On Saturday night the bells will indeed be ringing in Montreal but in a more violent kind of church. The Bell Centre hosts two five-star light heavyweight bouts (according to the illustrious boxrec) featuring a pair of Haitan and hometown favorites squaring off against two game opponents. Our feature undercard pits Jean Pascal as a heavy underdog in a WBC silver championship fight against the WBC world number 1 contender and undefeated Colombian Eleider Alvarez. The main event is a mildly anticipated rematch between WBC champion Adonis Stevenson and Andrzej Fonfara .
Alvarez vs Pascal
Eleider Alvarez looks to solidify his position as the mandatory contender with a convincing win against a decent and known former world champion, Jean Pascal. A victory here will force Stevenson, assuming he wins, to finally take this bout. Stevenson will talk about the Ward-Kovalev rematch winner but that fight is unlikely to materialize, especially if we get another close battle. There isn’t a rematch clause in round 2 but the appeal of a trilogy might be too hard to pass up.
Jean Pascal is hoping to get one more chance at glory with a big upset in front of a Quebecois crowd that has seen him through his long career. A victory on Saturday would offer him a last hurray at the light heavyweight title but at this juncture it seems unlikely. He’s not nearly as old as Superman Stevenson but he’s had more fight time and it shows. Unfortunately, his role appears to be the final stepping stone for Alvarez on his staircase to championship fighting.
Stevenson vs Fonfara
Andrzej Fonfara has had a bit of an up and down trajectory since his first fight with Stevenson. He had solid victories against Nathan Cleverly and Chad Dawson but was stopped in the first round by Joe Smith Jr. The only thing his career is missing is a signature championship victory. Will switching trainers be enough to enable him to defeat a knockout hungry Adonis Stevenson? Vegas certainly doesn’t think so. My book has Fonfara as a cool +800 dog.
Stevenson is publically hungry to get into the Ward and Kovalev mix and a flashy victory might be enough to get him the unification bout and glory that he seeks. There isn’t much to suggest that Fonfara has what it takes to beat the older champ besides age. Stevenson certainly has the power to send Fonfara sprawling, however, and seems amply motivated to do so. With that in mind we are likely to get some fireworks.
Predictions
Alvarez should be able to outlast Pascal and win by decision. I suspect Stevenson gets the knockout he’s looking for before the 10th round.