Shakur Stevenson has his next fight made official for July 6 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, where he faces Artem Harutyunyan. Going up against the once-beaten contender, the undefeated local favorite puts hits WBC lightweight title on the line.
Houston, Texas-based Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs) makes the first defense of his WBC 135-pound title. The 26-year-old southpaw of Newark, New Jersey claimed the vacant belt last November, when he scored a unanimous decision against Edwin De Los Santos. Earlier in his career, three-division world champion held the unified WBC and WBO junior lightweight belts, as well as the WBO featherweight strap.
“It feels good to be going back home to Newark, where they appreciate a young legend, and to make my first title defense at 135,” Shakur Stevenson said. “On July 6, Down Goes Artem!”
Hamburg, Germany-based Harutyunyan (12-1, 7 KOs) makes his first attempt to land a world title and looks to return to winning ways. In his previous outing last July, the 33-year-old contender of Yerevan, Armenia dropped a unanimous decision against Frank Martin.
“I respect Shakur Stevenson as a champion, but I’m coming to shock his hometown fans and win the WBC lightweight championship,” Artem Harutyunyan said. “This is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I will take full advantage of it. This will be my second fight in the U.S. I’ve learned and progressed since my loss to Frank Martin.”
Stevenson and Harutyunyan battle it out in the main event live on ESPN and ESPN+ in the U.S. In the co-main event, O’Shaquie Foster (22-2, 12 KOs) of Orange, Texas defends his WBC super featherweight title against Brazilian challenger Robson Conceicao (18-2-1, 9 KOs). In the telecast opener, unbeaten Keyshawn Davis (10-0, 7 KOs) of Norfolk, Virginia takes on Miguel Madueno (21-2, 28 KOs) of Mexico at lightweight.
Among the bouts featured the Stevenson vs Harutyunyan undercard, Cleveland’s Abdullah Mason (13-0, 11 KOs) and Luis Lebron (20-5-1, 13 KOs) of Puerto Rico go head to head at lightweight. Plus, Damian Knyba (13-0, 7 KOs) of Poland and Richard Lartey (16-6, 13 KOs) of Ghana clash at heavyweight. Other matchups are expected to be confirmed shortly.