From Ringside: Shakur Stevenson Returns Home To Defend His WBC Lightweight Title

On Saturday, July 6, 2024, Artem Harutyunyan will challenge Shakur Stevenson for the WBC Lightweight Championship in Newark, New Jersey at 8:30 PM EST on ESPN. (Mikey Williams/Top Rank)

From the UFC to the NHL, Newark, New Jersey’s Prudential Center has been at the heart of the action. Tonight, the arena welcomes one of its own — Shakur Stevenson. Fighting at the venue for the third time in his last four fights, the Garden State product has transformed the venue into the mecca for boxing in the state. Shifting the energy from Boardwalk Hall to Lafayette Street, he routinely brings out crowds nearing 20,000 and his lasting out prove to be no different. A sold-out crowd is expected as he defends the championship belt he earned in November. However, challenger Artem Harutyunyan isn’t looking to attend a homecoming tonight. Instead, he aims to push Stevenson in the same manner he pushed Frank Martin last year. But this time, he hopes to finish the job. With every punch, world title hopes, dreams of future pay-per-view fights and much more will be on the line. It’s fight night in Newark!

How To Watch

Network: ESPN

Time: 8:30 PM EST

Date: Saturday, July 6, 2024

Location: Prudential Center (Newark, NJ)

With all of the warm weather, longer days and vacations, who wouldn’t love summer? Well, it isn’t necessarily the best time of year for major sports broadcasters. The NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Playoffs have come to a close. The NFL off-season hasn’t been particularly eventful and interest in baseball has become regional than national. Sure, the WNBA’s media footprint has been growing, but there are only so many games. So, what is there to show on ESPN on a Saturday night in July? Boxing! With no other major sporting events taking up prime TV real estate on a midsummer evening, Shakur Stevenson and Artem Harutyunyan have the opportunity to dominate timelines and SportsCenter. Tune in at 8:30 PM EST to see if the can capitalize on the opportunity.

Who Is Shakur Stevenson?

Age: 27

Record: 21-0 (10 KOs)

Division: Lightweight

Hometown: Newark, New Jersey

Shakur Stevenson is less than a year removed from his last outing against Edwin De Los Santos. Despite dealing with a lingering injury, Shakur Stevenson cruised to a unanimous decision win while only allowing De Los Santos to land a record-low 40 punches through 12 rounds. Still, it wasn’t enough for fans or critics. The New Jersey native’s defensive style coupled with his constant movement didn’t make for a fan-friendly fight. However, fans nor critics award world titles. Stevenson’s performance was enough to secure the WBC Lightweight Championship and he’ll have an opportunity to defend it on July 6 in his hometown. Carrying a record of 21-0 with 10 knockouts, the 2016 Olympian isn’t necessarily known as a power puncher. In fact, most believe he is the exact opposite. Heading into the fight, Stevenson has said that he’s looking to prove that he can fight from within the pocket. If his previous performances are any indication, he should be able to prove his point. Four of his 10 stoppage victories have come when he’s fought in New York or New Jersey. With Harutyunyan’s style and Stevenson’s skill and determination to prove a point, fans could be in for Stevenson’s 11th stoppage win.

Who Is Artem Harutyunyan?

Age: 33

Record: 12-1 (7 KOs)

Division: Lightweight

Hometown: Yerevan, Armenia

Artem Harutyunyan may not be a household name to casual boxing fans, but he’s far from an afterthought. Just last year, he pushed Frank Martin to the brink of defeat, but failed to seal the deal after taking a kneed in the championship rounds. This time around, he’ll look to finish the job. On paper, Stevenson has the advantage in nearly aspect except for power. Still, Stevenson could be as vulnerable as ever. He’s fighting at home on the last fight of his current deal with Top Rank and he’s still trying to get many of those big fights in the lightweight division. In other words, there’s a lot going on in the life of Shakur Stevenson. Meanwhile, Harutyunyan is playing with house money. He’s on the road. It’s his first title shot and he’s coming off, while albeit a loss, the best performance of his young career. Not to mention, he’s not a slouch by any means and he’s durable.

Odds, Predictions & More

Main Card

  • Abdullah Mason v. Luis Lebron
  • Keyshawn Davis v. Miguel Madueño
  • O’Shaquie Foster v. Robson Conceição
  • Shakur Stevenson vs. Artem Hartutyunyan

Odds

  • Mason (-4000) | Lebron (+1600)
  • Davis (-2500) | Madueño (+1200)
  • Foster (-220) | Conceição (+175)
  • Stevenson (-3000) | Hartutyunyan (+1300)

Note: Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook at 4:07 PM EST on Saturday, July 6, 2024

Predictions

Live Blog

Mason v. Lebron

(Mikey Williams/Top Rank)

Division: Lightweight

Odds: Mason (-4000) | Lebron (+1600)

Outcome: Mason def. Lebron (TKO, 3)

Ryan’s Thoughts

Timeline Talk

Davis v. Madueño

(Mikey Williams/Top Rank)

Division: Lightweight

Odds: Davis (-2500) | Madueño (+1200)

Outcome: Davis def. Madueño (UD, 10 — 99-91, 99-91 and 99-91)

Ryan’s Thoughts

Keyshawn Davis may have been born in Norfolk, Virginia, but he’s made Newark his home throughout his young professional career. With two previous knockout wins at the Prudential Center, Davis expected nothing more than a dominant performance in Brick City this holiday weekend. Outside of a tough second round, he’s done just that. Through the first half of the fight, he landed 53 more punches than Madueño, working his opponent to the body and opening up at the top. In the second half of the fight, he’ll need to work him to the body more often as Madueño has repeatedly shown the ability to take his power to the head and continue putting pressure on him. Still, Madueño will need a miracle to win by decision as he’s likely lost four of the first five rounds and seems to be falling further behind as we get closer to the final bell.

Davis has mentioned that he’d like to fight Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Teofimo Lopez. It’s not entirely clear if he’s ready for those type of fights, but he’s certainly ready for primetime. The final five rounds of his showdown with Madueño were entertaining, violent, aggressive and even dirty at times. Davis seemingly hit Madueño where he wanted when he wanted, but he wouldn’t stay down. In fact, he did the complete opposite. While he did get backed up at times, Madueño tested Davis’s mental toughness, patience and his ability to stay calm in what was a hostile in-ring environment. Ultimately, Davis, aside from one round, passed the test with flying colors.

Timeline Talk

Foster v. Conceição

(Mikey Williams/Top Rank)

Division: Super Featherweight

Odds: Foster (-220) | Conceição (+175)

Outcome: Conceição def. Foster (SD, 12 —116-112, 112-1116 and 115-113)

Ryan’s Thoughts

During the pre-fight press conference, O’Shaquie Foster said that Robson Conceição’s style would not give him trouble because he’s seen a multitude of styles throughout his professional and amateur runs. Through the first six rounds, his pre-fight statements have been proven true. Using faints, changing levels and well-placed jabs, Foster has managed to stay in Conceição’s range. At one point, Conceição had only landed 9% of his punches. However, Foster’s strategic style has not won over the fans in the Prudential Center. Much like Shakur Stevenson in November, Foster is running away with the fan, but the fans will boo his performance all the way through the final bell. While it may not be ideal, the goal is to win the fight and keep the belt. Thus far, he’s done just that.

Conceição knew that this would likely be his last shot at a world title. However, he wasn’t able to make the most of the moment as he simply couldn’t hit Foster. The Brazilian may be an Olympic Gold Medalist, but Foster was simply too elusive, technically sound and quick for the challenger to find him. Making matters worse, Conceição didn’t show much urgency in the championship rounds. In many ways, the pace of the the first three or four rounds mirrored the pace of the final two rounds. At the end of the day, it doesn’t appear to be enough, but the judges will have the final say.

Timeline Talk

Stevenson v. Hartutyunyan

(Mikey Williams/Top Rank)

Division: Lightweight

Odds: Stevenson (-3000) | Hartutyunyan (+1300)

Outcome: Stevenson def. Hartutyunyan (UD, 12 — 119-109, 118-110 and 116-112)

Ryan’s Thoughts

Shakur Stevenson may not deliver the stoppage win that many were hoping he’d deliver, but he continues to win round after round en route to a dominant decision victory. Stevenson isn’t running as many on social media would like to believe. Instead, he’s sitting in the pocket and picking Hartutyunyan apart. Unfortunately, he’s not throwing enough punches to truly put the challenger in danger of being stopped. As Shakur Stevenson cruises to another successful title defense and enters free agency, his value in the world of boxing will be questioned. He’s undoubtedly talented and potentially the best fighter in the lightweight division. However, the style with which he fights isn’t enough to captivate viewers at home or keep his hometown fans from walking out early. Shakur Stevenson isn’t going anywhere, but the direction with which his career is headed is unclear.

Timeline Talk

 

 

 

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