Shakur Stevenson retained his WBC lightweight title with a unanimous decision win over Artem Harutyunyan on Saturday in the final fight of his promotional deal with Top Rank.
For the third time in four fights, Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) boxed in his hometown of Newark, N.J. He controlled the fight from the opening bell, showcasing the skills that earned him recognition as ESPN’s No. 8 pound-for-pound boxer.
And for the second consecutive fight, Stevenson scored a stunning win against a big underdog. In November, Stevenson scored a disappointing decision win over Edwin De Los Santos, a bout in which neither boxer landed double-digit punches in any round.
Stevenson was determined to provide even more entertainment this time around, but couldn’t hold his own. According to ESPN BET, Stevenson, one of boxing’s best defensive fighters, was a -3500 favorite against Harutyunyan.
“If you don’t have a guy to fight with, it’s hard to prove you’re the best; he’s just trying to survive,” said Stevenson, 27. “… I wanted him to try a little bit harder so it could be a more fun fight.
“I did everything I could to get him out of there. I had to cut the ring a little more. … I’ll go back to the gym and work on cutting the ring.”
There was booing during the final two rounds, which was a normal part of the fight. Stevenson said Harutyunyan was taunted because “he didn’t really try to stay in the fight.” Harutyunyan landed double-digit punches in only one round, the ninth.
Meanwhile, Stevenson stunned Harutyunyan several times, landing 66 such shots. The champion outlanded the challenger 170-74 overall. Stevenson controlled the range with his jab, was able to block Harutyunyan’s attacks and counterattack with sharp combinations of his own.
Harutyunyan (12-2, 7 KOs) was fighting in his first world title fight. He entered the ring shortly after losing a fiery decision to lightweight contender Frank Martin in July, a bout in which he was knocked out in the 12th round.
The Armenian suffered cuts under both eyes and bruises on his face. Harutyunyan, 33, represented Germany at the 2016 Olympics and won a bronze medal. At the same Games in Rio de Janeiro, Stevenson won a silver medal in two weight classes at bantamweight.
Stevenson won titles at 126, 130 and 135 pounds, where he currently reigns. All 22 of his pro bouts have been promoted by Top Rank, but Stevenson is now entering free agency. He declined a five-fight extension offer that would have guaranteed him $3 million per bout, sources told ESPN.
“I want to compete against the best fighters in boxing,” Stevenson said. “That’s the way you’re going to see the best version of me, when you put me in the ring with someone who wants to fight back and compete.”
Stevenson hasn’t seen any such major fights yet. ESPN has him ranked third at lightweight. Two of the division’s top fighters, Gervonta Davis and Vasiliy Lomachenko, are in talks to fight later this year.
“If they don’t fight me, they won’t fight me,” Stevenson said. “I’ll just stay in the gym and stay ready.”
Conceicao ends Foster’s title reign
Robson Conceicao won his fourth world title with a split decision victory over O’Sheaqui Foster in the 130-pound co-title bout.
Conceição, a two-time Olympic gold medallist from Brazil, won by scores of 115-113 and 116-112, with the third judge scoring it 116-112 in favour of Foster, who was making the third defence of his WBC title. The decision was unpopular: Conceição landed just 11% of his punches.
“I thought it was a shutout,” said Foster, 30, who is fighting out of Houston. “… I thought it was an easy fight. I didn’t get any punches to the head. … I want a rematch. They took that away from me.”
Foster (22-3, 12 KOs) won the title with a decision win over Ray Vargas in March 2022. Concecao (19-2-1, 9 KOs) previously lost in title challenges to Stevenson and Oscar Valdez, though neither bout was a close contest. Stevenson was stripped of the title after failing to make weight against Concecao, and Valdez tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug just weeks before their fight.
Conceição’s third title challenge was a draw with Emmanuel Navarrete in November, another co-feature to the Stevenson title fight.
“I think I won the fight,” Conceicao, 35, said through an interpreter. “… He didn’t come to fight. He just kept running away. I was the winner.”
