On Saturday, July 6, WBC Lightweight Champion Shakur Stevenson will return to his hometown of Newark, New Jersey for a showdown with Artem Harutyunyan. Stevenson may be an overwhelming betting favorite, but he is looking to do more than win. The Garden State product hopes to deliver an unforgettable performance that will quiet his most vocal critics.
Stevenson last fought in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 16, 2024. Despite being injured, the Top Rank fighter limited his opponent, Edwin De Los Santos, to 40 landed punches through 12 rounds. Ultimately, all three judges delivered the following scores in favor of the Newark native: 115-113, 116-112 and 116-112. However, fans were less than pleased with how Stevenson earned the victory. Many critics felt Stevenson’s defensive style was overdone and not conducive for a fan-friendly fight.
“[Mayweather] came here to support me,” Stevenson said after the fight.
“I appreciate Floyd. I apologize to him. I apologize to Andre Ward. I apologize to Terence Crawford. All my idols; I put on a bad performance; they came to see a great performance and I put on a bad one.”
Months later, Stevenson returns to the ring and he promises to put on a show in front of his hometown fans. During Wednesday’s press conference, he vowed to take his opponent, Harutyunyan, to a “level he’s never been on.”
“I’m going to take him to a level he’s never been on,” Stevenson told the crowd on Thursday.
“I’m just going to be myself. I’m going to come out and show my talent and show my levels. I think I’m one of the best in the sport of boxing at hit and don’t get hit. There’s a certain way of doing that, and I want to show the fans that all that moving around is something I don’t really have to do. I can sit in the pocket and beat you up, too.”
Stevenson will have the opportunity to back up his claims when the men meet at the Prudential Center on Saturday.
