Last night, in Newark, New Jersey’s Prudential Center, what was first received as a breakout homecoming for one of the city’s favorites, lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson, ended up being rounds of boos, with many from the crowd leaving by the 10th and 11th rounds. Stevenson graded himself as a C+ for his performance, although retaining his WBC title over Germany’s Artem Harutyunyan through a unanimous decision.
The beginning rounds were Harutyunyan applying pressure, but Stevenson used his signature defensive tactics and waited for Harutyunyan to slip. What proved to be a lackluster performance in early rounds, Stevenson woke the crowd up with landing a series of head shots and body blows. Rounds five and six were Stevenson fighting closer to the inside, continuing to deliver body and head shots, hurting a tired Harutyunyan in the sixth, who kept dropping his hands.
Round seven, Stevenson didn’t apply pressure by cutting off the ring. But still delivered combinations, pushing Harutyunyan back. By round eight, boos started coming from the crowd with the anticipation for Stevenson to finish him.
Stevenson let loose to build on his punches for the 11th and 12th rounds. The remaining crowd counting down the final seconds of the match as they did with the co-main event.
During Stevensons post-fight interview: “It’s kind of hard to prove it if you don’t have a fighter who wants to fight back. He’s just trying to make sure he survives,” Stevenson said. “He’s a good fighter, he’s tough, he’s strong. I would’ve wanted him to try a little harder, so that way it could be a more fun fight.”
“I have to cut off the ring a bit more. He’d go one way and then go the other way, so I gotta go back in the gym and work on cutting off the gym.”
With Stevenson about to face free agency, it’s unclear of where he will end up, while on the hunt to challenge the best in his division.
Foster Robbed of WBC Title
O’Shaquie Foster, hailing from Orange, Texas, appeared to dominate Brazilian contender Robson Conceicao in a one-sided affair. Foster outlanded Conceicao in 10 of the 12 rounds, limiting him to a mere 11% of his punches, and overall outlanded him 109-76. Despite this clear dominance, the judges delivered a shocking decision, with two of them scoring in favor of Conceicao.
The fight began cautiously, with Foster displaying sharpness behind his jab and superior lateral movement. Although the fans were not thrilled by the lack of action, Foster’s composure and precise counterpunching frustrated Conceicao, who missed repeatedly. Foster’s control continued through the first half of the fight as he scored with pinpoint accuracy, carrying the rounds easily.
In the second half, Foster maintained his strategy, countering Conceicao with remarkable accuracy and precision. Foster, who won the WBC title in 2023 by outpointing Rey Vargas and successfully defended it twice, felt robbed of his title in Newark on Saturday night.
The Prudential Center crowd, along with many in the boxing community, was stunned by the decision. Shakur Stevenson called it a robbery, while former 140-pound world champion Regis Prograis declared, “He (Foster) won every single round.” This sentiment echoed throughout the arena.
After the fight, a very emotional Foster expressed his frustration: “I thought it was a shutout. I thought it was an easy fight. I didn’t get touched but with a headbutt. I don’t know, man. They stole this fight from me.” His sentiments were widely shared by the boxing community.
Shakur Stevenson vs. Artem Harutyunyan full card results:
- Shakur Stevenson (c) def. Artem Harutyunyan via unanimous decision for the WBC lightweight title (119-109, 118-110, 116-112)
- Robson Conceicao def. O’Shaquie Foster (c) via split decision for the WBC super featherweight title (116-112, 112-116, 115-113)
- Keyshawn Davis def. Miguel Madueno via unanimous decision (99-91, 99-91, 99-91)
- Abdullah Mason def. Luis Lebron via TKO (1:18 into round three)
- Eridson Garcia def. William Foster III via unanimous decision (99-91, 98-92, 98-92)
- Keith Colon def. Hunter Turbyfill via TKO (round two)
- Kelvin Davis def. Kevin Johnson via majority decision (76-76, 78-74, 78-74)
- Ali Feliz def. Robinson Perez via unanimous decision (40-36, 40-36, 40-36)
