Unbeaten American Shakur Stevenson successfully defended his World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight world title with a unanimous decision victory over Artem Harutyunyan. The fight took place at the Prudential Center in Newark, marking Stevenson’s first defense of the title he won last November against Edwin De Los Santos. Despite the win, Stevenson’s performance left many critics unsatisfied, as they were hoping for a more thrilling and explosive display in what could potentially be his last fight under promoter Top Rank.
The match got off to a slow start, leaving fans in Stevenson’s hometown restless. However, as the fight progressed, Stevenson began to wear down Harutyunyan with a series of body shots in the sixth round. He maintained a measured pace throughout the 12 rounds, ultimately securing victory with the judges scoring it 119-109, 118-110, and 116-112 in favor of the champion.
For Harutyunyan, this was his first attempt at a world title and unfortunately ended in defeat. With this loss, his record now stands at 12-2, with seven wins inside the distance. On the same card, Brazilian boxer Robson Conceicao caused an upset by dethroning WBC super featherweight world champion O’Shaquie Foster through a controversial split decision victory.
Foster and many onlookers believed that he had done enough to win the fight, as Conceicao appeared to have landed very few damaging blows. However, two judges scored the bout in favor of Conceicao with scores of 116-112 and 115-113, while the third judge scored it 116-112 for Foster. Foster’s jaw dropped in stunned consternation upon hearing the decision.
Conceicao, a 2016 Olympic gold medalist, expressed his belief that he was the rightful winner of the match. He stated, “I do think I was actually the winner. I tried way more. He didn’t come to fight, he was actually running, running, running, I kept on striking, so I was the winner.” With this victory, Conceicao’s record now stands at 19-2-1, with nine knockouts.
Foster, on the other hand, fell to a record of 22-3, with 12 knockouts. Disappointed with the decision, he commented, “I thought it was a shut-out. I didn’t get touched but with a head-butt. I don’t know, man…I want a rematch.”
Overall, the night saw Stevenson retain his title in a less-than-satisfying manner, while Conceicao claimed the WBC super featherweight world championship in a controversial split decision. Both fights left room for debate among fans and experts, highlighting the subjective nature of judging in boxing.
