Adonis Stevenson vs. Dmitry Sukhotsky: Preview and Prediction for Title Fight

Friday night in Quebec City, Adonis Stevenson defends the WBC light heavyweight title against Dmitry Sukhotsky. Stevenson is also the lineal light heavyweight champion, but his thunder in the division was definitely stolen when Sergey Kovalev unified all three of the other major belts by defeating Bernard Hopkins in November. 

So Stevenson needs an exciting performance to draw fan interest back to him. He has the explosive power to do something big every time he gets into the ring. 

But Sukhotsky is not exactly a high-profile opponent. 

Dmitry Sukhotsky's reach is unlisted on Boxrec, but Stevenson has an outstanding reach for his height, so he'll probably have a notable advantage there on Friday night. Neither of these fighters is a young man by professional boxing standards. 

Stevenson is a native of Haiti but has become a popular fighter in his adopted home of Quebec. The French-Canadian people love fighting and have a history of opening their hearts to warriors from around the world. 

Adonis Stevenson emerged as a potential superstar in 2013. He had one of the best campaigns in the sport last year, going 4-0 with four knockouts.

His one-punch, first-round knockout of Chad Dawson in June 2013 was probably the knockout of the year. It made Stevenson the WBC and lineal champion at light heavyweight. 

While Stevenson was stepping into the 175-pound spotlight in 2013, Sergey Kovalev was doing the same. The Russian "Krusher" also went 4-0, with four KOs, and secured the WBO belt.

Stevenson and Kovalev appeared on the same card in Montreal on November 30, and a 2014 showdown seemed inevitable. Fans were giddy in anticipation.

But instead, Stevenson signed a deal with boxing power broker Al Haymon, jumping from HBO to Showtime and making a fight with Kovalev at least temporarily out of reach.

Kovalev sustained all his momentum from last year, topping off a tremendous 2014 with a victory over the legendary Bernard Hopkins to unify three of four major belts.

Stevenson, meanwhile, is widely viewed as having ducked Kovalev, and so far he has nothing to show for it. His unanimous-decision win over tough contender Andrzej Fonfara last May was impressive, but only to serious fans who recognize how good Fonfara is.

As an opponent, Dmitry Sukhotsky is likely a step down from Fonfara, at least in terms of recognition in North America. The Russian contender has beaten nobody of note. He lost in December 2009 to current WBA "regular' champion Juergen Braehmer, although he battled hard late in the fight and nearly stopped Braehmer in Round 10.

Sukhotsky lost by wide margins in July 2012 to fringe contender Cornelius White, the only time he previously fought in North America.

Even if Stevenson knocks out Sukhotsky in sensational fashion, he'll get little in the way of credit from boxing fans, who still resent him for not fighting Kovalev this year.  

Adonis Stevenson is a great athlete with explosive punching power. He has decent technical skill and has continued to look more polished in recent years.

Even though he can box a little bit, his sudden, fight-ending power is definitely what makes him special at the world-class level.

Dmitry Sukhotsky has a busy jab and decent power. He uses uppercuts well, with both hands. Sukhotsky is a native of Siberia, and like other well-known fighters from that rugged region such as Ruslan Provodnikov, he is a tough, relentless opponent. 

This is the kind of opportunity he will likely not get again. Expect him to be motivated.  

Adonis Stevenson is like many fighters who rely on sensational power in that he tends to leave some holes in his defense. He's also not a young man. Thirty-seven is on the old side for a prizefighter, especially an athletic one.

Punching power is one of the last things a fighter loses, but reflexes go much more quickly.

Dmitry Sukhotsky is a clumsy-looking fighter. He is flat-footed more often than not, and his stance has a tendency to widen, leaving him off balance. 

Sukhotsky often flings his punches, rather than firing them. He leaves a lot of holes in his guard.  

I'd like to see Adonis Stevenson turn in a performance in this fight similar to the one he put up against former champion Tavoris Cloud last year. Stevenson should look to use his athleticism and boxing skill to draw Dmitry Sukhotsky off balance and then punish him with his power. 

Stevenson should move laterally behind his jab, forcing Sukhotsky to chase after him. Then the champ should stop short, with his lead right foot outside of the orthodox challenger's lead left, and catch the Russian moving into range with his heavy left hand. 

It is important for Stevenson to look explosive in this fight. He needs a highlight-reel KO here or a dramatic, TKO stoppage. Even though he is the lineal champion at 175, 2014 has been Sergey Kovalev's year, and most fans view Kovalev as the man at light heavyweight. 

So Stevenson needs to box intelligently, but with aggression. He has to use his feet to move out of range but to also move into range behind busy hands. 

Dmitry Sukhotsky is fighting a better boxer with much more athleticism. In order to win, he's going to have to rely on guts and guile and make virtually no mistakes. 

He'll need to maintain a tight, high guard in order to prevent Adonis Stevenson from catching him with a big bomb that might end his night in a hurry. He's also going to have to remain vigilant about the placement of his lead left foot. If he can keep his own lead foot to the outside, it will go a long way toward taking away the southpaw Stevenson's crushing left.

Sukhotsky will also need to be cautious of range. Stevenson is explosive, so Sukhotsky needs to be alert to getting caught unprepared while in range for a sudden knockout, the way Chad Dawson did when he lost the title to Stevenson.

The challenger needs to be outside of Stevenson's range and be prepared to cover up and counter quickly if the champ comes forward. Either that, or he needs to be inside of the champion's long reach, ready to unload with his own sharp uppercuts and short hooks.

Sukhotsky has some power. He has the ability to hurt Stevenson and put the champion in a dangerous place. But he's going to need to fight the best fight of his life to get in position to do that.  

It will be the upset of the year if Dmitry Sukhotsky beats Adonis Stevenson in this fight and captures the world title. I considered Andrzej Fonfara much more of a live underdog against Stevenson last May, and the champion handled his business in that one. 

Sukhotsky is a tough veteran with a ton of heart, so don't be shocked if he makes it to the end of the fight. But I don't expect him to. Stevenson is the better boxer with heavy hands, and he should be able to pound away at the Siberian without getting hit by anything big in return. 

Stevenson should win this by stoppage inside of eight rounds. To me, the interesting question is what he will do next. 

If he really wants a meaningful fight and a big payday, he'll have to fight a unification bout with Sergey Kovalev. The two big-punching light heavyweight champions both ended 2013 as hot fighters, but Kovalev has become the far hotter fighter this year, by virtue of beating Bernard Hopkins and unifying three of the four belts. 

Kovalev will further triangulate Stevenson if he beats Stevenson's fellow Montreal-based Haitian, Jean Pascal, early next year. 

If Kovalev fights Pascal and Stevenson doesn't fight the winner, his title will be no more than a paper belt.