Breakdown: Adonis Stevenson vs. Andrzej Fonfara fight preview and prediction

Saturday night’s big boxing fight sees Adonis Stevenson rematch Andrzej Fonfara. Get a preview and prediction here.

This Saturday’s marquee boxing event is once again on Showtime where Adonis Stevenson (28-1; 23 KO) rematches Andrzej Fonfara (29-4; 17 KO) The fight is for Stevenson’s WBC Light Heavyweight (175 pound) title. Ring Magazine has the champ at #3 in the division with Fonfara unranked. This is a rematch from 2014 - Stevenson won that first fight via unanimous decision. The fight will air live on Showtime this Saturday, June 3 with a fight time of 9:30 p.m. ET. Opening the broadcast is Eleider Alvarez vs. Jean Pascal.

How do these two stack up?
Stevenson: 39 years old | 5’11” | 77" reach | southpaw stance
Fonfara: 29 years old | 6’2" | 77" reach | orthodox stance

What have these two done recently?
Stevenson: W - Thomas Williams, Jr (KO) | W - Tommy Karpency (TKO) | W - Sakio Bika (UD)
Fonfara: W - Chad Dawson (TKO) | L - Joe Smith, Jr. (TKO) | W - Nathan Cleverly (UD)

How did these two get here?

Adonis Stevenson won the WBC and Lineal Light Heavyweight title from Chad Dawson via spectacular upset KO in 2013. Since then, he’s doggedly avoided fights with the division’s top contenders, instead facing a quite uninspired list of opponents, including challengers coming off losses on more than one occasion. Since defeating Fonfara, he’s 4-0. Despite these matchmaking issues, Stevenson remains a power puncher with a big KO always at the ready - the kind of guy who can make a fight interesting every time, simply because you never know if a brutal KO is right around the corner. It’s worth noting that Fonfara is one of only two title challengers who has gone the distance with Stevenson.

When Andrzej Fonfara first fought Stevenson, he was rising up the ranks and was a decent contender, but not someone with any particularly notable wins. He followed up the Stevenson loss with a simple rebound win, then won the best fights of his career back to back - first putting a beating on Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and ultimately forcing him to quit, then defeating the very good Nathan Cleverly. He looked to be building great momentum, but it quickly ended when he suffered a fast KO loss to Joe Smith, Jr. He followed that up with a win over Chad Dawson where he had to come from behind and rally to win. The momentum he had a few years back is gone at this point.

What can fans expect?

Fonfara has had some very good wins - the best of recent Stevenson opponents. But it’s hard not to notice that when he was coming off back to back big wins, Stevenson was nowhere to be found, and now that he has a pair of poor performances, he’s suddenly seen as a challenger. Despite all the grief fans give Stevenson (which he brings on himself) he is indeed a good fighter. Not as good as he would have you believe, but not as bad as his detractors say either. He hits hard and he knows how to set you up to hit you hard. Smith showed that Fonfara can absolutely be KO’d by a hard hitting, aggressive opponent, and if Stevenson lands nearly as much as Dawson did, it’s going to be a short night for the challenger. I see Stevenson being a bit cautious at first, but turning things up quickly and having a much easier time here than he did the first time out.

Prediction: Adonis Stevenson, KO5

Who should watch?

Fans you want some striking violence but don’t want to pay for Aldo vs. Holloway.