Shakur dominates Harutyunyan, retains WBC lightweight title
One-sided decision leaves hometown crowd booing due to lack of action as Stevenson heads into promotional free agency
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Shakur Stevenson, who has shown he has pound-for-pound talent and otherworldly defensive ability en route to winning titles in three divisions and easily beating quality opposition, wants big fights and big money.
But more often than not, Stevenson has not thrilled those watching him fight, which may make those hopes and dreams difficult to achieve.
He pitched a near-shutout decision against massive underdog Artem Harutyunyan to retain the WBC lightweight title in his first defense in the main event of the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card on Saturday night at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, Stevenson’s hometown, but it was another forgettable fight.
Although Stevenson cruised to a unanimous decision — 119-109, 118-110 and 116-112 — it was a monotonous affair, although certainly better than the stink bomb he and Edwin De Los Santos engaged in last November in which Stevenson claimed the vacant 135-pound belt but took plenty of criticism for the sleep-inducing bout against another major underdog.
Even Stevenson’s hometown fans booed during the fight against Harutyunyan before the ultimate indignity was caught by ESPN cameras after the 11th round: A steady stream of the 8,412 in attendance headed for the exits before the fight was over.
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