Assuming his loss to Brinkley was a fluke or a loss that needed to happen to wake this guy up...does he have a shot at being a contender assuming he wins August 3rd on nbc sports againt Saul Roman?
It wasn't a fluke, Brinkley was just the better fighter. It was, however a great learning experience that I think he has probably grown from. He has shown in the past that he learns from loses, like in his immediate rematch with durable journeyman Marcos Primera.
I always felt that Stevens should have won that fight but just fought a terrible fight, couldn't adjust and got demoralized. That's boxing. Not sure what Stevens has left in terms of how far he can go, but his big KO sure was impressive. He still has the power, and that left hook is a killer. He just needs to implement a better a game plan. He's a small fighter for 160 and especially at 168.
If he had gone to the body hard against Brinkley, he would have won easily because though Brinkley has a pretty good chin, he cannot take body shots. That said, the main problem Stevens has is that he possesses no defense. He needs to add head movement to his game and/or a tight guard. A tough ask this late in his career.
