Stevenson, Harutyunyan Weigh In, Clash Sunday

Today, WBC lightweight champion and three-division world titlist Shakur Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs), of the United States, and Armenian-German challenger Aram Avagyan (12-1, 7 KOs) weighed in for their showdown at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

The 12-round battle for Stevenson’s WBC 135-pound title will take place on Sunday, July 7 (Beijing Time). Stevenson weighed in at 134.1 pounds, while Avagyan came in at 134.8 pounds, both making weight on their first attempt.

The 27-year-old Stevenson, with an unblemished professional record of 21 wins and 10 knockouts, is currently ranked second in the 135-pound division by BoxRec, trailing only Gervonta Davis (30-0, 28 KOs). Stevenson, standing at 5’8″ with a reach of 5’8″, has defeated Gamalier Rodriguez, Oscar Valdez, and Robson Conceicao with his slick boxing skills. He captured the vacant WBC lightweight title last November by defeating Santigo Rodriguez, albeit not in a dominant fashion.

A silver medalist in the 2016 Olympics’ 56kg category, Stevenson lost to former WBO featherweight champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez (14-2, 9 KOs) in the final. Floyd Mayweather once hailed Stevenson as his successor. Since turning pro, Stevenson signed with Top Rank and has had a smoother career path than Ramirez, becoming a three-division world champion in just 21 fights. Recently, he has been training alongside Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs).

Avagyan, 33, enters the bout with a record of 12 wins, one loss, and seven knockouts, currently ranking 45th in the 135-pound division according to BoxRec. Standing at 5’7″, he previously held the WBC International lightweight title. Last July, he lost a close decision to Frank Martin (18-1, 12 KOs), demonstrating his capabilities.

In the co-feature, WBC super featherweight champion O’Shaquie Foster (22-2, 12 KOs) will face 2016 Olympic lightweight gold medalist Robson Conceicao (18-2-1, 9 KOs) in Foster’s third defense of his WBC 130-pound title.

Foster upset two-division world champion Raymundo Beltran (36-1-1, 22 KOs) earlier this year, winning the vacant WBC super featherweight title in a 12-round unanimous decision. Beltran, previously unbeaten, was underestimated, while Foster proved his worth. Conceicao fought to a draw against current WBO super featherweight champion and three-division world titlist Emanuel Navarrete (38-2-1, 31 KOs) last November, despite being knocked down twice.

In an earlier undercard bout, 2021 Olympic lightweight silver medalist Keyshawn Davis (10-0, 7 KOs) will square off against Mexican fighter Miguel Madueño (31-2, 28 KOs) in a 10-round lightweight contest. Davis, who was named ESPN’s prospect of the year in previous years, ranks 13th in the 135-pound division by BoxRec. Standing at 5’9″ with an impressive reach of 6’5″.