Shakur Stevenson will face Artyom Harutyunyan in a crucial match on Saturday night, July 6th. He will need to put in an entertaining performance if he wants to earn a lucrative contract as a free agent.
WBC lightweight champion Shakur (21-0, 10 KOs) will face off against undefeated fighter Harutyunyan (13-1, 7 KOs) at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Free Agent Factor
Shakur believes he is the best fighter in the 135-pound division, but by best he means defensive ability, not entertainment value. It's all about not getting hit, avoiding contact at all times, and being on an even playing field with your opponent. That's not what fans are looking for in entertainment in this day and age of the sport.
This fight is Shakur's final fight under his current contract with Top Rank, so it's important that he puts on a sensational performance to improve his chances of landing lucrative terms in his next contract.
Any promoter who signs Shakur will have to consider whether they will make a profit if his popularity doesn't grow and ratings and ticket sales don't increase.
If Shakur were to focus solely on fighting in his hometown of Newark and main events in Las Vegas or New York, he could have problems unless a promoter could arrange for him to fight one of these popular fighters:
– Gervonta Davis
– Vasily Lomachenko
– Ryan Garcia
– Devin Haney
– Teofimo Lopez
It's unlikely any of those fighters would agree to face Shakur if he performs like he did last November against Edwin de los Santos, which was one of Shakur's worst performances since his amateur days and comes at a bad time for his career as his contract with Top Rank is nearing the end.
It's unclear whether the 33-year-old Harutyunyan was the best player Top Rank could have found for Shakur, but whatever the reason, he's not the right opponent for the defensive stalwart as he becomes a free agent.
The idea of pitting Shakur against a powerless fighter was likely to keep him from running around the ring and boring him like he did against punchers De Los Santos, Oscar Valdez, Jeremiah Nacatilla and Joet Gonzalez. Harutyunyan does not have enough power to make Shakur afraid to stand in the pocket and exchange punches without using his usual three-step pull-back style.
Opening match
Saturday's Stevenson-Harutyunyan undercard on ESPN features two great fights:
– Oshaquie Foster vs Robson Conceição
– Keyshawn Davis vs. Miguel Madueno
