WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson defends his belt against Artem Harutyunyan in the main event of a Top Rank on ESPN card Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey (ESPN/ESPN+ at 8:30 p.m. ET, prelims on ESPN+ at 6:10 p.m. ET).
Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs), of Newark, is a three-division champion. He won the then-vacant WBC title by defeating Edwin De Los Santos on points in a close fight in November at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Although it wasn’t the performance he had hoped for, Stevenson won by scores of 116-112, 116-112 and 115-113.
Neither Stevenson nor De Los Santos landed double-digit punches in any of the 12 rounds. De Los Santos did not want to attack and Stevenson did not take the initiative. The result: Stevenson landed only 19 power punches in 12 rounds. De Los Santos only 14.
Stevenson’s contract with promoter Top Rank expires after the fight and he will become a free agent. There will be an added incentive for Stevenson to perform well if he wants to sign another lucrative contract.
“It feels good to return home to Newark, where they appreciate a young legend, and defend my first title in the 135 kg class,” Stevenson said when the fight was announced in early May.
Harutyunyan (12-1, 7 KOs), of Yerevan, Armenia, but now based in Germany, has never fought for a major world title. His first fight outside of Germany was a unanimous decision loss to Frank Martin in Las Vegas in July 2023. Harutyunyan has only fought twice in 12-round fights and is a huge underdog at -1200. But he is confident he can cause an upset.
“I respect Shakur Stevenson as a champion, but I’m coming to shock his hometown fans and win the WBC lightweight title,” Harutyunyan said. “This is the chance of a lifetime and I’m going to take full advantage of it.”
Where can I watch the fight between Stevenson and Harutyunyan on Saturday?
The Stevenson-Harutyunyan fight card includes four fights and begins at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+.
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How do I stream the fights?
The fights can be streamed on mobile devices using the ESPN app.
The preliminary fights begin at 6:10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Watch the pre-match live on ESPN+ in the ESPN app
The full map:
Main map:
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Title fight: Shakur Stevenson vs. Artem Harutyunyan, 12 rounds, for Stevenson’s WBC lightweight title
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Title fight: O’Shaquie Foster vs. Robson Conceicao, 12 rounds, for Foster’s WBC junior lightweight title
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Keyshawn Davis vs. Miguel Madueno, 10 rounds, lightweight
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Abdullah Mason vs. Luis Lebron, 8 rounds, lightweights
Pre-program:
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William Foster III vs. Eridson Garcia, 10 rounds, junior lightweights
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Keith Colon vs. Hunter Turbyfill, 4 rounds, featherweights
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Kelvin Davis vs. Kevin Johnson, 8 rounds, welterweights
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Ali Feliz vs. Robinson Perez, 4 rounds, heavyweights
What other fight events are happening this weekend and where can you watch them?
Saturday, July 6 in Anaheim, California (DAZN PPV)
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Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal, 10 rounds, light heavyweight
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Daniel Jacobs vs. Shane Mosley Jr., 10 rounds, super middleweight
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Chris Avila vs. Anthony Pettis, 6 rounds, light heavyweight
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Devin Cushing vs. Manuel Correa, 10 rounds, lightweight
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Amado Vargas vs. Sean Garcia, 8 rounds, lightweight
Saturday, July 6 in Ontario, California (DAZN)
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William Zepeda vs. Giovanni Cabrera, 12 rounds, lightweights
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Ricardo Sandoval vs. Angel Acosta, 10 rounds, flyweights
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Alex Martin vs. Pedro Campa, 10 rounds, junior welterweights
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Manuel Flores vs. Nohel Arambulet, 10 rounds, junior featherweights
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Japhethlee Llamido vs. Ryan Lee Allen, 8 rounds, junior featherweights
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Joel Iriarte vs. Yainel Alvarez, 6 rounds, welterweights
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Joshua Garcia vs. Jason Buenaobra, 6 rounds, junior lightweights
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Gael Cabrera vs. Mychaquell Shields, 6 rounds, junior featherweights
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Daniel Luna vs. Joseph Walker, 4 rounds, junior lightweights
All other important boxing match dates can be found in the ESPN boxing program.
