Shakur Stevenson vs Artem Harutyunyan: Preview, Prediction, and Start Time

This Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, Shakur Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs) makes the first defense of his WBC lightweight title when he meets Artem Harutyunyan (12-1, 7 KOs).

The bout is, reportedly, the 27-year-old Stevenson’s last under his Top Rank promotional contract. Coming off a deadly-dull and widely-panned winning performance against Edwin De Los Santos last November to capture the vacant 135 lb. belt, Stevenson must not only win, but entertain as he moves towards the open market and free agent status. Fighting in front of his hometown fans in Newark may provide some added incentive to shine.

The 33-year-old Harutyunyan is also facing a “must win” situation in this contest. The Armenia-born German resident lost his first bout outside of Germany last July, when he dropped a more competitive than expected unanimous decision to top lightweight contender Frank Martin. A second straight high-profile loss may completely remove him from contender status and place him firmly in gatekeeper territory.

Shakur Stevenson vs Artem Harutyunyan: The Breakdown

Stevenson is a 3-division world champ and an Olympic silver medalist, currently rated among the most talented fighters in the world. The skilled southpaw can do just about everything in the ring and is blessed with fast feet, fast hands, and the natural instincts of an elite-level boxer.

The issue with Stevenson is his penchant for slipping into safety-first mode and sacrificing spectacle for caution. His bout with De Los Santos, for example, set a Compubox record for fewest punches thrown in a 12-round contest. The blowback from that dreadful showing was huge and even forced his own promoter to wonder aloud about his ultimate marketability. He has shown, however, an ability to sit in the pocket, engage, and entertain when he chooses to do so. His career high-water mark victories against Jamel Herring and Oscar Valdez in 2021 and 2022, respectively, were entertaining affairs where Stevenson took risks with aggressive surges inside of a boxer-puncher game plan.

Harutyunyan showcased his best assets in his bout with Frank Martin, as well as his worst. The Olympic bronze medalist is all-around solid with sound fundamentals and a conservative mindset that keeps him from making too many exploitable mistakes. He prefers to fight coming forward behind a high-guard defense that generally keeps him safe from taking too much damage. His best offensive weapon is a winging right hand that might serve him well against the southpaw Stevenson. In his first main stage challenge against Martin, he appeared to have issues with next-level hand speed and had some durability issues towards the end of the contest, as he took a knee from body shot damage in the twelfth round. The question is whether Stevenson will be aggressive enough to hurt him and/or wear him down.

Although Stevenson is infinitely more talented than Harutyunyan, the challenger has the style and mindset to complicate matters and make for an ugly night.

Prediction

This will be a tougher than expected challenge for Stevenson that may likely push him into his safe, comfortable space of picking and sticking his way to a points victory. The importance of impressing on the precipice of promotional free agency may take a back seat to his customary “win now, look good later” fighter instincts. Stevenson UD 12.

Highlighted Co-Features

• O’Shaquie Foster vs. Robson Conceicao (For Foster’s WBC super featherweight title)
• Keyshawn Davis vs. Miguel Madueno (lightweight)
• Abdullah Mason vs. Luis Lebron (lightweight)
• William Foster III vs. Eridson Garcia (super featherweight)

Start Time and How To Watch

• Shakur Stevenson vs. Artem Harutyunyan, Undercard

Saturday, July 6, 6:10 p.m. ET on ESPN+

• Shakur Stevenson vs. Artem Harutyunyan Main Card

Saturday, July 6, 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+