:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/17230173/20130608_lbm_bb5_600.0.jpg)
Adonis Stevenson is near a deal to face Tavoris Cloud in an HBO main event on September 28, according to a report by Jake Donovan at BoxingScene.com, with the winner then required to face WBC mandatory challenger Tony Bellew later in the year.
Stevenson (21-1, 18 KO) knocked out Chad Dawson in 76 seconds to win the WBC light heavyweight title on June 8 in Montreal, a pretty big upset that made him a lightning bolt of excitement in a division that had seemed sort of stagnantly stuck on fighters like Dawson and Bernard Hopkins for years.
Cloud (24-1, 19 KO) lost his last fight, his undefeated record, and his IBF title to Bernard Hopkins in March, but is a generally fun fighter to watch, and in a division that lacks depth for American name fighters, he's getting the shot to come right back and regain a belt.
Both guys can punch and neither shies away from action, so it should be an entertaining fight, however long it lasts. I suspect few will see this one going to the distance.
Who do you favor here? Is Stevenson a one-punch flash in the pan at the top level? Is Cloud good enough to come back and regain a title right away against a powerful opponent? And can Tony Bellew beat either of them later on?