Sports

Stevenson draws with Jack to keep crown

May 20, 2018
Adonis Stevenson (R) punches Badou Jack during their WBC Light Heavyweight title fight at Air Canada Centre in Toronto Saturday. —AFP
Adonis Stevenson (R) punches Badou Jack during their WBC Light Heavyweight title fight at Air Canada Centre in Toronto Saturday. —AFP

TORONTO — Haitian-born Canadian Adonis Stevenson retained his World Boxing Council light-heavyweight title Saturday after fighting Sweden’s Badou Jack to a majority draw in which no judge scored him a winner.

Stevenson, a 40-year-old southpaw, kept the title after two judges scored the bout 114-114 and the third saw Jack as a 115-113 winner in the title bout at Toronto.

In a fight nobody lost, both fighters saw themselves as winners.

“I thought I definitely won the fight,” Jack said. “No judge had him winning.”

Stevenson’s record went to 29-1-1 while Jack settled for his third career draw against 22 wins and a lone defeat.

“I feel I win the fight,” Stevenson said. “I hurt him in the body. He got slowed down. I keep pressure on him. He moved slick but I touched him more all the time. I think I win this fight.”

All three judges awarded Jack the 12th round to lift him into the draw, which could set the stage for a title rematch.

“I feel I win this fight but Badou is a good fighter, two-time world champion,” Stevenson said. “I can give him a rematch if he needs one.”

Jack is ready, but wants Stevenson to fight outside Canada for the first time since September 2011.

“Let’s do a rematch. Let’s do it in Vegas,” Jack said. “I came to his place. Now it’s his turn to come to my place.”

Jack settled for a draw two fights ago in January 2017 with James DeGale and wondered if the fact he is promoted by retired unbeaten champion Floyd Mayweather played a role in his struggles to get more than draws.

Russell decisions Diaz

to keep crown

Gary Russell Jr. retained his World Boxing Council featherweight title Saturday, taking a unanimous 12-round decision over previously unbeaten Joseph Diaz in a showdown of American southpaws. Judges awarded Russell the victory before his hometown supporters in suburban Washington by scores of 115-113, 117-111 and 117-111.

Russell improved to 29-1 while Diaz suffered his first loss after 26 victories in his first world title bout.

It was only the third time defending the title for Russell, who took the crown in 2015 by stopping Jhonny Gonzalez and waited just over a year to risk it each time.

Russell has won four fights since suffering his lone loss, falling by majority decision to Ukraine’s Vasyl Lomachenko in 2014.

Russell’s jab kept Diaz at bay early, but both fighters landed intense combinations in the second round to set the tone, Diaz working the body and Russell spreading the punishment round after round.

Diaz pushed Russell down to one knee in the 11th and 12th rounds, neither time costing the champion points, as the fighters’ intensified their pace with furious exchanges to the final bell. — Agencies


May 20, 2018
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