Undefeated WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson defends his title as a massive favorite against little known challenger Artem Harutyunyan in a 12-round bout scheduled for Saturday, July 6 in New Jersey. One of the most talented boxers in any weight class, Stevenson is coming off a unanimous decision win over Edwin De Los Santos last November to claim the vacant lightweight title. Though he won the fight many were turned off by Stevenson’s performance with little action for 12 rounds. Stevenson has vowed to be better claiming other issues led to the lackluster fight. Despite that Stevenson opened as a whopping -3000 favorite.
This is truly a “Rocky” moment for Harutyunyan fighting the champ as an enormous +1046 underdog on the Fourth of July weekend. However, there will be no Hollywood ending for the challenger, who hasn’t entered the ring in a year since suffering his first professional defeat at the hands of his toughest opponent. In a match against lightweight contender Frank Martin last July, Harutyunyan held his own but was knocked down in the 12th round and was handed a unanimous decision setback.
Shakur Stevenson vs. Artem Harutyunyan Betting Odds
Shakur Stevenson -3000
Artem Harutyunyan +1046
The 12-round lightweight title fight between WBC champion Shakur Stevenson ( 21-0, 10 KOs ) and Artem Harutyunyan ( 12-1, 7 KOs ) will take place on Saturday, July 6, 2024 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. The fight will air live on ESPN.
Shakur Stevenson vs. Artem Harutyunyan Fight Preview
Stevenson has a lot to prove even though he’s considered one of the best fighters of his generation. His last outing put a dark cloud over a career that’s seen him win every fight. Going against Edwin De Los Santos for the vacant lightweight title, both boxers appeared disinterested. They combined to land a total of 40 punches, a CompuBox record for fewest in a 12-round fight. It was reported that fans left T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas before the bout concluded.
The performance was totally out of character for Stevenson with his relentless style leading to half of his previous 20 victories not reaching the judges. That included a win over Shuichiro Yoshino in April 2023 in Stevenson’s debut as a lightweight. He landed a total of 123 punches getting a TKO win in the sixth round.
Now, there may have been extenuating circumstances in the De Los Santos fight. Stevenson later claimed a hand injury affected his performance and De Los Santos wasn’t the first choice of opponent. Originally the WBC ordered Frank Martin into the ring but he withdrew from consideration. Impacted by the negative attention, Stevenson briefly said he was retired from the sport before vowing to punish his next opponent.
A champion in three different divisions, Stevenson claimed the vacant WBO featherweight title with a decisive unanimous decision over the WBO’s No. 2 ranked featherweight Joel Gonzalez in October 2019. He vacated the title without a defense moving up to super featherweight for his next bout, another convincing UD over Toka Khan Clary.
Less than a year later Stevenson squared off against WBO junior lightweight champ Jamel Herring taking the belt in a one-sided performance that resulted in a 10th round TKO. Another scintillating performance led to a UD over WBC champ Oscar Valdez in a unification bout. He was stripped of his belts when he missed weight in a title defense against Robson Conceicao. Stevenson won by unanimous decision and elected to move up a class due to his inability to make the junior lightweight limit.
I’d like to say Harutyunyan has a chance, and since he’s entering the ring he does, but that’s about it. His only bout of any consequence was against lightweight contender Frank Martin last July. Harutyunyan held his own before a final round knock down led to a UD for Martin. Not only was it his first loss, it was also the first time Harutyunyan fought professionally outside Germany.
Bet Shakur Stevenson vs. Artem Harutyunyan
With the odds where they are it makes sense to drop a few bucks on the challenger with hopes of a major upset and a humungous payout. Stevenson’s last fight at least gives a glimmer of hope, but if reports of a hand injury were true that explains a lot. Stevenson is a world-class boxer with quick feet and quicker hands. He’s won just about every round he’s fought in during his career and I don’t see him slipping in this one. You really have to manipulate the odds in your favor if backing the champ since his outright price is ridiculously high.
Boxing Odds Pick: Shakur Stevenson / KO
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
Check out the latest odds at BookMaker
