The knock on WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson heading into his ninth title defense was that he hadn't faced the best competition. Could he win the big one and silence those who questioned him?
Those questions are still there after Stevenson fought to a majority draw Saturday against Badou Jack (114-114, 114-114, 115-113 Jack) at Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Sporting News scored the bout 115-113 for Jack.
“I won the fight because I hurt him to the body," Stevenson told Showtime's Jim Gray in his postfight interview.
The bout was more like two fights in one.
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Stevenson (29-1-1, 24 KOs) won the first half by being more active, but then he punched himself out and Jack (22-1-3, 13 KOs) took advantage starting in the seventh round. Jack went on the offensive and changed the tide.
The fight's pivotal moment occurred near the end of the 10th round when Stevenson landed a vicious body shot, which made Jack crumble for a moment and had him on the ropes for the majority of the 11th round.
Jack won the 12th round on all three judges' scorecards by winning the final 30 seconds of what had been a close round. He thew everything he could until the final horn sounded.
"I thought I definitely won the fight," Jack told Gray. "No judge had him winning."
However you scored it, the obvious thing going forward is to make a rematch. Stevenson still has to answer questions about his legacy; a decisive win over Jack will do that.
Jack will look back and regret not being more aggressive in the opening rounds. If he had, he would be leaving the Great White North as a new champion.
Here is what happened at Stevenson vs. Jack. (All times Eastern.)
Stevenson vs. Jack results
12:24 a.m.: Round 12 to Jack (10-9, 115-113 Jack). A very close round until the final 30 seconds. Jack threw everything including the kitchen sink, while Stevenson looked to just survive. We are awaiting the final scorecards. Expect these to be all over the place.
12:19 a.m.: Round 11 to Stevenson (10-9, 105-104 Jack). Stevenson showed a lot of heart. He found his second wind and continued to attack Jack's body. Stevenson once again tired and Jack came on in the last minute. It now comes down to the final round.
12:16 a.m.: Round 10 to Jack (10-9, 96-94 Jack). It appeared to be a dominant round for Jack until Stevenson landed a flush body shot with about 30 seconds, which hurt Jack. We are in for an interesting final six minutes.
12:12 a.m.: Round 9 to Jack (10-9, 86-85 Jack). This is becoming an assault. Jack is doing everything right and Stevenson isn't showing anything whatsoever. The right hand has been Jack's go-to punch. With 30 seconds left in the round, he rocked Stevenson with a right hook followed by a short right uppercut. You could see Stevenson is just trying to survive.
12:07 a.m.: Round 8 to Jack (10-9, 76-76). This is Jack's fight to lose. He's staying the aggressor and not letting Stevenson get anything going. Jack's found his second wind here. Stevenson needs to find his and find it in short order or the title is leaving Canada.
12:03 a.m.: Round 7 to Jack (10-9, 67-66 Stevenson). That was Jack's best round of the fight. He set everything up with you guessed it, the jab. He stayed on the gas pedal and gave Stevenson no time to breathe. The champion is getting tired. Maybe Jack baited Stevenson in the early rounds and let him wear himself out.
11:59 p.m.: Round 6 to Jack (10-9, 58-56 Stevenson). Stevenson controlled the pace early on but Jack came on in the latter half of the round, connecting on a series of combinations. Stevenson is starting to tire. Can Jack continue to apply the pressure and start to takeover?
11:54 p.m.: Round 5 to Stevenson (10-9, 49-46 Stevenson). I said Jack needed to stay on the inside as that was one of his keys to victory. To Stevenson's credit, he not only fought on the inside, but was more dominant. Stevenson's looking great so far as he's quieting the critics. Let's remember though, we have a long way to go.
11:51 p.m.: Round 4 to Jack (10-9, 39-37 Stevenson). The best round of the fight so far for Jack. He was firing first with the jab, which allowed him to throw the straight right hand. Jack needs to get to the inside and wear out Stevenson if he has a chance to win the title.
11:46 p.m.: Round 3 to Stevenson (10-9, 30-27 Stevenson). Jack stayed aggressive the entire round but Stevenson's being the more effective fighter. Jack needs to continue to pick up the pace. He still looks tentative. You can tell he's leery of Stevenson's power.
11:42 p.m.: Round 2 to Stevenson (10-9, 20-18 Stevenson). More of what we saw in the opening round. Anytime Stevenson lands the left hand, it sends Jack back a few inches. Jack is trying to time the left hand while Stevenson is trying to time Jack's right hand. The challenger needs to start picking up the pace or the champion will coast to an easy victory without expending too much energy.
11:38 p.m.: Round 1 to Stevenson (10-9). More of a feeling out round for both guys. Stevenson landed a couple right hands to keep Jack at distance. Can tell Jack wants to get this into the later rounds, which would play to his advantage.
11:28 p.m.: It is time for the main event of the evening, as Adonis Stevenson defends his WBC light heavyweight championship against Badou Jack (22-1-2, 13 KOs). Stevenson's (29-1, 24 KOs) been criticized in his title reign for choosing the path of least resistance, but he will be facing his toughest test. Jack (22-1-2, 13 KOs) made his debut at 175 pounds in August, defeating Nathan Cleverly to capture the WBA title. He vacated the belt to get a shot at Stevenson.
Can Stevenson silence the naysayers? Or does Jack "The Ripper" show he is the best fighter in the division? Should be a great one. Don't blink. It won't last long.
Gary Russell Jr. retains his featherweight title over Joseph Diaz Jr.
11:22 p.m.: Gary Russell def. Joseph Diaz by unanimous decision (117-111, 117-111, 115-113) to retain the WBC featherweight title. Sporting News had it scored 116-112 for Russell. Russell needed to establish the jab to set everything up and he did just that. It was close for the first half of the fight. Russell's championship experience proved to be too much for Diaz.
Now, Russell needs to be more active. He claims he wants to fight more and battle the best the division has to offer. Hopefully the Maryland native lives up to his words. Fights between him and the winner of Abner Mares and Leo Santa Cruz on June 9 would determine who the best is at 126 pounds.
11:17 p.m.: Round 12 to Diaz (10-9, 116-112). Diaz went for broke while Russell tried to stay away. We go to the judges.
11:13 p.m.: Round 11 to Russell (10-9, 107-102). The best round of the fight. Russell and Diaz stayed on the inside and went shot-for-shot. Even though Diaz dominated when the action was in close quarters, Russell showed his toughness and willingness to press the action when he really didn't need too and did more damage.
11:09 p.m.: Round 10 to Diaz (10-9, 97-93). While he didn't completely throw away his fighting attack, Diaz stayed up close which nullified Russell's jab. He needs to throw caution to the wind in the final six minutes if he's going leave with the title.
11:05 p.m.: Round 9 to Russell (10-9, 88-83). It's exciting to watch Russell fight. The different ways he throws combinations coming off the jab is a sight to see. If I'm Diaz's corner, they need to think about abandoning the gameplan and start applying more pressure. Diaz has never scored a knockout after the ninth round.
11:01 p.m.: Round 8 to Russell (10-9, 78-74 Russell). Great round for the champion. Russell keeps coming with the jab and using his footwork to keep Diaz guessing. Diaz might have found something in the last 45 seconds by throwing the jab, which allowed him connect on combinations.
10:57 p.m.: Round 7 to Russell (10-9, 68-65 Russell). Everything starts with the jab. And that is the case for Russell. It's allowing him to land his right hook and more importantly, keeping Diaz and his hard body shots away from him. Diaz needs to change up his arsenal if he's going to come back and take the title.
10:53 p.m.: Round 6 to Russell (10-9, 58-56 Russell). Great job by Russell. He fought the entire round instead of fighting in spurts. If he continues to do that, he will make it a lot easier for himself.
10:49 p.m.: Round 5 to Diaz (10-9, 48-47 Russell). Another close round until the final minute. But this time, it was Diaz who took it by finding a home with vicious body shots. Diaz needs to be more active early on, as Russell keeps coming out the aggressor.
10:45 p.m.: Round 4 to Russell (10-9, 39-37 Russell). The round was even until the final minute when Russell found a home for his patent right hook and outlanded Diaz 7-3.
10:41 p.m.: Round 3 to Russell (10-9, 29-28 Russell). A good bounce back round for Russell. Like the second round, he came out the aggressor. This time around though, Russell continued the pace throughout. He went back to the jab and kept Diaz at distance. If Russell can keep the jab going, it's will be an easy night.
10:36 p.m.: Round 2 to Diaz (10-9, 19-19). Russell and Diaz had there moments. Russell controlled the first half while Diaz controlled the second half. But, Diaz's landed the harder shots and made Russell back up on two occasions. Diaz has to continue to stay in range. Can Russell make the proper adjustment?
10:32 p.m.: Round 1 to Russell (10-9). Great job by the champion in setting the tone early by having his lead foot aimed right at Diaz. By doing that, Russell was able to continuously popping the jab. Diaz needs to be more in Russell's lane so he can't get the jab off.
10:22 p.m.: In the co-main event of Stevenson vs. Jack, Gary Russell Jr. defends the WBC featherweight championship against Joseph Diaz Jr. Since his loss to Vasyl Lomachenko, Russell's (28-1, 17 KOs) won four consecutive fights including his fourth-round TKO win over Jhonny Gonzalez to capture the title. Diaz (26-0, 14 KOs). a 2012 Olympian earned a chance to win the title when he beat former featherweight titleholder Victor Terrazas by third-round knockout in February.
The knock on Russell and it's a valid one is the fact he's only fought two times since he won the belt in March 2015. Will the inactivity finally catch up to him?
10:13 p.m.: Floyd Mayweather joins Jim Gray to preview the Stevenson vs. Jack main event.
10:05 p.m.: Sporting News is ready for tonight's fights. And so is WBC featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr., as he gets ready to defend his title against Joseph Diaz Jr. in Oxon Hill, Md.
9:55 p.m.: Badou Jack has arrived at Air Canada Centre, looking to dethrone Adonis Stevenson in his own backyard and capture the WBC light heavyweight championship.
9:20 p.m.: We are just under 45 minutes before the first fight of the evening begins. Will they go 12 rounds? I would grab plenty of refreshments. They won't go the distance.
Adonis Stevenson, Badou Jack records
Stevenson: 29-1 with 24 knockouts
Jack: 22-1-2 with 13 knockouts
Stevenson vs. Jack fight card
Adonis Stevenson vs. Badou Jack for Stevenson's WBC Light Heavyweight title
Gary Russell Jr. vs. Joseph Diaz Jr., 12 rounds, for Russell's WBC featherweight title
Stevenson vs. Jack latest news
Adonis Stevenson defends his resume to SN and has a message to his critics.
Badou Jack explains to SN why he won't quickly dismiss the credentials of Stevenson.
Steven Muehlhausen is an MMA and boxing writer and contributor for Sporting News. Subscribe to his You Tube channel here . You can email him at stevemuehlhausen@yahoo.com and can find him on Twitter @SMuehlhausenMMA .
TORONTO, Ontario – Adonis Stevenson and Badou Jack both predicted they would win the WBC Light Heavyweight World Championship by knockout as they were joined by all-time great Floyd Mayweather during the final press conference on Thursday.
>>>>CLICK HERE FOR THE LIVE SCORECARD<<<<
Stevenson will make the ninth defense of his title against Jack in the biggest and most meaningful fight in the 175-pound division in 2018 from Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Saturday night.
Stevenson vs. Jack is part of a split-site SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast beginning at 10:05 p.m. ET/PT.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Groupe Yvon Michel, Lee Baxter Promotions and Mayweather Promotions, are on sale now and available at www.ticketmaster.ca.
NATIONAL HARBOR, MD. - WBC Featherweight World Champion Gary Russell Jr. and unbeaten top contender Joseph “JoJo” Diaz Jr. went face-to-face Thursday at the final press conference two days before they enter the ring May 19 live on SHOWTIME (10:05 p.m. ET/PT) in the main event from MGM National Harbor in Maryland.
The battle between the 2008 U.S. Olympian Russell Jr. and the 2012 U.S. Olympian Diaz Jr. is part of a split-site SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast.
Tickets for the event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions in association with Golden Boy Promotions, are on sale now and are available by visiting http://mgmnationalharbor.com/.
TEMPO.CO , Jakarta - Laga tinju dunia kelas berat ringan WBC antara Adonis Stevenson dan Badou Jack berakhir seri. Duel yang berlangsung di Toronto, Kanada, Ahad, 20 Mei 2018 itu berakhir dengan skor 114-114, 115-113 Jack, 114-114. Hasil ini membuat Stevenson, petinju Kanada berdarah Haiti, masih berhak menyandang sabuk juara miliknya. Rekor petinju 40 tahun itu kini menjadi 29-1-1 (24 KO). Bagi Jack, petinju Swedia kelahiran Gambia dan berusia 34 tahun, hasil itu membuat rekornya menjadi 21-1-4 (13 KO). Pertarungan 12 ronde itu berlangsung menarik. Stevenson menguasai ronde awal. Sedangkan, Jack yang berusia lebih muda tampak lebih unggul di ronde-ronde akhir.
Stevenson tak puas dengan hasil itu. "Saya memenangi laga ini karena lebih banyak menyakiti dia di badannya," kata dia. BOXING NEWS | SPORTING NEWS
Badou Jack took on Adonis Stevenson for the WBC light heavyweight championship on Saturday night. During the final stanza of their 12-round match up, one of the clinch battles produced a brief moment of laughs from the audience and even the commentary team.
As the two fighters clinched, the Floyd Mayweather-backed fighter in Jack threw a punch as they were being separated. Instead of hitting Stevenson though, he just ended up clocking the referee instead.
Perhaps the referee should’ve listened to the instructions he gave earlier:
Protect yourself at all times pic.twitter.com/YgcxNUX0cU — Deadspin (@Deadspin) May 20, 2018
The bout ended in a majority draw, with the official scores of 114-114, 114-114, and 115-113 to Jack. This is Jack’s second majority draw in his last three bouts. The draw also means that Stevenson retained his WBC light heavyweight title.
For more in-depth coverage on the boxing event held in Toronto, Canada, you can head over to our friends at Bad Left Hook.
