GYM Promoted Fighters Now Apart of “Clean Boxing Program”

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Groupe Yvon Michel’s (GYM) world-ranked boxers have enrolled in the new VADA/WBC Clean Boxing Program (CBP), created by Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) and the World Boxing Council (WBC).

 
Adonis Stevenson, Lucian Bute, Eleider Alvarez and Artur Beterbiev will now participate in a serious new protocol in which they may be blood and/or urine tested anytime, 365 days per year. They must be available at all times for an unexpected test.

 
All of the WBC champions and WBC top 15-ranked fighters have until September 9 to conform to the new protocol or they will be removed from the WBC rankings and suspended from any activity in the WBC.

 
”This is a step in the right direction but what will really be important in the next few years is for this structure to always keep improving in order to properly regulate professional boxing,” trainer Marc Ramsay said.

 
”Fortunately, boxing is rarely the target of doping cases, but tightening the rules can only be beneficial to prevent tempted athletes to follow the wrong path,” added GYM vice-president, operations and recruitment, Bernard Barré.

 
”I am fully in favor of these new measures so all of us in the program will be playing on the same plain field,” remarked Stevenson, the WBC world light heavyweight champion.

 
“The WBC is proud to see the exemplary dedication of GYM for the welfare of the sport and we are grateful for their support to enroll Champion Adonis Stevenson and all of their WBC top 15-ranked fighters in the WBC – VADA Clean Boxing Program,” WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman commented. “The CBP is the first ever attempt in our sport to have a safety platform for our athletes and, more importantly, to share the much needed information on PED´s and illegal procedures which could harm our heroes of the ring.”

 
To learn more about ‘the ‘WBC Clean Boxing Program” watch the Webinar : wbcboxing.com/WBCVADA

Stevenson Leaves Another Victim, But What Is Next ?

Stevenson vs Williams Jr._07_29_2016_Fight_Dave Nadkarni _ Premier Boxing Champions

Courtesy of Dave Nadkarni / Premier Boxing Champions

 

By Brandon Stubbs

Adonis Stevenson made yet another successful title defense, this time against Thomas Williams Jr. in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. In the four round affair, Stevenson ate some shots that a lesser fighter would have dropped from. “It was a firefight,” said Stevenson. “He put pressure on me so I decided to put pressure on him too. It was a fight with two guys who could punch and it was spectacular.” The win put Adonis at 28-1 record and was his seventh straight WBC title defense. But the question remains who can challenge him.

 

For the past few year boxing has hoped and wished that Stevenson and reigning WBA, WBO and IBF Light-Heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev would square off and unify the division. But continually network deals, money, promoters and egos have prevent the fight from ever being made. Now that Kovalev has found another big money fight in Andre Ward that is planned for November, where does this leave Adonis?

 

One option is his mandatory WBC defense which is Eleider “Storm” Alvarez who was feature on the same card as Stevenson last week. Alvarez won a unanimous decision over late replacement Robert Berridge, but was far from a splashy performance. “I am happy with the win, but I would have liked a knockout! He was tough, but he did not hurt me at all and I thought that I hurt him. I am ready for my next challenge, which will hopefully be a world title fight.” Said Alvarez.

 

Chad Dawson was rumored to be eyeing a rematch with Stevenson. Dawson was the original opponent for Eleider Alvarez, but had to put out due to injury. Chad has won two straight after having a rough stretch over the past few years which included a knockout loss to Stevenson in 2013 where he loss the WBC title.

 

Joe Smith Jr. could be an option as well. Smith burst on the scene this past June with a stunning TKO win over Andrzej Fonfara. Given how easily he dispatched Fonfara and given how tight of a fight Fonfara gave Stevenson in 2014, this matchup could make sense.

 

If none of these can be made for Adonis, he could just play the waiting game. He could wait things out and see what happens in November between Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev. Knowing how negotiations have went in the pass Kovalev and his promoter Main Events, a Ward win could breed another big matchup in the division. Ward’s promoter ROC Nation Sports has shown an open willingness to work with other promotions in their short time in the boxing business.

 

 

 

WBC Light Heavyweight Final Eliminator Between Eleider Alvarez vs. Isaac Chilemba Staged for Quebec

MONTRÉAL (September 24, 2015) – World Boxing Council (WBC) No, 2 rated contender Eleider Alvarez (18-0, 10 KOs), a former Colombian Olympian who now lives in Montreal, and WBC No. 1 contender Isaac Chilemba (24-2-2, 10 KOs), of Malawi, will face each other this November in a WBC light heavyweight final eliminator bout to be staged in Quebec.

Yvon Michel and Kathy Duva, respectively, promoters of Alvarez and Chilemba, yesterday finalized a deal to secure this much anticipated fight, in which the winner will become mandatory challenger for WBC World light heavyweight champion Adonis “Superman” Stevenson, the Haitian native who also lives in Montreal.

“Alvarez and Chilemba are both at the elite level of the light heavyweight division,” said Michel, President of GYM, “insuring a spectacularly intense fight that will determine the rest of their respective careers.”

“Isaac and Main Events are very much looking forward to the fight and very happy to have come to an agreement with our friends at GYM,” added Duva, CEO of Main Events.

In his last outing this past August 15 at Bell Centre in Montreal, WBC Silver champion Alvarez spoiled the undefeated record of tough Paraguayan challenger Isidro Ranoni Prieto, retaining his belt via a unanimous decision victory on a great Premier Boxing Championscard that airedlive on NBC Sports.

Chilemba, the current North American Boxing Federation (NABA) champion, also fought his last bout at Belle Centre, the famed home of the Montreal Canadians. Fighting on the March 14th undercard headlined by a world championship light heavyweight bout between defending champion Sergey Kovalev and challenger Jean Pascal, Chilemba defeated Russian foe Vasily Lepikhin on HBO by unanimous decision to capture the NABF title.

The exact date and venue of the Alvarez-Chilemba showdown is expected to be announced within a couple of days.. The plan is have Alvarez’ stablemate, undefeated light heavyweight contender Artur Beterbiev, fighting on the same card in an International Boxing Federation (IBF) elimination fight.