Don’t Blame It All On Shakur Stevenson

Boos filled the arena during the final two rounds in what was mostly a monotonous affair. Stevenson claimed the jeers were aimed at Harutyunyan because he failed to press the fight. According to CompuBox, Stevenson landed 170 of 446 punches (38%), while Harutyunyan connected with just 74 of 423 punches (18%).

In Defense of Stevenson

This writer was particularly harsh on Stevenson for his performance against Edwin De Los Santos in November when he outpointed the hard-hitting Dominican fighter in Las Vegas. De Los Santos’ 40 connected blows over their 12-round fight were the lowest in CompuBox’s 38-year history, which also deserves mass criticism. Stevenson, on the other hand, landed 65 punches. It was a significant opportunity for him to build his brand, given the fight took place during the week of Formula One’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix. Race fans from all over the world were in town, but Stevenson failed to deliver. He claimed he was sick going into the fight, but most fans weren’t interested in hearing it.

It’s a different story for the Harutyunyan fight. Could Stevenson have thrown more punches and made it more exciting? Absolutely. That’s what fans are asking for. They want to see Stevenson put more effort from an offensive standpoint and possibly take guys out when he has the opportunity. He’s a supremely skilled southpaw with impeccable defense. He’s not flashy but levels above his competition and is calculated in everything he does. Is Harutyunyan partially to blame for the disappointing performance? Absolutely.

Stevenson was in the pocket for most of the fight, and Harutyunyan couldn’t touch him. He missed with more than 80% of his punches. That speaks more to Stevenson’s defensive skills than Harutyunyan’s offensive prowess. He’s so much better than his competition but doesn’t have the power of a Gervonta “Tank” Davis or a William Zepeda . People fall for eye candy, and Davis not only has fight-changing power but also has a great boxing IQ, composure, solid defense, and he counters and sets traps beautifully. Zepeda (31-0, 27 KOs), of San Mateo Atenco, Mexico, in the meanwhile, scored his fourth straight KO over the weekend with a third-round TKO of Giovanni Cabrera, who went the distance with Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz, who is also the only fighter ever to go the distance with Davis.

While Stevenson doesn’t have that “x-factor” or killer instinct, he’s highly skilled and doesn’t make many of the mistakes previous opponents have made against Davis. These miscues have typically led to brutal knockout defeats. That isn’t to say Tank can’t do the same thing to Stevenson, but the odds would be lower because of his defensive capabilities. It would be up to Davis to penetrate that defense. Stevenson beats the heck out of everyone he faces without getting touched, and Harutyunyan is no exception.

The Armenian suffered cuts under both eyes and bruises throughout his face and was stunned to the body several times during the fight. What more could he have done against the likes of Harutyunyan, Robson Conceicao, and Oscar Valdez? He completely dominated them while staying in the pocket the entire fight. You can say that he doesn’t have the knockout power of Davis, but you can also say that Tank can never win rounds in the same fashion as Stevenson. A good number of Tank’s wins have been come-from-behind victories. No fighter at any moment has been ahead of Stevenson in a fight.

Why Stevenson Needs To Increase Excitement

Although some of the criticism levied against Stevenson has been unfair, there is also some merit behind it. Over the last two fights, the consumers have sent Stevenson a clear message: “We don’t like what we see.” It’s not a good sign when fans walk out on your fight well before the end, let alone in your hometown. That should tell you the product isn’t exciting enough. No one is asking for Stevenson to try to be something he’s not or get himself hurt for the sake of someone else’s entertainment but give us more without reinventing the wheel.

Should Stevenson annoy enough of his customer base, more and more people will stop watching and/or attending fights. However, there was a silver lining. Stevenson-Harutyunyan was the most-watched boxing main event on ESPN thus far in 2024. The average audience on the network was roughly 1.18 million and peaked at approximately 1.25 million. Bear in mind that these numbers are just for linear TV viewers only. ESPN doesn’t release ESPN+ viewers, so the numbers were likely greater. With that said, reminiscent of the De Los Santos fight, it served as a tremendous opportunity for Stevenson to show the world what he was all about. The bottom line is that the goal is to hit and not get it, and Stevenson is one of the world’s best at that. However, fans want to see more offensive action. While it would help if his opposition were a little more vigorous, Stevenson could also help himself in this category.

Top Rank won’t be a part of the picture moving forward. Stevenson rejected a five-year extension offer that would have guaranteed him $3 million per bout, a respectable number in retrospect based on how Stevenson’s more recent performances have been received. The 2016 Olympic bronze medalist wants more money, signature bouts, and the prestige that comes with it. Is he worth it?

If Top Rank doesn’t believe so, Stevenson could also run into the same issue with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing and Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions. There’s also Turki Alalshikh , who may spin up an offer that Stevenson can’t refuse. All of these macho promoters compete against each other but are united under one goal: making money. And if fans aren’t interested in a Shakur Stevenson main event, it could be hard for the kid to get what he deems is his worth. A reality check could be the next step.

But if he can add a little flair to his game, perhaps a mix of “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather’s flashiness, trash talk, and charisma, and a blend of prime Adrien Broner, it may be enough to get Stevenson across that threshold.

The ball is in his court: your move, Shakur.