By Edward Chaykovsky
WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson is upset with some of the press clippings in Canada, where several articles focused on his criminal past. Stevenson, 36, was in trouble with the law in 1990s. During that time he spent four years in prison for charges stemming from pimping and assault.
During the pre-fight build to Saturday's fight with Tony Bellew, one article in particular detailed Stevenson's days as a gang member. There was even an interview with a prostitute who was pimped by Stevenson and his crew.
The popular Canadian boxer felt there were certain people, behind the scenes, who were trying to place these items in the press to affect his concentration in the fight. Stevenson was very focused during the contest and knocked out Bellew in six rounds.
But the articles left Stevenson in a real bad mood, even after the big win on Saturday. Stevenson is so upset that he is even considering the possibility of staging his next fight in the United States - in Los Angeles or Las Vegas.
"This week, people brought up my past. That was 17 years ago. And they tried to do everything to try to lose my concentration so I wouldn't win. I'm going to take time to reflect, with my family, on whether we will leave Quebec," Stevenson told reporters at the post-fight press conference.
"When young people see that — where I've come from and then people still put me down — it doesn't make sense. You can call that racism."