Light Heavyweights
Adonis Stevenson (25-1, 21 KOs) vs. Sakio Bika (32-6-3, 21 KOs)
For the first time in 15 years, “Premier Boxing Champions” will bring a regular boxing series to CBS, beginning with a light heavyweight title clash between Adonis Stevenson and Sakio Bika.
While the talented Stevenson didn’t set the world on fire for much of his most recent outing, a fifth-round knockout of Dmitry Sukhotsky in December, he turned up the heat when he had to. Perhaps a greater concern surrounding Stevenson is his seeming reluctance to face Sergey Kovalev, despite Stevenson’s claims that he wants to unify the titles in his division.
Instead, Stevenson will meet Sakio Bika, a former 168-pound champion who is moving up in weight. While Bika, who won Season 3 of “The Contender,” is not viewed to be nearly as stern a challenge as Kovalev would have been, the Australia-based Cameroonian is more than capable of bringing a violent, entertaining effort.
If Stevenson can dispatch Bika, talks of an eventual showdown with Kovalev can resume, as the WBC has anointed Kovalev the next mandatory challenger. With Stevenson now 37 years old, however, time is running out.
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The Matchup: In addition to a size advantage, Stevenson will have a six-inch reach advantage on his opponent. That will make it even more difficult for Bika to cover the distance that Stevenson usually prefers to maintain.
As he demonstrated in his most recent outing against Sukhotsky, Stevenson can be prone to fits of inactivity. However, while the Montreal-based Haitian isn’t necessarily known as an aggressive fighter, his selectivity is a positive in that he lands his most powerful punches at a higher success rate than many of his peers.
Stevenson’s footwork, lateral movement and countering ability aide him significantly in dictating range, and he is quite adept at lulling foes into a state of comfort where they think it’s safe to attack. As evidenced by his high knockout percentage, Stevenson has the ability to make anyone pay for their mistakes.
While Bika has yet to have a breakthrough victory against an upper-echelon foe, he is extremely durable – he has yet to be finished in 41 professional appearances. Bika is also battle-tested, with 10 12-round bouts to his credit, including grueling fights with the likes of Joe Calzaghe, Andre Ward and Dirrell. In fact, Calzaghe accused Bika of dirty tactics after their bout, something which could play to his advantage against Stevenson.
The uglier Bika makes the fight, the better it will be for him. While he is below average defensively and lacks great hand speed, his awkward, unpredictable style could give Stevenson some trouble. Bika’s best qualities are his relentlessness and grit, and he will have to force Stevenson into a brawl in order to pull off the upset.
Even if Bika can throw Stevenson off with aggression, the size and reach discrepancy could be too difficult to overcome. The 37-year-old champion is great at making adjustments on the fly, thanks in no small part to his trainer, Javan Hill. Hill has the added advantage of already having cornered against Bika in both of his fights against Dirrell.
The Pick: Bika’s determination and durability will go a long way, but Stevenson has the superior skills. His ability to cover distance in explosive movements should pay dividends, and he can also rock Bika with well-timed counters when his foe attempts to engage in a slugfest. Stevenson by unanimous decision.