Harutyunyan Trolls Shakur – ‘His Fans Want Him To Lose’
Artem Harutyunyan has taunted Shakur Stevenson, stating that fans want him to lose.
Harutyunyan chases his first world title as he seeks Shakur’s WBC Lightweight Title. The German lost to Frank Martin in his last fight after taking a knee in the final round. He had been out-boxing Martin prior to that incident. Meanwhile, Stevenson defeated Edwin De Los Santos to win the vacant WBC title. However, the performance generated lots of criticism. Shakur was very defensive, using his jab, while De Los Santos struggled to cut the ring off.
Stevenson admitted that he suffered an injury coming into the fight. But the fanbase appears to have labelled Stevenson a ‘boring’ fighter. That has harmed Shakur’s ability to make the biggest fights. He has not had fights with Teofimo Lopez or Vasiliy Lomachenko, even though they are both with Top Rank. At the same time, fights with Gervonta Davis and Devin Haney appear no closer. Stevenson will likely leave Top Rank as this is his last fight in their contract. The champion needs a big performance. However, Artem feels the fans want him to come up short.
Artem Reacts
“He’s just an average guy. I said, ‘You smell good,’ but I think it was his fear. It was fun for me, but I got every answer for every question. Even Shakur’s fans want to see him lose, and they say he’s a boring fighter, always running away,. I’m here to give Newark a great fight and show how real boxing is, and I think this is going to be a good night,” Artem said
“This place is very special. I appreciate my fans. I appreciate everybody that comes out to support in Newark. And we’re going to put on a show. I really want to talk about him. I’m not falling for that. You’re trying to act real humble and butter me up and act like you’re not really coming here to win. No, you’re coming here to win, bro. I already know. He doesn’t sound as confident as I thought he would sound. Hopefully, he’s coming to fight.
“I’m going to take him to a level he’s never been on. I’m just going to be myself. [And] I’m going to come out and show my talent and show my levels. I think I’m one of the best in the sport of boxing at hit and don’t get hit. There’s a certain way of doing that, and I want to show the fans that all that moving around is something I don’t really have to do. I can sit in the pocket and beat you up, too,” Stevenson stated
