Despite exhibiting remarkable boxing skills in his bout with Artem Harutyunyan, Shakur Stevenson failed to maintain the interest of the crowd, with many walking out of the arena before the last bell.
The WBC lightweight champion dominated the contest with ease, leaving his German opponent chasing shadows, en route to picking up a unanimous decision victory.
Shakur Stevenson booed in his hometown during world title defense
Last night, Shakur Stevenson walked out in front of a hometown crowd at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, USA, with hopes of producing a statement performance—which he did—but only in the eyes of the purists.
Utilizing his silky footwork and phenomenal boxing IQ, the 27-year-old danced rings around his Olympic bronze medalist opponent, picking him apart at will, as he coasted to a comfortable decision on the cards.
Alas, while experts respected the skills on display, casual fans don’t want to part with their hard-earned money to watch a fighter merely showcase his talent. They want a ferocious brawl, culminating in a devastating knockout.
Therefore, despite his marvelous technical display, the audience grew tired of the lack of action, with many refusing to let their frustrations go unheard.
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Footage shot from inside the arena captured angry punters flooding out of the venue. To make matters worse, despite having turned up to cheer on the hometown hero, many aggravated supporters found themself booing the fight.
Following the end of the contest, an annoyed Stevenson exclaimed: “He was just trying to make sure he survived.
“I would’ve wanted him to try a little harder so it could be a more fun fight. I did everything I could to get him out of there, too. I think the boos were because of him. He didn’t really try to make a fight.”
Regardless of who caused the negative reaction from the crowd, the pound-for-pound sensation has a lot to prove if he wants to cross the barrier of becoming not just a star in his sport, but a household name in America.
Shakur Stevenson calls out Vasiliy Lomachenko
While Stevenson’s performance inside the squared circle didn’t do much to gain the attention of the fans, his post-fight antics certainly made waves on social media.
After the bout, he sported a T-shirt with the faces of his now-former promoter, Bob Arum, and all-time great Vasiliy Lomachenko.
A message on the back of the shirt read: ‘Bob is saving his son from this ass-whooping’.
The 135-pound King said: “I wanna fight the best fighters in boxing.
“That’s how you’re going to get the best version of me when you put me in the ring with somebody else that wants to fight back and compete.”
While Stevenson has struggled to get out of first gear in his last few outings, a battle with the Ukrainian wizard would undoubtedly force the American to unleash every tool in his locker.
With the bout serving as a unification of the WBC and IBF belts, fans would undoubtedly forgive the three-weight champion’s ‘boring’ performance yesterday evening, and watch on the edge of their seats as two of the greatest tacticians in the sport go head-to-head for global supremacy.
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