Shakur Stevenson dominates Robson Conceicao in 130-pound finale
The top fighters at 135 pounds will soon have their hands full.
Shakur Stevenson turned in another dominating performance in his final fight at 130, easily outpointing Robson Conceicao before 10,107 spectators at Prudential Center on Friday in Newark, New Jersey, Stevenson’s hometown.
The official scores were 118-108, 117-109 and 117-109. Boxing Junkie also scored it 118-108, 11 rounds to one.
“I’m still locked in I still have a lot to prove,” Stevenson said afterward.
Stevenson (19-0, 9 KOs) lost his two 130-pound titles on the scale Thursday, coming in 1.6 pounds over the limit.
Thus, the belts were on the line only for Conceicao, who could’ve pulled out of the fight — claiming his full purse — and fought someone else for the now-vacant titles. Instead, he decided to go through with the fight.
Things didn’t go well for him.
Stevenson, a brilliant southpaw, picked Conceicao (17-2, 8 KOs) apart from the opening bell with hard lefts to the head and body that won him round after round.
Conceicao, a 2016 Olympic champion, never stopped trying. He simply couldn’t land his punches with accuracy because of his opponent’s uncanny defensive skills.
The Brazilian went down from body shot in the final seconds of Round 4. And Stevenson lost a point for slamming him to the canvas in Round 9.
However, those moments had no impact on the result. When the final bell sounded, no one had any doubt about who would have their hand raised.
The only thing Stevenson failed to do was knock out his overmatched opponent, which should be attributed in part to Conceicao’s roughhouse tactics — including a lot of clutching — down the stretch.
It also underscored the perception that he doesn’t have the knockout power of some of his peers.
Dominance is dominance, though. Stevenson made a strong statement even without a stoppage.
“I did what I supposed to do,” he said. “I came and beat him. That’s what I came to do.”
What’s next for the 25-year-old? Possibly much bigger things.
Stevenson has expressed an interest in fighting former pound-for-pound king Vasiliy Lomachenko, who remains at 135 pounds.
And, of course, undisputed champion Devin Haney also is in Stevenson’s sights. Haney is scheduled to face former champion George Kambosos Jr. in a rematch on Oct. 16.
And there are other attractive possibilities if Stevenson can’t get Lomachenko or Haney right away.
The bottom line is that he’s coming. And that, based on Stevenson’s success at 126 and 130, doesn’t appear to be good news for the top fighters at 135.
“I think whoever I fight it’s going to be a big fight … in that lightweight division,” he said. “They’re all big names. I’m down to fight whoever.”