughest challengers in years on Saturday, when he defends his World Boxing Council world light heavyweight title against Badou Jack at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.
Stevenson (29-1, 24 KOs) has carved out his own little fiefdom in boxing, holding onto the WBC belt for eight straight defenses on the strength of his devastating left hook and fighting exclusively in Canada. The quality of the fighters he's beaten during his reign, however, has left plenty to be desired, especially with the likes of Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev working in the same division.
jack (22-1-2, 13 KOs) represents one of the biggest risks Stevenson has taken in a long time. Jack is now a two-weight world champion, having won the WBA world light heavyweight title off Nathan Cleverly in August 2017 after spending years duking it out as a super middleweight. He's impressed in several bouts, and just may have the defense and skill to avoid Stevenson's lights-out left and get a win.
Here's how to watch the fight.
Stevenson vs. Jack Info
When: Saturday, May 19 at 10:05 p.m. ET
Where: Air Canada Centre in Toronto
TV: Showtime (U.S.), Sky Sports Main Event & Sky Sports Action (UK)
Live Stream: ShowtimeAnytime (U.S.), SkySports.com (UK)
Stevenson is the slight favorite heading into this bout, at -150 (bet $100 to win $150) as of Thursday, per OddsShark.com. In his most recent fight, he made quick work of Andrezj Fonfara in June 2017, a rematch that clearly took a bit too long to come together.
Fonfara was unable to withstand the detonation of Stevenson's famed left hand, and the ref called a stoppage in the second round. Here's how the fight ended, per Showtime Boxing:
Stevenson, 40, is riding a three-knockout streak, proving that at an age when most boxers have long quit the sport, he's lost little of his trademark power. He also hasn't quit promoting himself as the best in a division that features fearsome pound-for-pound fighters like Ward and Kovalev.
"I'm the best fighter in this division, period. When I win on [Saturday], I'll just be doing my job. People might still talk trash, but I'll still be the champ," said Stevenson, per Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole.
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