WBO light-weight champion Shakur Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs) and #8 Artem Harutyunyan will meet stay on ESPN on July sixth on the Prudential Heart in Newark, New Jersey.
This can be a disappointing alternative for Shakur, however many imagine the Twitter star is allergic to threat, which is common for him.
Shakur bragged lately about how he wished to combat a high-level opponent, however as an alternative, he rejected the harmful Raymond Muratalla, the #2 contender, in favor of Harutyunyan.
Lately crushed 33-year-old Harutyunyan (12-1, 7 KOs) had been rumored to be one of many two fringe contenders the 2016 Olympic silver medalist Shakur can be dealing with, however now it’s out within the open.
Mike Coppinger broke the information of the Stevenson vs. Harutyunyan combat being finalized for July sixth.
Harutyunyan gave Frank Martin all he may deal with final July in a 12-round unanimous resolution in a contest he’d been successful by means of the primary half of the motion.
He virtually had the unproven Martin beat, making him seem like an unskilled, musclebound oaf earlier than operating out of petrol within the seventh. Harutyunyan has glorious technical abilities, however his cardio is only terrible.
If Harutyunyan had higher conditioning, he would have received the combat, and made it look simple as a result of he was ranges above Martin early on when he was at full energy.
Given Shakur’s final combat towards Edwin De Los Santos in November of final yr, he has a lot to show to followers. Shakur ran from De Los Santos your entire combat, displaying no willingness to combine it with highly effective punches and simply doing absolutely the minimal to win a choice.
The Way forward for Boredom?
After the competition, Shakur and his promoters at High Rank blamed his efficiency on a few accidents. Nonetheless, he’d fought the identical manner in 4 of his fights, and there weren’t any damage excuses after these bouts.
This would be the 26-year-old Shakur’s remaining combat on his contract with High Rank, and it’s anticipated that he’ll stroll, in search of one other promoter to hook up that may give him the fights he desires.
Shakur has designs of preventing these 4 at light-weight:
Gervonta Davis
Emanuel Navarrete
Vasily Lomachenko
William Zepeda
Signing with PBC possible received’t assist Shakur get a combat towards Tank Davis as a result of they’ll’t twice the arm of the Baltimore native to combat him, on condition that he’s proven no real interest in that match-up.
Arum’s Change of Coronary heart?
If High Rank re-signs Shakur, they’re going to have to seek out out what to do with him as a result of he’s did not change into the star that they’d hoped he can be after they signed him following the 2016 Olympics.
Shakur’s boring, safety-first type of preventing is one which High Rank promoter Bob Arum used to rail about when he used to promoter two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist Guillermo Rigondeaux a decade in the past. Nonetheless, Rigondeaux was way more entertaining to look at than Shakur, and it makes one marvel if Arum has change into extra affected person with non-entertaining fighters.
Broadcast Data:
- ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN+: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
- UK Time: 2 a.m. BST (July 7)
Full Struggle Card:
- Primary Occasion: Shakur Stevenson vs. Artem Harutyunyan (WBC Light-weight Title)
- Co-Characteristic: O’Shaquie Foster vs. Robson Conceição (WBC Junior Light-weight Title)
- Televised Opener: Keyshawn Davis vs. Miguel Madueño (10-Spherical Light-weight)
- Abdullah Mason vs. Luis Lebron (8-Spherical Light-weight)
- Damian Knyba vs. Richard Lartey (8-Spherical Heavyweight)
