Last night, Adonis "Superman" Stevenson fought Chad Dawson in Montreal for the WBC light heavyweight title. The fight was over after 75 seconds and a single jaw-dropping punch.
Stevenson, a 35-year-old raised near Montreal, nearly decapitated Dawson with a left that got by his guard and connected with his temple, sending Dawson to the mat. He was able to get up, but referee Richard Griffin called the fight when Dawson was unable to stand without leaning, almost comically, against the ropes. It was the first meaningful punch of the night, as it seemed like the two fighters were still feeling each other out. Dawson, 30, connected two punches on the night, while Stevenson connected three.
Everyone knew Stevenson had power. Stevenson, an ex-pimp, is 21-1 with 18 wins by knockout, 10 of which have come in the first round. He lost to Darnell Boone three years ago, but has knocked eight straight opponents since. He avenged his Boone loss by knocking him out in the sixth round in March. Stevenson's a knockout artist, but he's also a super middleweight. Some, including Dawson, openly wondered if Stevenson would be as dangerous against bigger, stronger men. We didn't have to wait long to find out.
Dawson, 31-3, has long been one of the best fighters in the world, but he's now been knocked out his last two fights. It's unclear right now if he can fight competitively again, or if he will. Stevenson, however, mentioned a future fight with near-quinquagenarian light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins or Andre Ward, who knocked out Dawson last September. But the way Stevenson's been wrecking people lately, we doubt he'll have opponents lining up for a fight.
Video removed by request of HBO Sports.