Brick City is ready to host a summer fight extravaganza headline by a native son, Shakur Stevenson, looking to put the rest of the lightweight division on notice. Stevenson will defend his WBC world title against top contender Artem Harutyunyan on Saturday evening in Newark, New Jersey.
Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs), a three-weight king and one of the sport's pound-for-pound elites, hopes to turn away Harutyunyan (12-1, 7 KOs), a 33-year-old who captured Olympic bronze for Germany at the 2016 Olympics. Stevenson-Harutyunyan tops a special four-fight telecast.
O’Shaquie Foster will defend his WBC junior lightweight world title against Brazilian Olympic gold medalist Robson Conceição in the co-feature, and lightweight contender Keyshawn Davis will take on Mexican puncher Miguel Madueño in a 10-round special feature. In the eight-round televised opener, Cleveland-born lightweight phenom Abdullah Mason (13-0, 11 KOs) steps up against Puerto Rican veteran Luis Lebron (20-5-1, 13 KOs).
Stevenson-Harutyunyan, Foster-Conceição, Davis-Madueño, and Mason-Lebron will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN, Deportes, and ESPN+ at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT.
Undercard action, streaming exclusively on ESPN+, begins at 6:10 p.m. ET/3:10 p.m. PT
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Universum Boxing, remaining tickets are on sale via Ticketmaster.com (https://toprank.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=aa1ae9f9e3c18dcf7df10dda1&id=da81e599c4&e=d3b1d9376d).
This is what the fighters had to say at Wednesday's press conference.
Shakur Stevenson
“This place is very special. I appreciate my fans. I appreciate everybody that comes out to support in Newark. And we’re going to put on a show.”
“I really want to talk about him. I’m not falling for that. You’re trying to act real humble and butter me up and act like you’re not really coming here to win. No, you’re coming here to win, bro. I already know. He doesn’t sound as confident as I thought he would sound. Hopefully, he’s coming to fight.”
“I’m going to take him to a level he’s never been on. I’m just going to be myself. I’m going to come out and show my talent and show my levels. I think I’m one of the best in the sport of boxing at hit and don’t get hit. There’s a certain way of doing that, and I want to show the fans that all that moving around is something I don’t really have to do. I can sit in the pocket and beat you up, too.”
Artem Harutyunyan
“I was born in Armenia, and I grew up in Germany. I’ve come all the way here to fight Shakur Stevenson in his hometown. It’s a big opportunity for me. I will do my best and give a great fight.”
“I came to Las Vegas last year. I was fighting Frank Martin. It was a great fight. I know Frank Martin knows he lost the fight. I told everybody that I would be back in the States. And now it’s happened. I’m back here.”
“It’s a great opportunity. I had a great training camp, and I’m well prepared. I’m ready for this fight. I know Shakur Stevenson is a good fighter. He is a world champion. We both fought at the Olympic games. He is a silver medalist, and I’m a bronze medalist. Now we’re fighting for the world championship.”
O’Shaquie Foster
“I just need to go in there and be me. That’s the biggest thing. I’m fully healthy. So, everyone is going to see a different fighter than what they saw the last time I came out.”
“I couldn’t do what I wanted in that fight {against Abraham Nova}. I couldn’t move my feet like I wanted. But, no excuses. I’m going to go out and show the world that I’m levels above this guy.”
“I’ve had a long amateur career, so I’ve seen his style several times. We had great sparring partners that mimicked him. I’ve always been proud of my defense, so we’ll figure it out when we get in there.”
Robson Conceiçāo
“Things in my career weren’t necessarily easy. As an amateur, I had three opportunities to become a gold medalist. I see a similar path as a professional. And on Saturday, I’m going to be ready.”
“I don’t look at these challenges as pressure. I look at them as motivation. So, I’m motivated, and I’m looking forward to this fight on Saturday. I’ll be the new world champion. No pressure. Just motivation.”
Keyshawn Davis
“It’s always special sharing a card with my brother Shakur. We’ve been doing this since we were kids. We’ve been talking about this since we were amateurs. Brick City loves me. It’s my third time coming here, so I expect the fans to embrace me again as I make that ring entrance.”
“I just need to do the same thing I’ve been doing. I just need to go out there, have fun and perform. He has a style that I’ve seen so many times, especially in the amateurs. When you travel overseas, you fight a lot of guys like that. Now that we are going 10 rounds, I can take my time and dissect this kid. I’m going to go in there and have fun and do what I do.”
Miguel Madueño
“This is a good opportunity. It’s an opportunity to show what we are made of. We’ve had some setbacks. But we’re ready to get back on track. And what better than facing a name like Keyshawn.”
“I’m going to walk away with my hand raised. We’ll be looking for the knockout. He is a great fighter. We’ve been watching and analyzing him. He’s spectacular. But on July 6, we’ll walk away victorious.”
Abdullah Mason
“My opponent has as many knockouts as I have fights. So, we’re ready for whatever he brings. He’s coming to win. He’s going to let his hands go. But we’re going to do our job like always.”
“We’ve just been focused. Training in the gym prepares you to be under those lights.
So, we’ve been preparing. Every time we step in the ring, we’re preparing to step under those lights.”
