Shakur Stevenson's last time out wasn't his best performance. Still, he garnered a unanimous decision to remain undefeated.
Now, the WBC lightweight world champion will look to make his first title defense against a rugged Artem Harutyunyan at the Prudential Center in the champ's Newark, New Jersey hometown Saturday night.
Stevenson (21-0, 10 knockouts) failed to notch double-digit punch output in any of the 12 rounds in his win over Edwin De Los Santos in November and will be looking for a much stronger performance against Harutyunyan. Meanwhile, Harutyunyan (12-1, 7 KOs) lost to Frank Martin via unanimous decision last July for his first pro defeat.
With the stakes between Stevenson and Harutyunyan high, DAZN lists the keys to victory for both fighters ahead of their championship tilt.
Shakur Stevenson's keys to victory
Assert jab off the lead leg
It’s almost as if Shakur Stevenson is drawing a line in the sand the way he plants his lead leg and asserts his jab behind it. It's him declaring his real estate in the ring and it’s going to be unwavering throughout the fight. And you’d be hard-pressed to name a handful of boxers with a better jab than Stevenson. The Newark, New Jersey product’s jab is quick, crisp and oh, so accurate as Stevenson uses it to rack up points and bank rounds. This is always a key for Stevenson.
Hit and don’t get hit
Stevenson’s ability to hit and elude harm on the other end is pure boxing mastery. The hit and don’t get hit mantra passed down from Floyd Mayweather Jr. can be used this weekend to frustrate an aggressive Artem Harutyunyan early in letting him know he’s in for a long, frustrating night.
After all, there’s nothing more demoralizing than landing a flush, stiff jab and then making your opponent swing and whiff at air. This is offensive-defensive wizardry that the WBC lightweight world champion excels in and must show off against Harutyunyan.
Look for a compact left hook
Frank Martin wrapped an inside left hook around Harutyunyan’s guard several times en route to a unanimous decision victory over the German last July.
Stevenson has deceptive power on his left hook and should look to unload the weapon whether it be as part of a combination or as a counterpunch. If it worked repeatedly for Martin, it’s going to work for a sweet scientist like Stevenson.
Artem Harutyunyan’s keys to victory
Make early deposits to the body
Harutyunyan rather seamlessly mixes in body shots into his offense, making those deposits while also looking for opportunities upstairs. He could look to commit to the body in hopes of slowing Stevenson down.
Use a controlled, smart swarm
Against Martin last year, Harutyunyan was an aggressor, forward-fighting to solid results. However, that same aggression left him vulnerable on defense — a position that Harutyunyan cannot afford to be in against a sharpshooting marksman like Stevenson.
Therefore, if he’s going to swarm and try to constantly walk Stevenson down, he’s going to have to be smart about it. That means keeping his guard high and tight, especially anticipating a compact left hook which Stevenson sits on well.
Keep foot on the gas
The knock on Stevenson’s unanimous decision victory over Edwin De Los Santos in November was that he didn’t throw enough punches and the fight severely lacked action. Well, while Harutyunyan should expect a more active Stevenson on Saturday night, he’s still got to press the action round after round.
Keeping his foot on the gas and remaining the aggressor could go ways to possibly banking rounds for the German fighter.
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