Feb 17, 2015
Canada's Stevenson to defend WBC title in April
Canada's Adonis Stevenson will make the fifth defence of his World Boxing Council light heavyweight title against veteran Sakio Bika to kick off a new boxing series on U.S. television April 4 in Quebec City. Stevenson (25-1) and Bika (32-6-3) will be the main event in a new series called Premier Championship Boxing on CBS.
The Canadian Press
MONTREAL - Canada's Adonis Stevenson will make the fifth defence of his World Boxing Council light heavyweight title against veteran Sakio Bika to kick off a new boxing series on U.S. television April 4 in Quebec City.
Stevenson (25-1) and Bika (32-6-3) will be the main event in a new series called Premier Championship Boxing on CBS. The co-feature has Montreal-based Artur Beterbiev (7-0) against former world champion Gabriel Campillo (25-6-1) of Spain.
The afternoon bout has Stevenson facing an Australian opponent who has made his career at super-middleweight. Bika held the WBC belt in 2013 before a loss in his last outing to American Anthony Durrell.
Bika's losses have been to the top fighters in his weight class, including Joe Calzaghe, Andre Ward and, in a 2007 visit to Montreal, Lucian Bute.
Stevenson, of Laval, Que., is coming off a fifth-round stoppage of Dmitry Sukhotsky on Dec. 19 in Quebec City.
Beterbiev, a 30-year-old Russian being fast-tracked to title contention, has needed only 15 rounds to win his first seven pro bouts. The last was a second-round knockout of Jeff Page on Dec. 19. The 36-year-old Campillo is a former WBA champion.
The second CBS show is set for May 9 featuring former lightweight champ Omar Figueroa against Ricky Burns.