Shakur Stevenson’s last title fight in his hometown ended with him losing his belt at the scales. This time, it might be his current promoter who is left behind.
Stevenson weighed in at 134.1 pounds, well under the limit for his first defense of the WBC lightweight title. The 2016 Olympic Silver medalist and three-division titleholder faces Artem Harutyunyan (12-1, 7 KOs), who weighed 134.8 pounds. Their scheduled 12-round bout headlines an ESPN quadrupleheader from the Prudential Center in Stevenson’s hometown of Newark, New Jersey. Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs), ranked No. 4 at 135 by The Ring, fights for the fourth time at this location. His most recent appearance was last April when he stopped unbeaten Shuichiro Yoshino (16-0 at the time) in the sixth round of their WBC title eliminator.
It was a night of redemption for Stevenson, who missed weight ahead of a September 2022 win over Robson Conceicao, forcing him to vacate his RING, lineal, WBC, and WBO junior lightweight titles.
Saturday marks the final fight of Stevenson’s promotional contract with Top Rank. The 27-year-old southpaw signed with the Las Vegas-based powerhouse after turning pro from the 2016 Rio Olympics. Despite title reigns in three divisions, he’s yet to experience the blockbuster events enjoyed by his elite-level peers in and around the weight. Stevenson has been vocal about his desire to test the free agent market after Saturday.
Harutyunyan has not fought since a narrow 12-round defeat to then-unbeaten Frank Martin last July 15 in Las Vegas. The Hamburg-based Armenian pushed Martin to the limit but faded late in his U.S. debut, ultimately taking a knee in the 12th round and losing on all three scorecards.
Also on the card, O’Shaquie Foster puts his WBC 130-pound belt on the line against 2016 Olympic Gold medalist Robson Conceicao. Foster (22-2, 12 KOs), The Ring’s No. 2-rated junior lightweight, weighed 129.9 pounds ahead of his second title defense. Brazil’s Conceicao (18-2-1, 9 KOs), ranked No. 9 at 130, weighed 129.5 pounds for his fourth attempt at a major title.
2020 Olympic Silver medalist Keyshawn Davis, ranked No. 8 at 135, will face veteran puncher Miguel Madueno in a ten-round lightweight bout. Davis (10-0, 7 KOs)—a stablemate of three-division champ Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford—weighed 134.8 pounds. Mexico’s Madueno (31-2, 28 KOs) weighed 134.7 pounds.
Opening the telecast, red-hot lightweight prospect Abdullah Mason meets Luis Lebron in a scheduled eight-round contest. Cleveland’s Mason (13-0, 11 KOs) weighed 134.8 pounds, while Puerto Rico’s Lebron (20-5-1, 13 KOs) was 135.8 pounds.
Below are the weights for the ESPN+ preliminary undercard:
10 rounds, junior lightweight
- William Foster III (17-1, 11 KOs), New Haven, Connecticut, 130.4 pounds
- Eridson Garcia (18-1, 12 KOs), Houston via Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 130.7 pounds
4 rounds, featherweight
- Keith Colon (pro debut, Newark), 125.3 pounds
- Hunter Turbyfill (4-1, 1 KO), Memphis, Tennessee, 124.1 pounds
8 rounds, junior welterweight
- Kelvin Davis (12-0, 7 KOs), Norfolk, Virginia, 142.9 pounds
- Kevin Johnson (12-3, 8 KOs), Las Vegas, 142.5 pounds
4 rounds, heavyweight
- Ali Feliz (2-0, 2 KOs), Danbury, Connecticut, 219.5 pounds
- Robinson Perez (2-0, 0 KOs), Southbridge, Massachusetts, 245.1 pounds