Shakur Stevenson fights this Saturday night, July 6th, in his first title defense of his WBC lightweight belt against Artem Harutyunyan at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The event begins at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+.
Bad Opponent Choice
Stevenson, 26, has received criticism from fans for choosing to make his first defense of his WBC 135-lb title against a fighter coming off a loss in his previous fight. Harutyunyan was beaten last July by Frank Martin by a twelve-round unanimous decision and will be coming off a one-year layoff.
It’s not a good look for Shakur to defend against this type of fighter, especially given his poor recent performance against Edwin De Los Santos.
After that fight, Shakur needs to redeem himself against a high-level fighter, but he’s choosing not to do that, and it’s a mistake. He doesn’t appear to understand that, and that’s another example of why his career has failed to take off. He picks the wrong opposition and fights in a dull manner.
Shakur considers the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Harutyunyan (13-1, 7 KOs) a “dangerous” opponent, but he’s not shown himself as a puncher.
The 33-year-old Harutyunyan is more of a pure boxer, but if he can land enough shots on an opponent, he can knock them out. With Shakur’s defensive fighting style, he won’t be there for Harutyunyan to land many of his punches.
On the undercard, the WBC super featherweight champion faces #1 ranked contender Robson Conceicao. Lightweight contender Keyshawn Davis fights Miguel Madueno in a 10-round contest.
A Need for Self-Reflection
“I really don’t care because I’m the best fighter in the world. It’s going to come down to a day where everyone is going to have to see who really is the best and who is going to carry the sport for the next few years,” said Shakur Stevenson to the Kevin Iole YouTube channel.
Stevenson needs to leave it up to others to judge whether he’s the “best fighter in the world” because it doesn’t work to give oneself that label. It makes him come across as deluded and out of touch with reality.
If Shakur wants to improve as a fighter, he needs to listen to the criticism that fans and media are giving him. He’s not going to get better if he feels he needs to change anything because he’s the “best fighter in the world.” Fans see him as a boring fighter who doesn’t entertain.
“Artem is dangerous. He’s a good fighter. Now he’s training at Top Rank gym. I know it’s a dangerous fight. This guy is coming to win. The casuals and the people in the public may not know him, but there’s a bullseye on my back. I’m fighting an Olympian, and I love it with the thrill of the risk that I’m taking. It gets me out of bed to go on those long runs,” said Shakur.
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