By: Sean Crose
Gervonta Davis. Vasyl Lomachenko. Devin Haney. Teofimo Lopez. These men are all within the weight range of WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson. With a 21-0 record, the 27-year-old Stevenson would be a formidable opponent for any of the names mentioned above. After all, Stevenson is more than just an undefeated champion. He is widely considered one of the most talented fighters on the planet. Highly skilled and at times engaging, the Newark, New Jersey, product is good—very good—perhaps too good for his own good.
Stevenson, after all, has been accused of being a boring fighter. Yet while he is no knockout artist, his last fight – a twelve-round snoozefest against Edwin De Los Santos last November – has raised eyebrows. While Stevenson undoubtedly outboxed De Los Santos that night, questions have begun to circulate about why Stevenson did not step up and stop De Los Santos at range, or at least appear to be genuinely focused. Stevenson himself admitted that he was unhappy with his performance. Boxing, as a business and a sport at least, does not smile on fighters who fail to generate some excitement in or out of the ring. Stevenson, more than anyone, knows that he must at least entertain to earn the fame and challenge he desires.
One way Stevenson can create some buzz and attract attention and praise is for the Top Rank-promoted fighter to impress this weekend when he takes on Artem Harutyunyan on Saturday night in his hometown of Newark, New Jersey. Germany’s Harutyunyan boasts a record of twelve and one, having only tasted defeat for the first time in his last fight, when he was decided by Frank Martin. In other words, Harutyunyan is no tomato. The thirty-three-year-old throws good shots and has power, though his record of just seven knockouts doesn’t show it.
Of course, a loss to Harutyunyan would be disastrous for Stevenson at this point in his career. However, an impressive win would make the multi-division champion much more difficult for other top fighters to beat. It’s time for him to get a big fight. With both Lopez and Lomachenko fighting under the Top Rank banner, that big fight could actually be closer than it looks.
