Stevenson Decimates Cloud; Nepotism Gives Chavez a Victory Over Vera

One step forward equals one step back in the world of boxing, as last night’s HBO telecast showed the best and worst of the sport with their split-site card that showcased the legitimization of a “Superman,” and the continued enabling of a so-called “star” in this sport.

SUPERMAN DOMINATES: In the wake of his crushing first-round KO of Chad Dawson four months earlier, there were a few question posed about WBC light-heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson. Was his power truly legit or was Dawson just damaged goods? Does he have the skill to put together a string of dominant wins? Would he become too enamored with his power and find himself in trouble against a strong fighter with a capable chin, like last night’s opponent Tavoris Cloud?

While the verdict is still out on if we’re seeing the beginning of a long reign, what isn’t in dispute anymore is the level of Stevenson’s power and boxing skill. Cloud, known for his aggression and inside work, was quickly reduced in the opening round to staying cautiously at long and mid-range after tasting his first big straight left counter. The shot stunned Cloud on several fronts — the speed, power, and most importantly, the accuracy, had Cloud pawing at his left eye in pain at the conclusion for the first round.

The fight became a slow death for Cloud. Without the ability to adjust his means of attack, the sequence of him coming forward into big counters (left uppercuts, right hooks, right jabs) became a repeated phenomenon. Stevenson knew he had his man early on and punctuated most of the rounds with shimmy taunts and waving his hands to goad Cloud, who’s only admirable trait in this fight was his ability to take a heavy blows.

And there were many of those.

The challenger was doubled over from a left uppercut in the fourth and strafed with hooks when he stumbled into the ropes. The clean shots gradually chipped away Cloud’s skin resistance; the left eye, damaged from the first round, now sported several bleeding cuts.

Cloud had a half-round of success in the beginning of the sixth, where he made Stevenson pay for keeping his hands low by landing a few solid jabs and right crosses. Stevenson smiled. Usually, a smile means a fighter was genuinely stunned by a shot. In this case, it was a sadistic smile of a man knowing the foe in front of him was no threat. Stevenson quickly destroyed what remained of Cloud’s confidence by pillaging Cloud downstairs with deep body shots.

Cloud sailed across the ring in the seventh courtesy of the umpteenth Stevenson straight left. The Don King flag-bearer now had extensive damage and swelling over his right eye. The situation was hopeless for Cloud, and his corner showed wise judgement in halting the beating at the conclusion of the round. There was no protest from Cloud himself.

Sounds like @AdonisSuperman wants no part of @KrusherKovalev. Come on, Adonis! You would rather fight Bellew? Didn’t he lose to Cleverly?

— Main Events (@Main_Events) September 29, 2013

 

CAN SUPERMAN STOP THE CRUSHER?: Stevenson is on record before this fight saying he wants to unify all the titles at 175. With Bernard Hopkins currently indisposed with a mandatory next month, this leaves the most obviously unification match as newly-crowned WBO titlist Sergey Kovalev, who appeared on HBO recently to dismantle Nathan Cleverly. Kovalev’s promoter, Main Events, was on Twitter immediately hyping the bout after Stevenson was reluctant to name Kovalev as his next opponent.

Mandatories be damned — this is the best fight for both men and the light-heavyweight division. I have no doubt that the other titlist, WBA belt-holder Beibut Shumenov, could make an excellent fight with either fighter. But Shumenov, due to lack of activity and top opposition, doesn’t have the buzz that Stevenson and Kovalev have built for themselves this year. Add in Main Events recent good work with HBO in securing Gennady Golovkin vs. Curis Stevens for MSG in November, and it’s hard to not see this being the next fight for both in early 2014.

As to who would win, my early instincts go with Kovalev. He has a good jab and Stevenson does have mental lapses where he throws wide shots inside. But Kovalev is slower and can be caught himself, making this an intriguing matchup where we find out if both guys can give it as good as they take it. I can’t wait to find out. In fact, it might be time to consider a Montreal trip for my next ringside appearance.

CLOUDY DAYS: As for Tavoris Cloud, his days as a top “contender” at 175 have completely fizzled out. He’s lost his last two fights in lopsided fashion. And on honest cards, you’d have to extend that to three because he damn sure didn’t beat Gabriel Campillo in 2012. So, that means Cloud’s last clear victory came in 2011 against Yusef Mack.

At 31 years old, the man’s career is in complete free-fall. Maybe a fight with Chad Dawson would be ideal to see who gets the final nail in their coffin.

CHAVEZ JR WHINES TO UNDESERVED WIDE DECISION OVER VERA: The talk of the boxing world this morning is Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.’s unanimous decision win over Brian Vera. It was a very entertaining fight from the outset. Vera, who looked much smaller, showed no fear (or concern about moving his head), as he constantly brought the fight to Chavez inside.  Junior responded with a tepid workrate, but much heavier and cleaner single shots that at times clearly buzzed Vera.

As someone who scored the fight a draw, I can’t exactly complain about either guy winning a close decision. But that’s not what happened. Chavez Jr. was given the benefit of the doubt in every round by judge Gwen Adair, who had 98-92 for Chavez. Judge Marty Denkin had it 97-93, and Carla Caiz 96-94.

I had Vera taking the last three rounds, which saw Chavez start complaining to referee Lou Moret about low blows and Vera’s roughhousing inside. While Chavez whined, Vera kept punching , racking up points and rearranging Chavez’s face. At one point, Moret had to chide Junior to stop crying and fight. Turns out it didn’t matter if he did, because the championship rounds were already in the bag for the “son of a legend.”

While we didn’t get a “fight night” weight from HBO (who likely knew Chavez was probably close to 190 in there), Vera pointed out his success even with the size disparity.

“I never fought over 170 in my life,” said Vera of the 173 pound limit that was agreed to on Friday. “He was supposed to be pushing me back. I pushed his ass back the entire fight.”

Vera said he hoped for a rematch at 160, but that’s out of the question. Even at 173, Junior looked like a zombie with sunk-in eyes and a stomach that resembled an abstract painting.

PROTECTING THE DRAW? WHAT DRAW?!: Since we’ll all become way too used to bad decisions in boxing, HBO attempted to explain this away as the “draw” getting the benefit of the doubt. Based on how empty the arena looked last night, Chavez is just as much a draw as Vera. A colleague of mine pointed out earlier this week that if that had been Canelo fighting, that arena would have sold out in hours.

It begs the question as to why Junior is being protected at every level of the sport, from HBO to the WBC. Last night’s show proves he’s no big ticket-seller, nor is he a fighter to be considered elite based on the weight fiasco and the in-ring performance.

A FREE MEAL AT 168: Before this fight, Junior stated he wanted to compete at 168 going forward. If that happens, this sideshow will soon be over because Chavez would be food for any of the top guys at super-middleweight. Let’s look at the top five. With Junior crying last night from Vera’s roughhousing, just imagine how out of sorts he’ll be when he gets a taste of Ward’s inside work. As for the rest (Froch, Kessler, Stieglitz and Bute), they all knock him out.

Maybe I’m overreacting. Let’s here your thoughts. If you missed the fights, view the attached links courtesy of @Sweetboxing.

STEVENSON VS. CLOUD

CHAVEZ JR. VS. VERA