Sakio “The Scorpion” Bika said he likes a challenge; well he stepped up to the biggest challenge available to him, Adonis “Superman” Stevenson.
The former super middleweight titleholder, Bika, spoke on a conference call for the media before his April 4th showdown with Stevenson on CBS.
“We have a good training camp here,” Bika said. “Everyone is happy. I’m happy, and my coach is happy. All my kingdom is happy. I’m just looking for on April the 4th, to become three-time world champion.”
Although few give “The Scorpion” a chance, Bika feels Stevenson is nothing more than a “big bull” that Bika wants to try and tame. Bika insisted that he is something of a feared man in boxing and said it was difficult to find fights.
“When you see my regimen, nobody ever wants to fight me,” Bika said. “It was always a little bit difficult because people don’t want to fight me. For me, it’s a big challenge because Stevenson, Adonis is a great champion, and I want to become the world champion in life.”
Bika (32-6-3, 21 KO) won a vacant WBC super middleweight title against Marco Antonio Periban (21-3-1, 13 KO) by majority decision in 2013. He lost the title last August to Anthony Dirrell (27-0-1, 22 KO) by unanimous decision in an ugly fight. Bika is hoping to start this year with a major upset by moving up in weight and fighting one of the top punchers in the sport.
“Adonis is the first one for me at this weight, but I just feel confident, I feel positive,” Bika said. “I’m ready, you know, to go there and show the people in the world I can beat Adonis Stevenson on April 4.”
In preparation for this fight, Bika worked with renowned trainer Kevin Cunningham. Cunningham helped former undisputed welterweight champion Cory Spinks travel to Italy and win his first title against Michele Piccirillo, an Italian champion, in 2003.
“Sakio understands the opportunity that’s before him, and we look to come to Canada and Montreal,” Cunningham said. “And we’re going into Adonis’ hometown. So, I’ve been there, done that. You got to go into the lion’s den and take the title. So that’s what we’re working on doing, and that’s what we plan on doing.”
After a 14-year career, Bika is a seasoned veteran who has fought the best the super middleweight division has to offer. The problem is that none Bika’s past opponents have had the destructive power Stevenson possesses in either hand. At this stage of the game, for Bika to move up in weight and ask his body take the punishment from a naturally bigger opponent could be for asking too much.
“For me just it’s just a challenge,” Bika said about the extra weight. “I want to challenge myself. I can do light heavy easy. It would be a struggle to do super middleweight.”
Bika said he sees himself as a light heavyweight and that this was the perfect opportunity to move into the division and establish dominance right away. Although Stevenson is the heavy favorite going into this fight, Bika insisted that he can easily pull off an upset.
“You know, I can do light heavyweight really easily,” Bika said. “I can handle the big bull because I handle everyone. This is a big opportunity for me to try to see if can I handle the big bull. I can handle Adonis.”
Bika may seem confident now, but his opponent is out to hurt him. Stevenson has been criticized for not fighting fellow light heavyweight champ Sergey Kovalev. As a result, Stevenson is practically forced to put on a spectacular performance if only to keep the fans and media satisfied.
“I know Bika is a tough opponent. So, I’m prepared for 12 rounds,” Stevenson said. “If the knockout is there, it’s there. If it’s not, it’s not. But, in the ring, I’m looking for the knockout. So, it doesn’t matter for me, but I’m always looking for the knockout.”
Bika has proven that he can share a ring with the top fighters of the sport, but he hasn’t showed that he can beat them. His best win on paper might be against Sam Soliman in 2007, and that just isn’t enough to make people believe you can “handle” light heavyweights, especially a powerhouse champ like Stevenson.
