Shakur Stevenson appears to be headed home to Newark, New Jersey. Boxing Scene has indicated that the lightweight contender will fight Shuichiro Yoshino of Japan on April 8, 2023 at the Prudential Center.
“[I’m] coming back to the crib. It’s [going to] be a [m]assacre in Newark,” Stevenson tweeted.
Stevenson is no stranger to the Prudential Center. Beyond his personal ties to the Newark area, he has fought at the venue twice before. In 2019, he knocked out Alberto Guevara in the third round to win the WBO-NABO featherweight title. Three years later, he returned to defend his unified super featherweight titles against former Olympian Robson Conceição. This time around, he will share the ring with 31-year-old power puncher Shuichiro Yoshino of Japan. Yoshino currently holds a record of 16-0 with 12 knockouts.
If Stevenson is able to defeat Yoshino in his lightweight debut, he has hopes of fighting for the lightweight title in the near future. In recent interviews, he has identified the likes of Gervonta Davis and Devin Haney as potential opponents.
“If it was up to me: Loma, Devin and then Tank,” Stevenson said about who he’s like to fight in the lightweight division.
While Stevenson aims for pay-per-view events down the road, it appears that his potential opponents have other immediate plans. Gervonta “Tank” Davis hopes to fight Ryan Garcia in Las on April 15, 2023. Meanwhile, Devin “The Dream” Haney hopes to fight Vasiliy Lomachenko on May 20, 2023 at an undetermined location.
