Artem Harutyunyan (12-1, 7 KOs) has a shot at becoming world champion against Shakur Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs) on July 6.
The two lightweights headline a Top Rank card – in association with Universum Boxing – at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. Fight fans in the United States can catch the action live on ESPN, ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes. Those in the United Kingdom and Ireland can do so on Sky Sports while TSN will carry the event for those in Canada. Stevenson will be making the first defence of his WBC lightweight title, a belt he won against Edwin De Los Santos in November last year.
Ahead of his clash against Stevenson, Big Fight Weekend looks at who Harutyunyan is.
Introducing Artem Harutyunyan?
Early Life and Amateur Career
Harutyunyan was born in Armenia but moved to Hamburg, Germany, seeking asylum with his family while still a child. Born to a father who taught karate in the Soviet Union military, he began practising taekwondo at six before taking up boxing at 10. His brother, Robert, has also boxed at the amateur level and professionally.
As an amateur, Harutyunyan was among the top boxers from Germany. In 2013, he won a bronze medal at the European Amateur Boxing Championships that took place in Minsk, Belarus, as a super lightweight. He later qualified for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. At that tournament, he defeated Movladdin Biyarslanov and Botirzhon Akhmedov before losing to Lorenzo Sotomayor in the semifinals. Making it to that stage meant he left Brazil with a bronze medal. After one more year in the amateur ranks, Harutyunyan embarked on his professional journey.
The Professional Ranks
In November 2017, Harutyunyan turned professional at super lightweight against Avelino Vazquez in Hamburg. He won the six-round contest on points. By his fifth bout he was fighting 10-rounders and was working his way up the rankings. However, in 2021, Harutyunyan moved down to lightweight and defeated the likes of Samuel Molina and Humberto Galindo. Eventually, an opportunity to face Frank Martin in the United States presented itself.
Harutyunyan kept things competitive against Martin, but it was the final three rounds that lost him the fight. The American fighter increased the volume of his punches and was getting the better of Harutyunyan. A clash of heads in round 10 only made things worse for the German. Martin eventually caused Harutyunyan to take a knee in the twelfth and although he got up and made it to the final bell, the fight had already been lost. Martin won the fight – with scores of 115-112 (x2) and 114-113.
Taking on Shakur Stevenson
In his first bout since losing to Martin, Harutyunyan now has the chance to become a world champion. Stevenson, who won silver at the 2016 Olympics as a bantamweight, reigns as the WBC lightweight champion and defends the title in his hometown of Newark. While Stevenson will be a massive favourite, Harutyunyan is determined to make the most of this opportunity. Fight fans will find out on July 6 whether he has what it takes.
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