Adonis Stevenson KOs Thomas Williams Jr
Photo Dave Nadkarni for Premier Boxing Champions
Light heavyweight champion Adonis “Superman” Stevenson (28–1, 23 KOs) of Quebec, Canada, defended his crown for the seventh time with a brutal fourth-round knockout of Thomas “Top Dawg” Williams Jr. (20–2, 14 KOs) of Fort Washington, Md. on Friday night in Quebec City, Canada on a Premier Boxing Champions card televised by Spike TV.
The fight was expected to be a slugfest for as long as it lasted and it lived up to expectations. The pair of hard-hitting southpaws slung heavy leather at each other from the onset, both rocking multiple times. Stevenson, a Haitian-born Canadian, walked Williams down early in the opening round, landing a thudding jab and looking to set up his devastating left hand. Stevenson eventually connected with his left in the final 30 seconds of the round, sending Williams to the deck.
Williams managed to recover well between rounds and had some success landing thunderous shots of his own in the second round. After absorbing a few more powerful left hands from Stevenson, Williams rocked the champ with multiple right hooks towards the end of the round to swing it in his favor on the scorecards. His confidence bolstered after hurting the champion, Williams showboated when the bell rang to end the second round.
Stevenson turned the tide back in his favor in the third round. He got on the inside of the taller Williams and did some serious damages with left uppercuts and body shots. Top Dawg’s face soon showed signs of the punishment he was absorbing. He started bleeding from a cut under his left eye formed by Stevenson’s thudding blows.
Stevenson hurt Williams with an accidental low blow in the opening seconds of the fourth round. Once the action re-started, the combatants resumed trading haymakers. Stevenson kept going to the body successfully, then landed an uppercut that stunned Williams in the final minute of the round. Williams backed up the towards the ropes and Stevenson ended the fight seconds later it with a thunderous left cross to the jaw, dropping Williams face-first to the canvas.
Williams was unable to beat the count and referee Michael Griffin waved the fight off at the 2:54 mark of the fourth round.
The win was Stevenson’s first since bludgeoning club fighter Tommy Karpency in a wretched mismatch in September 2015. Since dethroning previous champion Chad Dawson with a devastating first round knockout in June 2013, Stevenson has made a mockery of the light heavyweight championship since.
He has faced a list of uninspiring and undeserving challengers all while blatantly avoiding fighting universally recognized top-ranked contender Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (30–0–1, 26 KOs). Stevenson might be the true light heavyweight champion, but he has rendered that title almost meaningless by refusing to face the best, while Kovalev is headed towards a showdown with former super middleweight champion and current light heavyweight contender Andre Ward (29–0, 15 KOs) on November 19 in Las Vegas.
Ward first has to win a tune-up fight August 6 against Alexander Brand to make the fight with Kovalev official. Kovalev-Ward may not be for the division championship held hostage by Stevenson, but it will establish who the best fighter in the division is, and possibly the best fighter in all of boxing. Kovalev and Ward are currently the only 175-lb fighters on the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board pound-for-pound list.
We can only hope Stevenson is inspired by Kovalev’s and Ward’s willingness to take on the toughest challenges and fights the winner in 2017. Based on Stevenson’s actions the last few years, it seems like wishful thinking on our part. But a fight against the Ward-Kovalev winner would undoubtedly be the biggest possible payday for Stevenson, likely on Pay Per View, so hopefully the champ will finally bite.
On the undercard, DMV middleweight prospects Immanuwel “The Dream” Aleem (16–0–1, 9 KOs) of Richmond, Virginia and Demond “D’Best At It” Nicholson (17–1–1, 16 KOs) of Laurel, Maryland battled to an eight-round majority draw.
The fighters felt each other out in opening round, trading mostly jabs and occasional slipping in a power punch. It was clear from the beginning it was going to be a matchup of speed vs. power. Aleem possessed the quicker hands and was lighter on his feet, while Nicholson was more flat footed and the heavier puncher.
Aleem was able to use his hand speed in the early rounds by getting off first constantly and landing combinations. Aleem would land his combos and get out of range, while a frustrated Nicholson was only able to land one punch at a time. Aleem abandoned what was working for him in the middle rounds, foolishly deciding to stand in the middle of the ring and trade with Nicholson. Nicholson took advantage, landing hard body shots and slowing down Aleem’s movement.
In the closing seconds of the seventh round, Aleem connected with a flush overhand right Nicholson’s jaw. A stunned Nicholson smartly clinched Aleem but was still very shaky and tumbled to the ground seconds later. It should have been ruled a knockdown, because it was a delayed reaction from the punch and not a slip from getting tangled with Aleem in the clinch. But referee Steve St-Germain incorrectly ruled it a slip, which turned out to be a crucial decision in the outcome of the fight.
Both fighters sensed it was a close fight and traded heavy bombs in the last round. It became a war of attrition, with both fighters trying to impose their will on the other. The Canadian crowd approved of their efforts and were on their feet cheering as the final bell rang. The scorecards were 77-75 for Aleem and two 76-76 cards. Had the referee correctly ruled a knockdown for Aleem in the seventh round, Aleem would have won a unanimous decision.
Both fighters gave a good account of themselves and will be in line for other big fights as they look to become contenders in the near futures. A potential rematch is possible, and if it does happen, we hope it takes place in the DMV.