This story is remarkable for the fact that another guy is saved by boxing instead of becoming a career criminal. He committed some crimes early in his life and did his time in prison. He learned some hard lessons and has gone on to excel as a prize fighter.
He has joined a tradition of boxing gyms saving people from the streets. Probably, one of the most durable boxing careers today, started after doing time in a penitentiary. Bernard Hopkins made some mistakes early in his life but he is now a multimillionaire and senior statesman of the sport...
Many proponents of the sport offer as an argument against banning boxing, the fact that so many men have used boxing as a way to climb out of poverty. The sport can build character, channel aggression and keep kids out of trouble. They can be involved with amateur organizations with an eye to local Golden Gloves Tournaments, National AAU Titles and ultimately the Olympics. That is plenty of incentive and the cost of entry is minimal making it the perfect inner city sport.
...........
Adonis Stevenson floored Chad Dawson with one punch - but Tony Bellew won't be so easily dismissed © AP
Adonis Stevenson, understandably, would prefer to keep his past buried, the skeletons locked securely in his closet....capturing the WBC light heavyweight title less than 10 years after he took up the sport.
Adonis Stevenson, who boasts big-time power, has come a long way.
He's one of the few one-punch knockout boxers in a sport that delights in knockouts, a guy whose aggressive, hard-hitting style could make him, at 35, an overnight sensation.
His ferocious punching power was one of the most intriguing story lines entering the bout and he quickly legitimized that his reputation was well-deserved.
But to understand who Adonis Stevenson is, one first must understand where he comes from and what he has overcome.
Born in Haiti, he moved to Quebec and, at 18, found himself running with a notorious street gang and in 1998, he was arrested, charged and convicted of being a pimp, as well as assault and making threats.
Ex-jailbird boxers are hardly uncommon.
He left jail with nothing, with no tangible skill and little hope for the future. But he was preternaturally strong, loved to fight and took up boxing to try to take advantage.
As with so many, boxing turned out to be a salvation for him. The sport imposed the discipline he needed. He had to run, he had to exercise and he had to learn how to fight.
He didn't have time, even if he wanted – which he didn't – to hang with those he did before his imprisonment.
He began to box in 2004, and in that year, he won the Quebec amateur middleweight title. He was Canada's best amateur boxer in both 2005 and 2006 and won the silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Australia in 2006.
He turned pro in late 2006 and strung together a series of highlight-reel knockouts. He fought five times in his first five months as a pro, winning all five by knockout, four of them in the first round and one in the second.
Boxing offered hope, a glimmer of opportunity to escape his dreary past.
He threw everything he had into the sport and was showing promise as a knockout artist. But he was wild and not skilled in the technique he would need to succeed at the sport's highest level.
And then, by chance in 2011, he ran into the great trainer Emanuel Steward. Steward, who was in a fight for his life, took on Stevenson and agreed to train him. Despite his record, he has a waiver that allows him to travel abroad.
It was a life-altering experience.
"It was a gift to have Emanuel come into my life," Stevenson said. "I was with him just a short time, but he changed my life in so many ways."
Steward was quickly able to fix some of the flaws in Stevenson's boxing technique. He had poor footwork and was frequently off-balance. That would result not only in missed shots, but in leaving himself open for counter punches.
More important, perhaps, was the impact Steward had on Stevenson as a man. Steward talked with Stevenson about life almost as much as he did about boxing. Steward was in the final year of his own life, but he managed to affect change in Stevenson's.
"I'm grateful, so thankful, to have had the chance to meet him and know him," Stevenson said of Steward.
Stevenson (20-1, 17 KOs) still trains at Steward's Kronk Gym and is guided by Steward's nephew, Javan "Sugar" Hill.
"Power changes a lot in boxing," Stevenson said. "I don't want to just rely only on my power, but the thing is, having the kind of power that you can knock someone out at any time, it changes so much in a fight. You could lose 11 rounds of a fight and land one punch in the 12th round and it is over. It's a huge difference."
That power has made him a world champion and it may make him a star. Aggressive, up-tempo fighters who can punch are a rarely and highly prized commodity in boxing.
Stevenson is highly motivated to succeed, in part because he knows what may lie ahead, but also, because of what is in his past.
Sources:
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/boxing/bouts-counterpunch-142809691.html;_
http://www.tsn.ca/boxing/story/?id=387917
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/boxing--adonis-stevenson-could-move-further-from-past-mistakes-with-win-over-chad-dawson-180803523.html
http://ep.imgci.com/PICTURES/CMS/49100/49169.jpg
Adonis Stevenson, who boasts big-time power, has come a long way.
He's one of the few one-punch knockout boxers in a sport that delights in knockouts, a guy whose aggressive, hard-hitting style could make him, at 35, an overnight sensation.
His ferocious punching power was one of the most intriguing story lines entering the bout and he quickly legitimized that his reputation was well-deserved.
But to understand who Adonis Stevenson is, one first must understand where he comes from and what he has overcome.
Born in Haiti, he moved to Quebec and, at 18, found himself running with a notorious street gang and in 1998, he was arrested, charged and convicted of being a pimp, as well as assault and making threats.
H spent 18 months of a 4 year sentence in a Bordeaux jail on charges of managing prostitutes, assault and making threats
What Stevenson did or didn't do before he was arrested remains murky, but promoter Yvon Michel said that while he did time for prostitution and simple assault, he was never found guilty of rape, sexual assault or aggravated assault, as has been suggested. Stevenson only said he was jailed for "pimping."
"It's been 14 years," Stevenson said of his criminal past. "That's a long time. It's in the past, I've made a commitment to change my life, and I have."
"We don't want to diminish the fact that he was beating girls," added Michel. "That's very bad."
As with so many, boxing turned out to be a salvation for him. The sport imposed the discipline he needed. He had to run, he had to exercise and he had to learn how to fight.
He didn't have time, even if he wanted – which he didn't – to hang with those he did before his imprisonment.
He began to box in 2004, and in that year, he won the Quebec amateur middleweight title. He was Canada's best amateur boxer in both 2005 and 2006 and won the silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Australia in 2006.
He turned pro in late 2006 and strung together a series of highlight-reel knockouts. He fought five times in his first five months as a pro, winning all five by knockout, four of them in the first round and one in the second.
Boxing offered hope, a glimmer of opportunity to escape his dreary past.
He threw everything he had into the sport and was showing promise as a knockout artist. But he was wild and not skilled in the technique he would need to succeed at the sport's highest level.
And then, by chance in 2011, he ran into the great trainer Emanuel Steward. Steward, who was in a fight for his life, took on Stevenson and agreed to train him. Despite his record, he has a waiver that allows him to travel abroad.
It was a life-altering experience.
"It was a gift to have Emanuel come into my life," Stevenson said. "I was with him just a short time, but he changed my life in so many ways."
Steward was quickly able to fix some of the flaws in Stevenson's boxing technique. He had poor footwork and was frequently off-balance. That would result not only in missed shots, but in leaving himself open for counter punches.
More important, perhaps, was the impact Steward had on Stevenson as a man. Steward talked with Stevenson about life almost as much as he did about boxing. Steward was in the final year of his own life, but he managed to affect change in Stevenson's.
"I'm grateful, so thankful, to have had the chance to meet him and know him," Stevenson said of Steward.
Stevenson (20-1, 17 KOs) still trains at Steward's Kronk Gym and is guided by Steward's nephew, Javan "Sugar" Hill.
"Power changes a lot in boxing," Stevenson said. "I don't want to just rely only on my power, but the thing is, having the kind of power that you can knock someone out at any time, it changes so much in a fight. You could lose 11 rounds of a fight and land one punch in the 12th round and it is over. It's a huge difference."
That power has made him a world champion and it may make him a star. Aggressive, up-tempo fighters who can punch are a rarely and highly prized commodity in boxing.
Stevenson is highly motivated to succeed, in part because he knows what may lie ahead, but also, because of what is in his past.
Sources:
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/boxing/bouts-counterpunch-142809691.html;_
http://www.tsn.ca/boxing/story/?id=387917
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/boxing--adonis-stevenson-could-move-further-from-past-mistakes-with-win-over-chad-dawson-180803523.html
http://ep.imgci.com/PICTURES/CMS/49100/49169.jpg
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