Shakur Stevenson Ready to Fight For His Reputation

July 4, 2024

2 days

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Shakur Stevenson anticipated much resistance from Edwin De Los Santos when the two men went head-to-head for the vacant WBC lightweight title. But online boxing news shows Stevenson’s greatest foes reared their heads after his unanimous decision victory. De Los Santos and Stevenson hardly attempted any punches during their championship fight.

Once Stevenson left the ring with his belt, he had to fight the backlash of the boxing community. The lack of volume left viewers worldwide underwhelmed by what they saw. When Stevenson announced his next fight would be against Artem Harutyunyan this Saturday in New Jersey, the response was equally difficult.

Many fans would like to see Stevenson try to take on another fighter with a big reputation. Stevenson is under such a high amount of pressure because of his pedigree. Stevenson, 27, appeared on the world stage when he won the silver medal at bantamweight at the 2016 Olympic Games.

Once Stevenson turned professional, it didn’t seem like much would be able to get into his way. Stevenson is 21-0 in his career and has proven to be a consistent winner on the world stage. Harutyunyan has a similar amateur background to Stevenson.

During the 2016 Olympics, Harutyunyan grabbed the bronze medal at light welterweight. However, he hasn’t been nearly as active as a fighter. He only has 13 professional fights under his belt. During his last fight, Harutyunyan lost a unanimous decision to Frank Martin.

Stevenson is hoping to rehab his image with a strong performance at the top of a card that will be important for his future.

Odds for Stevenson vs. Harutyunyan

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Stevenson is a big favorite to retain his WBA lightweight title. This will be his last fight under the Top Rank banner. Stevenson is a -1677 favorite on the three-way moneyline.

What that means is that if you want to make a $100 profit on backing Stevenson to win straight up, you would need to lay $1,677. Harutyunyan is +1050 to win on the three-way moneyline, while the match is +1800 to end in a draw.

The over/under has been set at 10.5 rounds, with the over at -143 and the under at +108. People who want to back the fight to go the distance will see it as a coinflip, with both being priced at -115.

Bets to consider: Fight to go the distance -115, Stevenson by decision -103

Foster Hopes to Defend Title

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Shakur Stevenson won’t be the only fighter on this card trying to defend his title on DAZN. O’Shaquie Foster will step into the ring seeking a defense of his WBC super featherweight title against Robson Conceição. Since taking the belt off Rey Vargas in February 2023, Foster has defended the championship twice.

The American boxer hasn’t had it easy. During Foster’s last fight, the latest boxing news online shows that he had to squeak out a narrow decision win over Abraham Nova. Conceição has never truly lived up to his amateur pedigree.

Conceição turned heads at the 2016 Olympics by winning the gold medal at lightweight. After winning his first 16 professional fights, Conceição lost his first shot at the WBC super featherweight title to Oscar Valdez in September 2021.

Since that loss, Conceição took another loss to Stevenson while suffering a no-contest and a draw. While Conceição has struggled recently, he is still one of the top fighters in the world.

Conceição is +163 to win on the two-way moneyline, while Foster is -225. This is a fight that is priced like it will go the distance. Foster is +105 to win by decision, while Conceição is +270 to win by decision. This is a good spot to take a risk on the underdog.

Bets to consider: Conceição by decision +270

Keyshawn Davis is Expected to Do the Spectacular

Anyone looking at boxing news latest headlines will see that people expect a lot from Keyshawn Davis moving forward. Davis won a silver medal at the 2020 Olympics and has mostly been cruising as a professional. Davis, who is 10-0 with a no-contest, has only had one misstep.

Davis’ win over Nahir Albright was overturned because Davis tested positive for marijuana. He will look for his 11th professional win against Mexican Miguel Madueno. Madueno has a lot more professional experience than Davis.

Madueno is 31-2 as a professional and has picked up 28 knockouts. Pushing the pace against Davis could be dangerous for Madueno. Fighting on a big stage should motivate Davis to push for a finish.

Davis is a -5000 favorite on the three-way moneyline. Madueno is +1300 to win, while the math is +2400 to end in a draw. The fight is -150 to not go the distance, while the fight is priced at +112 to go to the scorecards.

Bets to consider: Davis by KO -148, Fight to not go the distance -150

Mason Looks to Protect Perfect Record

Abudallah Mason has gotten off to an excellent start to his professional career. Mason opened up his career with 13 straight wins, including 11 knockouts. He will look to add to his career totals when he takes on Luis Lebron in a lightweight fight.

Lebron is a solid Puerto Rican fighter who has 26 professional fights under his belt. However, Lebron isn’t a fighter who is as motivated to push for a finish like Mason does. Lebron has picked up 13 of his 20 career victories by KO.

Lebron has been through a bit of a career resurgence recently. He has won back-to-back fights by TKO after losing three straight fights.

Bets to consider: Mason by KO/TKO/DQ, Fight to not go the distance

Here’s a look at the rest of the fights on the card not mentioned above: