Shakur Stevenson, the undefeated American boxer, successfully defended his World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight world title with a methodical unanimous decision victory over Artem Harutyunyan on Saturday in Newark, New Jersey. This victory marked Stevenson’s first defense of the title he won with a narrow decision over Dominican puncher Edwin De Los Santos last November. This win also solidified Stevenson’s status as a three-weight world champion.
Despite his title win, Stevenson’s performance drew criticism from some who felt his previous fight lacked fireworks and this one did little to appease them. While the fight began with a slow pace, leaving fans at the Prudential Center restless, Stevenson started to dominate in the sixth round by utilizing a series of body shots to wear down the Armenian-born German challenger. He maintained a measured pace throughout the remaining rounds, ultimately winning the fight with scores of 119-109, 118-110, and 116-112. Harutyunyan, who was making his first world title bid, fell to 12-2 with seven wins by knockout.
On the same card, Brazilian Robson Conceicao dethroned WBC super featherweight world champion O’Shaquie Foster with a controversial 12-round split decision victory. Foster expressed shock and disbelief at the judges’ decision, arguing that he had dominated the fight and landed the more impactful blows. Two judges saw the fight for Conceicao by scores of 116-112 and 115-113, while the third judge scored it 116-112 for Foster. Conceicao, a 2016 Olympic gold medallist, improved his record to 19-2 with one draw and nine knockouts. Foster, on the other hand, fell to 22-3 with 12 knockouts. “I thought it was a shut-out,” Foster stated. “I didn’t get touched but with a head-butt. I don’t know, man … I want a rematch.”
