SHAKUR Stevenson will return home tomorrow night to defend his WBC lightweight title against Artem Harutyunyan at the Prudential Center, Newark.
First and foremost, Shakur doesn’t believe in “keeping low” tactics on the part of his opponents. Harutyunyan returned to the United States using the same age-old strategy that Manny Pacquiao often uses: grinning and complimenting his opponents before going all-out on them in the ring.
“I’m not falling for it. You’re trying to be humble and flatter me and act like you’re not really here to win. No, you’re here to win, man. I knew it. He doesn’t seem as confident as I thought he would be. I hope he’s here to fight,” Stevenson declared.
“I’m going to take him to a level he’s never been to. I’m going to be myself. I’m going to go out there and show my talent and show my class. I think I’m one of the best in the game at hitting and not getting hit.
“There’s a certain way to do it, and I want to show the fans that all that moving around is something I don’t really have to do. I can also sit in the pocket and beat you.”
Still an enigma, Harutyunyan did at least get 12 rounds in last July to give fans a taste of what he has to offer. He turned out to be an extremely tough and tough customer, giving Frank Martin all he could handle in Las Vegas. On that occasion, ‘The Ghost’ prevailed on points, preserving his unbeaten record, avoiding Shakur Stevenson and eventually earning a shot at Gervonta Davis.
Frank Martin at his final press conference on Wednesday.
The latter fight took place a few weeks ago (June 15) and Frank was bombed out in the eighth round. Harutyunyan will be hoping for a much better result when he fights three-division world champion Stevenson.
“I was born in Armenia and grew up in Germany. I came all the way here to fight Shakur Stevenson in his home country. This is a big opportunity for me. I will do my best and fight hard,” he said.
“I went to Las Vegas last year. I fought Frank Martin. It was a great fight. I know Frank Martin knows he lost the fight. I told everyone I was coming back to the States. And now it happened. I’m back here.
“This is a great opportunity. I had a great training camp, and I prepared very well. I am ready for this fight. I know Shakur Stevenson is a good fighter. He is a world champion. We both fought in the Olympics. He was a silver medalist, and I was a bronze medalist. Now we are fighting for the world championship.”
