Shakur Stevenson will face Shuichiro Yoshino in a battle of unbeaten 135-pounders Saturday in Newark, New Jersey, Stevenson’s hometown.
SHAKUR STEVENSON (19-0, 9 KOS)
VS. SHUICHIRO YOSHINO (16-0, 12 KOS)
- Date: Saturday, April 8
- Time: 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
- Where: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
- TV/Stream: ESPN, ESPN+
- Division: Lightweight (135 pounds)
- At stake: No major titles
- Pound-for-pound ranking: Stevenson No. 13
- Odds: Stevenson 11½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
- Also on the card: Jared Anderson vs. George Arias, heavyweights; Keyshawn Davis vs. Anthony Yigit, lightweights
- Prediction: Stevenson UD
- Background: Stevenson is one of a handful of fighters with the potential to succeed Terence Crawford as the pound-for-pound king. The 25-year-old from Newark will be fighting for the first time as a full-fledged 135-pounder after losing his 130-pound title on the scale before his defense against Robson Conceicao in September, which Stevenson won by a wide decision. That followed sensational back-to-back victories over then-beltholder Jamel Herring (KO 10) and Oscar Valdez (UD), which stamped the gifted Stevenson as one of the fastest rising stars in the sport. Yoshino is a significant underdog (see above) but he’s no pushover. The 31-year-old boxer-puncher from Tokyo, fighting outside his native country for the first time, demonstrated his mettle in convincing victories over capable countrymen Masayuki Ito (TD) last April and Masayoshi Nakatani (KO 6) in November. Stevenson’s promoter, Bob Arum, said he wants to pit Stevenson against the winner of the May 20 fight between undisputed champion Devin Haney and former titleholder Vasiliy Lomachenko if Stevenson wins on Saturday.
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