Canadian boxer Adonis Stevenson is in critical condition after a brutal knockout by Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Gvozdyk Saturday night in Quebec.
A former world champion, Stevenson is hospitalized and in intensive care, his promoter tweeted.
The WBC and boxing community from the world join in prayers for the safe recovery of our dear friend, great fighter and exemplary human being @AdonisSuperman . May God provide the strength to overcome this unfortunate set back.
With seconds left in the 11th round, Gvozdyk landed a number of stunning blows to the 41-year-old boxer’s head Saturday night during the World Boxing Council light heavyweight championship in Quebec City.
.@AdonisSuperman ready to catch him slippin’💥
Watch #StevensonGvozdyk SATURDAY 7:45PM ET LIVE on YouTube: t.co/ArrcnCONCp
“The unbeaten 31-year-old Gvozdyk unloaded a barrage of rights and lefts that sent the Canadian champion reeling. He then finished Stevenson off with a crushing right hand, leaving him leaning awkwardly against the corner ropes,” Boxing Scene reported.
According to this report in the Journal de Montreal, Adonis Stevenson has been put in an artificial coma as a preventative measure in case he is suffering from a brain hemorrhage. He is currently in intensive care at a local Quebec City hospital. Tragic.
The Ukrainian fighter was named WBC Light Heavyweight Champion after the bout.
Promoter Yvon Michel tweeted that Stevenson was in critical condition and in intensive care after a series of vicious blows sent the fighter to the floor. He was taken away by ambulance. Michel said Stevenson’s family has asked for privacy.
AVIS, nouvelles sur la condition d’Adonis
La famille de .@AdonisSuperman et les dirigeants de Groupe Yvon Michel sont présentement auprès d’Adonis Stevenson. Ils souhaitent informer les amis et les supporters qu’Adonis est présentement dans une condition critique (1sur2)
… aux soins intensifs, à l’hôpital, suite à son combat contre Oleksander Gvozdyk. Ils apprécient l’inquiétude et le support de tous. Il n’y aura aucun autre commentaire pour l’instant et ils demandent respectueusement votre compréhension dans leur désir de rester en privé. 2sur2
Before the fight, Stevenson posted a short video.
Twenty years ago, Stevenson was convicted and imprisoned for being a violent and vicious pimp. A member of a street gang, as a teen and young adult, Stevenson was found guilty of pimping out young girls, beating them and forcing them to fight each other. In interviews over the years, he said he’d changed.
““For sure, I feel remorse,” Stevenson was quoted as saying by the Toronto Star. “A lot of people think that when you go to jail, (life) is over… It’s been 20 years, but some people still try to put me in a bad light. But life doesn’t work like that. You can change. I’ve changed. I’ve worked (at it) a lot.”
Some have said Stevenson’s criminal past and victimization of young women should preclude him from enjoying a life of wealth and celebrity. Including one of his victims, who was interviewed by a French-language newspaper in Montreal, as reported by the Sun: “He doesn’t deserve to be celebrated like that, with everything he put us through. What would he say if that happened to one of his daughters?”
According to reports, Stevenson “appears at charity events and once did an interview for the Montreal Canadiens’ website about his support for the club. When 10-year-old Ariel Kouakou went missing in March, Stevenson donated $15,000 to Kouakou’s family to help fund the search.” It’s also reported he “counsels young people in legal trouble, helping them envision life beyond crime.”
Still, some are not so quick to forgive.
Anyone showing sympathy to Stevenson’s condition doesn’t obviously know what sort of monster he is
Karma for him would be making all that money from the sport and not being able to enjoy it in retirement. Makes me sick seeing the do gooders wish him well
Stevenson became a father to a baby girl on Nov. 6.
This is a developing story.