In some circles, Adonis Stevenson may be regarded as the "lineal" light heavyweight champ, but everyone with half a brain knows that Andre Ward is now the REAL 175 lb. champ after defeating REAL and three-belt champ Sergey Kovalev last November. And the reason for that is simple-While Stevenson was raking in the dough with career-high paydays against mostly low-level opposition, Kovalev was fighting all the best opposition that couldn't find their way to StevensonÂ…then Ward removed the belts from Kovalev.
A spurious claim as lineal champ-a lineage that only goes back six years, at best, anyway- does not make up for the fact that the Canada-based Haitian has lost out on every possible legacy-defining fight since energizing fans with his one-round knockout of Chad Dawson in June of 2013.
Stevenson's most logical foes, Bernard Hopkins and Jean Pascal, would meet with defeat against another logical foe, Kovalev, after dealing with Stevenson in negotiations apparently proved to be more hassle than it was worth.
Meanwhile, as Kovalev earned his spot as consensus 175 lb. champ, Stevenson removed himself further and further from legitimacy with bouts against no-hopers like Dmitry Sukhotsky and Tommy Karpency while also feasting on "safe" challengers such as Tony Bellew, Sakio Bika, and Tavoris Cloud.
Then, while Kovalev was gearing up for a clash against Andre Ward in the fall of 2016 (yet another legacy-defining fight that should've been Stevenson's), Stevenson faced fringe contender Thomas Williams Jr.
Needless to say, Stevenson's body of work has been more than a little underwhelming.
A four-year title reign, which began with a bang and started talk of him being the next big thing in the sport, has completely lost all relevance. Stevenson's reign as WBC champ has been little more than a series of cynical paydays and, with the exception of his loyal Quebec fan base, nobody much cares what he's up to anymore.
The lack of buzz surrounding his upcoming eighth title defense speaks volumes about Stevenson's lack of relevance. This Saturday's bout at the Bell Centre in Montreal against Poland's Andrzej Fonfara-- a rematch of Stevenson's third title defense-is barely a blip on anyone's radar outside of Montreal.
After a proposed fight with Bernard Hopkins conqueror Joe Smith failed to materialize, Team Stevenson reached for straws by reaching out to Fonfara. The tenuous excuse for making Stevenson-Fonfara II being that Fonfara scored a flash knockdown against Stevenson when the two first met and finished somewhat strong after being dropped twice, himself, hurt several times, and falling way behind on the scorecards.
Team Stevenson has plenty of reasons as to why the biggest light heavyweight bouts out there never seem to fall into Adonis' lap, and all of those reasons seem to center around blaming the other guys.
"He has fought anybody willing to get in the ring with him," Stevenson's promoter Yvon Michel recently told the Montreal Gazette. "It's just a perception. He avoids Kovalev, which isn't the case. He avoided Hopkins? Not the case. Pascal? They all had opportunities to fight him and all turned it down. To cover, their promoters and themselves kept pretending it was the other way aroundÂ…It seems to be a pattern, people turning against Adonis."
But while business certainly plays a huge role in some fighters' ability to get the meaningful fights they claim to crave, it's rarely the case that EVERY challenging, high-end fight spontaneously implodes ALWAYS because of the other guy. It's a stretch to believe that Kovalev, Pascal, Hopkins, and even Smith would play politics to the point of burning several attempts at building a bridge to make a lucrative fight. The reality is that when everyone seems to have a problem with the same guy, the issue is with that same guy, not with everyone else.
Despite the criticisms, though, Stevenson doesn't seem all too fazed that his business dealings have turned him from burgeoning superstar to mere background player. His pockets are fatter than ever thanks to his alignment with advisor Al Haymon. And at thirty-nine years of age , there's something to be said for playing things business-smart and riding the gravy train for as long as it's rolling.
Actually, the heavy-handed titlist seems borderline delusional and in abject denial when it comes to what's going on in his career.
"I'm the king. It (the criticism) doesn't bother me. It has been four years I'm the champ," Stevenson told the Montreal Gazette. "I'm the king of the light-heavyweights. When you're the king, for sure you're going to be criticized. You have people who don't like that. People talk, talk, talk. You can talk, but I'm still the champion."
At some point, though, an athlete wants something more than financial security. All real competitors want to earn immortality, to etch their name on the wall of history. For Adonis Stevenson, it appears as though that ship has sailed and there will be no real legacy fights awaiting him, even if he should suddenly seek out these challenges. Unless things change real quick, Stevenson's only real legacy in the sport will be as someone fans, at one time, wanted to believe in.