http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=10124501 stevenson posted this to his FB timeline today...stevensons title for the post "ready for 2014".....looks like they will be trying to build up for a kovalev fight...heard yvon michel say that they had other plans, as in bhop and froch, but he said both of these guys have shown no interest in facing stevenson and have stated that their careers are pointing in a different direction...michel went on to say that kovalev might be one of the few fights available...but remember, money talks, so lets see how bad bho wants this fight to happen.
So he didn't actually say : "Bring me Kovalev", then. His promoter said "Froch and Bhop turned us down, so Kovalev MIGHT be an option". Bit of a difference in statments, don't you think?
I hope he means it...and probably he does...I never bought into the 'fighter is scared' rubbish. Yeah, course they listen to their promoter - an' if Michel says that ain't his best long term opportunity then that's kinda what he oughta say. That said, Kovalev is quite simply gunning for all the titles at LHW and by calling everyone out, he is making an impression. It probably isn't in Stevensons risk / reward interest, but it might end up being one of those fights which can't be avoided. I hope so at least, Kovalev -Stevenson is quite simply a 2014 must..the two clear breakout fighters of 2013 with 4 KOs each (with many at championship level)...this fight has to happen.
from what i know fonfara is trying to get a fight with stevenson, but i doubt its going to happen, fonfara is seen by GYM as a last resort fight, adonis is looking for the big $ fights, fonfara will never bring the $, based on that alone this fight wont happen... but i did hear that kovalev was also supposed to face fonfara, and i think that will be a 50/50 weather it happens or not, all depending if the kovalev stevenson fight gets made... i know that the bute/pascal fight is now for the mando spot for adonis belt, GYM asked the wbc for this as a strategic move to make sure that nobody else can take the mando spot....but they are not doing this for stevenson to face one of them, its purely for a strategic point of view. that being said, if hopkins is fighting shumenov...and bute fighting pascal...the next biggest name @ 175 is kovalev... it would be nice, to see a mini competition of champs fighting it out till one guy has all the belts..
I wouldn't mind them waiting to let this fight to build and get the hype it deserves, but I hope they don't screw around too much