Shakur Stevenson (pictured) will make the inaugural defense of his WBC lightweight championship against Armenian-born German Olympian Artem Harutyunyan on Saturday, July 6th at Prudential Center in his hometown of Newark, New Jersey. Stevenson (22-0 including the World Series of Boxing) has already won world titles in three weight classes during his seven-year career. After securing a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics, he made his pro debut in 2017 and swiftly moved up the ranks. Stevenson captured his first world title by defeating Joet Gonzalez for the WBO featherweight belt in October 2019.

Two years later, he stopped Jamel Herring in round ten to earn the WBO title at 130 pounds. The 26 year-old southpaw unified world titles by handing then-WBC champion Oscar Valdez his first loss in April 2022. Stevenson then claimed two consecutive victories at Prudential Center by defeating Conceição that September and then stopping Japanese contender Shuichiro Yoshino in six last April. He then outpointed Dominican puncher Edwin De Los Santos last November to become the WBC lightweight champion.

Harutyunyan (18-4 including the World Series of Boxing) captured an Olympic bronze medal for Germany in 2016. He holds a win over current middleweight champion Carlos Adames in the World Series of Boxing. He went 12-0 in Germany, including triumphs over Samuel Molina in September 2021 and Humberto Galindo in June 2022. His last bout was a loss to Frank Martin (recently KO'd by WBA lightweight champion Tank Davis).

Last July, he made his U.S. debut in a competitive showdown against Frank Martin. The 33-year-old had success with his aggression and pinpoint right hand, though Martin rallied late to win a narrow unanimous decision. Harutyunyan will have his first world title shot against his second consecutive southpaw rival.

Stevenson is undergoing a rigorous training camp, aiming for a dominant performance to show that he is among the best pound-for-pound fighters of the moment. Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Universum Boxing, tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com.