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By Allan Fox: Promoters for WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson (22-1, 18 KO’s) and former IBF 175 lb. champion Tavoris Cloud (24-1, 19 KO’s) are close to putting the final touches on a Cloud-Stevenson fight on September 28th at the Bell Centre, in Montreal, Canada, according to Dan Rafael.

This is a fight that HBO wants, so it’s something that has a good chance of happening. The World Boxing Council recently gave permission for Stevenson to make an optional defense against Cloud rather than facing his mandatory challenger Tony Bellew.

The 35-year-old Stevenson showed huge power in stopping former WBC light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson in the 1st round last month in Montreal.

Dawson made the mistake of thinking he could trade shots with Stevenson in the 1st round and that proved to be a huge mistake for the 31-year-old Dawson when he ran into a big left hand from Stevenson that put him down.

Cloud, #5 WBO, #8 IBF, #19 WBC, previously held the IBF 175 lb. title for four years from 2009 until losing it to Bernard Hopkins last March in a 12 round unanimous decision defeat.

Cloud is known his power and high work rate. He can be a problem for most guys in the division when he’s fighting at the top of his game. He’s vulnerable on defense and he can be out-boxed, as we saw with his loss to 48-year-old Hopkins.

Stevenson has the power and the speed to dominate Cloud as long as he doesn’t get into a war with him. Cloud has a pretty good chin, and it might be a mistake for Stevenson to fight him like he’s been doing against weaker opposition.

If he fought Cloud like that, he’d be gambling that he could take him out early. If that didn’t happen, Stevenson would be in for a tough fight due to the high pace that Cloud would set by forcing him to fight in the trenches where Stevenson isn’t as proficient.