By Ryan Burton

On February 24th, #1 rated light heavyweight Eleider Alvarez (21-0) will risk his mandatory position in the WBC rankings when he faces former champion Lucian Bute (32-3-1) in Quebec City, Quebec.  The winner of the fight will then face WBC/Lineal light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson (28-1), who is expected to announce his ring return in the near future.

Stevenson believes that the Alvarez-Bute fight is necessary so that more people will get to know Alvarez in the event that he defeats Bute.

"That is a big fight in Canada. I like the fight. I think Alvarez needs the fight because the people don't know him. I think it is a fight he needs because right now me fighting him isn't a big fight. Him and Bute is a good fight and it is interesting because I am going to fight the winner. I am ready to defend my title against the winner," Stevenson explained.

The 38-year-old Stevenson stopped short of predicting who will win the fight but his adviser believes the winner will have earned a fight against Stevenson instead of just becoming a mandatory challenger who lacks the credentials on paper to fight against a champion.

"It is going to be a test for Alvarez. Not a lot of people know him and Bute is a solid former world champion. He got a draw against Badou Jack and gave James DeGale a good fight so it is an interesting fight," chimed in Rudy Louis.

If Stevenson and Alvarez both come out of their fights unscathed, the two could end up fighting in the summer in Canada.  Stevenson's promoter Yvon Michel recently told BoxingScene.com's Steve Kim that Stevenson could have his second fight of the year either in June or September.

Stevenson believes that Bute, as a former title holder, is the perfect litmus test for Alvarez to prove his worthiness to fight for his belt.

"Alvarez has to prove he is the #1 contender and he can do that versus Bute. If he beats Bute then our fight would be even bigger. In Canada it is a big fight,"  Stevenson told BoxingScene.com.

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