Adonis Stevenson vs Dmitry Sukhotsky, Andre Dirrell vs Derek Edwards: Boxing on TV this weekend

One of the last major boxing events of 2014 takes place in Canada on Friday night, as Adonis Stevenson looks to finish a fairly ordinary year in style

Dmitry Sukhotsky (R) faces Adonis Stevenson this weekend (Getty Images)

Prior to the start of 2014 Adonis Stevenson was one of boxing’s most talked about fighters after a glorious 2013 which saw him defeat Darnell Boone, Chad Dawson, Tavoris Cloud and Tony Bellew all by stoppage.

The last 12 months have been a different story for the controversial Canadian however, as a move to the Showtime network saw a proposed bout with Sergey Kovalev fail to materialise, and his lone appearance in the ring was an unimpressive points win over Andrzej Fonfara who dropped Stevenson in the ninth round.

This bout against the 22-2 Dmitry Sukhotsky is thus intended to remind the world why Stevenson was once so feared, but the 33-year-old Russian, known as ‘The Hunter’ will fancy his chances. Sukhotsky has 16 stoppage wins, of his last 13 victories, 12 have come early, and if Stevenson has a weakness it is his chin, which could play into his hands.

Sukhotsky’s two defeats included a wide points loss to Cornelius White in 2012, but interestingly close defeat to a prime Juergen Braehmer in Germany back in 2009 could indicate that stepping into his opponents backyard does not faze the Russian.

The powerful Stevenson is a massive favourite at 1/25 and has vowed to stop Sukhotsky, but at 37-years-old and inactive in recent time, could the 12/1 odds of the Russian appeal to some punters?

Elsewhere on the card, 33-2 Romanian Ionut Dan Ion rematches 23-1 Kevin Bizier for the opportunity to fight for Kell Brook’s IBF welterweight title. Ion gave Bizier the first defeat of his career when he defeated the Canadian via split decision in November 2013, and will hope to win more decisively in the rematch, while Bizier has knocked out his past two opponents in the first and second rounds respectively, and will be confident he will be the man to meet Brook in Sheffield next year.

Dmitry Sukhotsky (R) faces Adonis Stevenson this weekend (Getty Images)

Another IBF eliminator also takes place in Montreal, as 23-1 Andre Dirrell continues his comeback against 27-4 Derek Edwards. While this match is an eliminator for Carl Froch’s IBF super middleweight title, the winner is unlikely to face him immediately, a fact that will upset Dirrell who controversially suffered the only loss of his career against the English star back in 2009 via split decision.

Since that defeat, Dirrell has fought sporadically, although he has picked up two wins since August, and is a wide favourite at 1/16 against the 10/1 Edwards who sensationally knocked out the previously undefeated Badou Jack in February, although before that he had only picked up one win in five fights.

Also on the undercard is an appearance for one of the most exciting prospects in boxing, as 6-0 professional and former European and AIBA World Champion Arthur Beterbiev faces the 15-0 Jeff Page Jr. Beterbiev shockingly knocked out Tavoris Cloud in two rounds in September, and is one to look out for in 2015 and beyond.

In non-televised action this weekend, British boxer Tommy Coyle promotes a card in Hull featuring Dillian Whyte’s third fight in a month, while fellow heavyweight Andy Ruiz Jr looks for his 24th consecutive win in Arizona.