MONTREAL -- It was supposed to be another quick win for light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson, but Andrzej Fonfara had other plans. Marshawn Lynch Authentic . Stevenson was forced to go 12 full rounds and pick himself off the canvas to win for the first time in his career by the iron-jawed Fonfara as he pounded out a highly entertaining unanimous decision before 6,432 at Bell Centre on Saturday night. The Laval, Que. fighter (24-1) defended his World Boxing Council title for the third time, but it wasnt easy for the power puncher who had ended his 14 previous fights before the limit. "Fonfaras a good fighter and he was ready," said the 36-year-old Stevenson, who knocked his Polish opponent down in the first round with a left to the head and put him down again with a body shot in the fifth, only to see him get back up and keep battling. "A lot of people thought I couldnt go 12 rounds, but I finished 12 and I dominated." Some were calling it a fight of the year candidate, as the heavy underdog Fonfara stayed on his feet and kept trading blows until the final bell. Two ringside judges had it 115-110 and the other 116-109, all for Stevenson. The Canadian Press had it 115-110, giving Fonfara the fourth, eighth, ninth and 12th rounds. The southpaw Stevenson said he injured his left hand in the second round and didnt have full power the rest of the way, even if he kept using his main weapon. A shiver went through the arena in the ninth when Fonfara used two jabs and a right to knock Stevenson down, and the local favourite clinched and finessed his way through the rest of the round. He switched tactics to fight in closer to his opponent and won the next two rounds. "I wasnt worried," he said. "I was moving, clinching, being smart, but I wasnt worrying about it." Fonfara came in a highly ranked but mostly unknown light heavyweight and looked to have made a name for himself by standing up to the 2013 fighter of the year and one of the most dangerous punchers in the sport. "I proved tonight he is not Superman," said 26-year-old Fonfara, referring to Stevensons nickname. "He went down. "Stevenson was better tonight, but Ill be back. My mistake was that I should have thrown more punches and combinations. I want to train more and be a world champion in the future." Asked what he was most proud of, Fonfara said "Im proud I survived." The Fonfara bout was arranged amid controversy for Stevenson, who most expected would have a showdown with hard-hitting Russian Sergey Kovalev. The two fought together on a card in Quebec City in January, with an eye on a bout this year on the HBO specialty channel. But then Stevenson hired U.S. manager Al Haymon, who arranged the Fonfara bout on HBOs rival Showtime, with plans for a fight later this year with ring legend Bernard Hopkins. Kovalevs management has taken legal action to try to get Stevenson to honour what it said was an a done deal. Stevenson said he wants the 49-year-old Hopkins, a wily fighter who is a master of slipping punches and scoring just enough points to win. In the co-feature, middleweight David Lemieux took a step toward title contention with an impressive third-round knockout of Roberto Guerrero. Lemieux (32-2) knocked down Guerrero (26-3) in the first and second rounds. After Guerrero took a voluntary knee in the third to have his bleeding right eye cleared, Lemieux attacked and knocked him out with a right uppercut. It was the 25-year-old Montreal fighters seventh win in a row since a pair of losses in 2011 derailed his title bout hopes. And it was the fifth time in five fights the crowd-pleasing knockout artist won inside three rounds. "Im on a new chapter now," said Lemieux, saying he has renewed dedication to training towards winning a world title. The 27-year-old Guerrero, a Dominican Republic native living in Salisbury, Md., was in his second fight since losing a bid for the World Boxing Organization belt last year to Peter Quillan. A light-middleweight bout between top-10 contenders saw Jermell Charlo (24-0) of Houston dominate Charlie Belamy Ohta (24-2-1) of Japan in a 12-rounder. The five-foot-11 Charlo, who had a five-inch height advantage, was knocked down by a left-right combination early in the third and was deducted a point in the ninth for a second low blow, but still earned scores of 115-111, 118-109 and 118-109 from the judges. Eleider Alvarez (15-0), one of promoter Yvon Michels top prospects, must have thought it strange to be put in the first fight on the card, but he pulled out a workmanlike unanimous 10-round decision over Alexander Johnson (15-2). Alvarez was a knockout artist early in his career, but since he has been given a better class of opponents, he has gone the distance in three straight fights. A knockdown in the third against the left-handed Johnson gave him 97-92 scores on three judges cards for the win. Welterweight Junior Ulysse (2-0) of Montreal was impressive in his second pro bout, putting Argentinas Carlos Alberto Olivera (6-7) down twice before their scheduled four-rounder was stopped at 1:38 of the first. Philadelphia prospect Julian (J Rock) Williams (16-0-1) battered Michael Medina of Los Angeles through seven rounds before flooring him with a right in the eighth of their super-middleweight bout. Jacquizz Rodgers Jersey On Sale . "I just want to help, just want to have fun, just want to play," Yakupov told reporters on Tuesday. The first overall pick from 2012 added that head coach Dallas Eakins doesnt trust him and something needs to be done. Gabe Carimi Authentic . The Arena das Dunas in the northeastern city of Natal sustained minor damage during the protests, but demonstrators stayed away on Sunday and officials said the stadium passed its first test, with only minor adjustments needed going forward.Eastbourne, England (SportsNetwork.com) - Top seed Richard Gasquet and reigning champion Feliciano Lopez booked spots in Saturdays final at the Aegon International tennis event, a final grass-court Wimbledon tune-up. The French star Gasquet cruised past Uzbekistans Denis Istomin 6-4, 6-2, while the third-seeded Lopez, playing in his second match of the day, handled American Sam Querrey 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) in Fridays semifinals at Devonshire Park. The grass-court-loving Lopez was forced into double duty because of weather problems here on Thursday and opened his day Friday with a 6-3, 6-4 quarterfinal victory over Frenchman Jeremy Chardy. The left-handeed Lopez, who was last weeks grass-court runner-up at The Queens Club in London, captured last years Eastbourne title by besting Frances Gilles Simon in the finale.Dwight Lowery Jersey On Sale. Gasquet will meet Lopez for a sixth time on the ATP World Tour, seeking a sixth win. The two havent met since 2010. Gasquet, who just turned 28 on Wednesday, will appear in his 22nd career ATP final, seeking an 11th title and his first one of 2014. He was a runner-up in Montpellier in his native France in February. The 33-year-old Lopez is 3-7 in his career finals, including the loss last week in London. His last title came here in Eastbourne 12 months ago. ' ' '