Shakur Stevenson Talks Upcoming Fight, Critics, and Top Rank

On Saturday, July 6, Shakur Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs) will face Artem Harutyunyan (12-1, 7 KOs) at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey for Stevenson‘s WBC lightweight title. The entire map will be displayed live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ in the US and on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland. Ahead of fight night, the Newark-born southpaw spoke to And Rafael about fighting in his hometown, his promotional struggles with Top Rank and revealed a message to his critics ahead of his upcoming fight on July 6.

Shakur Stevenson Talks to Dan Rafael About His Struggles at Top Rank and His Future Struggle

Shakur Stevenson unhappy with his ranking

Rafael asked Shakur about what it feels like to fight in your own cityStevenson said: “It means a lot to me. I hope everyone comes out and supports me. I know my promotion company is not trying to promote the fight properly.”

He continued: “I just pray that the same people who came for me continue to come for me, that they come and enjoy the show.”

Learn more: Shakur Stevenson vs. Shuichiro Yoshino Fight Results: Shakur Stops Yoshino by TKO

Following Stevenson‘Following Top Rank’s comment about not promoting his fight, Rafael asked the Newark-born fighter to elaborate: “I mean, in general, it’s just more. I’ve been working with them for years. It’s not just the interviews I do with you.‘all. I feel as if we have been working for a long time And they just (we must do) more. I is not go get into details. That’s how it is. I don’t stumble over it – I just I have to show up and do my job.

Rafael then asked Stevenson if this was his last fight with Top Rank, and if impending free agency is a distraction: “No, I’m not really interested. Honestly, free agency and all that goes with it he, what matters after the fight. For now, we must stay focused on what lies ahead And The main thing is to arrive prepared and ready to put on a show, so NoI do not carehe it is what it is and it is not a distraction at all.

Edwin De Los Santos Fight

Rafael then asked about his last fight against Edwin De Los Saints, and his feelings about this fight: “The other part is like that. I can’t do anything about it, but in the end, we made it. “I’m very grateful and I understand that De Los Santos is not an easy fighter and I hope that someone will give him a chance because now the world can see that he’s not a guy that you can just annihilate, and especially someone like me who only has one hand in the fight. So now I’m fighting this good fighter who has good defensive abilities and has power and is a crafty fighter with good skills.”

Learn more:Shakur Stevenson wins landslide victory over Conceicao

He continued: “I’m going to fight him with one hand. Yeah, I was mad at myself, but now that I’ve watched the fight again and understood everything that was going on, I’m not mad, and I’m happy that I could do it on a bad night. I don’t think there’s a lot of top fighters that are going to want to fight him. We’ve seen Pitbull Cruz push him back in a fight.”

Listen to the exclusive interview with Shakur Stevenson below.

Message to his detractors

Stevenson also expressed his displeasure with the public, who criticized his victory over De Los Santos, saying: “I’m angry with the public.”

In another message to his critics, Shakur exclaimed: “If for me it’s ‘f**k you’, for them it’s ‘f**k you’ too.”

Looking to the future Harutyunyan’s fight

After a lively response from Stevenson, the conversation moved to Harutyunyan and how he views his July 6 opponent: “I think he’s a very good, solid fighter. I think he tries to put pressure on you with his legs. He’s got very good footwork.

He continued: “I have a nice little high guard. Honestly, I just I don’t think he saw anything like me.

Learn more:Shakur Stevenson Dominates in Decision Win Over Valdez

Stevenson he was then asked what he thought of Harutyunyan‘s performance against Frank Martin: “I honestly thought he won the fight.”

“I think that I’m just one level above him And I’m always obtained to go out there and prove it. So July 6th is the date, that’s the date that we’re going to come out and show who I am,” Shakur said of July 6.

The future

At the end of the interview, Rafael asked Stevenson what he was looking for in his next promotional contract: “I think big fights are mainly what I’m looking for. I want to be in big fights because I want a chance to prove to the world who I am as a fighter. but Honestly, it’s hard to think about stuff like that with what’s going on right now and I’m trying to stay in the moment and focus on Artem. We can talk about it. but he is not here again. I mean You I know it will be better to interview me after the fight against Artem And then I can tell you strategically.

Learn more: Lomachenko’s dominance sets the stage for potential showdowns with elite lightweights

Asked about possible upcoming big fights, Stevenson expressed his displeasure with Top Rank’s negotiations for the Tank Davis vs. Vasiliy Lomachenko fight.