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Shakur Stevenson, one step away from free agency, has one last dance with Top Rank

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Shakur Stevenson smiles during a press conference after his fight with Artem Harutyunyan. Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank

NEWARK, N.J. — As an American boxer coming off an Olympic lightweight title, comparisons to Floyd Mayweather Jr. were inevitable for Shakur Stevenson. As he approaches what could be his final fight with Top Rank, those comparisons have never been more apt.

Like Mayweather 20 years earlier, Stevenson signed with Top Rank after winning a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, having won world titles in three different divisions. And like Mayweather, Stevenson seems ready to test the free agent market after the final fight on his current promotional deal, which takes place this Saturday against Artem Harutyunyan at the Prudential Center in his hometown of Newark, N.J.

“I see a lot of similarities between me and Floyd,” WBC lightweight titleholder Stevenson (21-0, 10 knockouts) said at a news conference Wednesday before stopping to talk about what he called “this situation.”

“I’m not even going to try to talk about it. It is what it is, but Saturday night, tune in. I’m going to put on an amazing show.”

It’s no secret that Stevenson, 27, was furious about the way his marketability had been portrayed. Top Rank founder Bob Arum told boxing journalist Lance Pugmire that he encouraged Stevenson to try the free-agent market, saying he would welcome him back if he couldn’t get a better deal. Arum suggested that his lack of knockouts — just two in his last seven fights — had hindered his development as a boxing star.

Stevenson, for his part, told reporter Manouk Akopyan that he felt his career slowed down when he moved up to 135 pounds and that he should be matched up with lightweight stars George Kambosos Jr. or Vasiliy Lomachenko.

“Bob Arum is basically trying to say ‘Top Rank or nothing’ and basically trying to say I have no other options but Top Rank,” Stevenson told Akopyan.

While there have been criticisms of Stevenson’s approach to the safety-first sport since he turned pro, those whispers turned to deafening screams after his last fight, a 12-round battle last November against Edwin De Los Santos in which the two boxers combined for 105 punches. Stevenson admits he could have done better, but he doesn’t feel the fight should define him.

“I appreciate the fans that really pay attention and really understand the sport of boxing. The ones that don’t, I don’t give a damn. Just like they say ‘fuck me,’ I say ‘fuck them.’ I appreciate the ones that come out and support and understand that the art of boxing is to hit and not get hit. And understand that my last fight wasn’t every night. I don’t do this every night. There are nights when I’m asking for a crowd, I’m hitting people, I’m in the pocket. I’m one of the best pocket fighters, so that’s frigid, but they’ve got to stand their ground,” Stevenson said.

While Stevenson admits he dreams of bigger fights with the likes of Gervonta “Tank” Davis, Lomachenko and even his number one favorite William Zepeda, he knows he first has to beat Harutyunyan (12-1, 7 KOs), a 33-year-old Armenian based in Germany who is best known for his tough challenge to Frank Martin in his last fight, a unanimous decision loss almost a year ago.

Stevenson suggested the possibility of a more aggressive stance towards Harutyunyan, advising him on the podium to “run for your life”, to which Harutyunyan joked “so I should put on running shoes?”, referring to allegations that Stevenson is a “runner”.

However, he added that he is not looking to fight in a way that would draw a larger audience in order to boost his value on the free agent market.

Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank

“It would just be putting pressure on myself, like I said, I keep the pressure off myself. My main goal is to have fun, have a good time, put on the show I want to put on. Show the art of boxing, I think that’s my main goal. Hit and don’t get hit, that’s what I want to see on Saturday night,” said Stevenson, whose manager is James Prince.

Wali Moses, Stevenson’s grandfather/trainer, says the fight gives Stevenson a chance to outshine Martin before he sees what offers are available as a free agent. Moses says it’s just clever business.

“It’s a business. Most fighters are trying to do what’s best for themselves in terms of the business, the things that are going to be most profitable and beneficial for them in their career. You throw yourself out there, see what’s out there, and when you get back in, you come to Top Rank and see what they want to do. Then you negotiate which way you’re going to go. You don’t want to just jump into anything right now, at this point in his career,” Moses said.

“I’m sure he wants to do what’s best for himself and his family.”

If Stevenson is distracted by the winds of change in his life and career, he didn’t show it during the pre-fight scuffle, as he clutched his championship belt and glared fiercely at the hefty underdog. Then, as the two exchanged words, Stevenson burst out laughing before Harutyunyan sniffed his arm.

“He’s like, ‘What cologne are you wearing? That shit smells good,'” Stevenson recalled of the interaction.

Stevenson is hoping, for his own good, that Saturday’s performance will prove just as attractive to potential promotional partners.

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Tyson Fury says he needs to stop Oleksandr Usyk to win

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For Tyson Fury, there are parallels between his multi-fight rivalry with Deontay Wilder, which lasted from December 2018 to October 2021, and a potential multi-fight rivalry with Oleksandr Usyk.

He hopes that in the case of Usyk it will end in three fights, which will mean that Fury will win the rematch, which will take place on December 21 in Riyad. He also knows, after his experience with Wilder, that on December 21 he must do more than just box to victory and rely on the three judges in the ring to officially give him the victory.

Of course, in the match against Wilder, Fury drew a controversial draw the first time, which he later corrected with two stoppage victories. However, against Usyk in May, Fury did not resent the judges’ opinion (correct this time), but instead his own inability to dominate Usyk and prevent the fight from lasting so long. He doesn’t want to make the same mistake the second time. The second time around, he will rely on the momentum he experiences in the fight rather than taking it for granted.

“It’s no secret that I’m going there to knock him out because I don’t think that no matter what I do, I won’t get a decision,” said Fury, 34-1-1 (24). interview with Undisputed. “I don’t think I’ll get a boxing decision, so I’ll have to take my hand off the judges like I did back then in America. I have to get him out of there.

Eliminating Oleksandr Usyk is easier said than done. In his professional career spanning 22 fights and 11 years, the brilliant Ukrainian has never been close to defeat, let alone stopped. Moreover, his intelligence and counter-attacking ability are so great that the risk of stopping Usyk forever increases due to his ability to operate his opponent’s aggression and ambition against him. For this reason, and because of his durability, few opponents even considered the prospect of stopping Usyk, 22-0 (14). For this reason, Tyson Fury, despite his size and record in previous rematches, will need to deliver the performance of his life to become the first man to do so.

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How to watch, stream Ball vs. Rios on ESPN+; Alimkhanuly stops Mikhailovich in Australia

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On Saturday in Liverpool, England, Nick Ball defends his WBA featherweight world title against Ronny Rios at Echo Arena (ESPN+, 2 p.m. ET).

Ball (20-0-1, 11 KO) from Liverpool fought for the WBC featherweight title against Ray Vargas in March, but the fight ended in a draw. Three months later, on June 1, Ball defeated Raymond Ford by split decision to win the WBA belt. He will have his first defense against Rios.

Rios (34-4, 17 KO), of Compton, California, has fought for the junior featherweight title twice, losing both to Vargas in 2017 and Murodjon Akhmadaliev in 2022. He defeats Nicolas Polanco by KO in the fifth round. April.


Where can I watch the Ball vs. fight card? Rios?

Ball vs. fight card Rios will air Saturday on ESPN+ at 2 p.m. ET.

Watch: Download the ESPN App | WatchESPN | TV

Don’t have ESPN? Find out how to get instant access today: ESPNInstantAccess.com


How to broadcast fights?

The fights will be broadcast on mobile devices using the ESPN application.

Full Ball vs. Rios fight card:

  • Title fight: Nick Ball vs. Ronny Rios, 12 rounds, for Ball’s WBA featherweight title

  • Jack Rafferty vs. Henry Turner, 12 rounds, for the British junior welterweight title

  • Jack Turner vs. Gonzalo Corinaldesi, 6 rounds, bantamweight

  • Jadier Herrera vs. Oliver Flores, 10 rounds, lightweight

  • Walter Fury vs. Dale Arrowsmith, 4 rounds, junior middleweight

  • Andrew Cain vs. Lazaro Casseres, 12 rounds, bantamweight

  • Joe Cooper vs. Łukasz Barabasz, 4 rounds, middleweight


Alimkhanuly stops Mikhailovich and defends his IBF middleweight title

Janibek Alimkhanuly defended his IBF middleweight title with a ninth-round TKO victory over Andrei Mikhailovich on Friday at The Star Sydney in Pyrmont, Australia.

The fight ended after Alimkhanuly landed two consecutive left uppercuts that caused Mikhailovich to stumble backwards, forcing referee Katsuhiko Nakamura to stop the fight at 2:45 minutes into the round.

Alimkhanuly hurt Mikhailovich with the same punch in round 2 and scored a knockdown at the bell, but Mikhailovich recovered. From there, it was only a matter of time before Alimkhanuly separated himself and struck frequently with his left hand under Mikhailovich’s pressure.

After the fight, Alimkhanuly said he would like to unify the titles with the other two champions.

“I have two titles and [other] two titles are missing,” Alimkhanuly said. “Each of them [Carlos] Adames or [Erislandy] Lara, I’m ready. Anytime and whenever, send me the paper. I will send it anytime.”

The fight was originally scheduled for July 13 in Las Vegas, but two days before that date, Alimkhanuly fainted while trying to gain weight and was taken to the hospital, where he was forced to withdraw due to severe dehydration.

Alimkhanuly (16-0, 11 KO), from Zhilanda, Kazakhstan but currently living and training in Oxnard, California, won the WBO middleweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Denzel Bentley in November 2022. He made one defense in May 2023. , a second-round KO of Steve Butler, before dropping Vincenzo Gualtieri in six rounds last October to add the IBF title. The WBO title was not at risk in the fight against Mikhailovich.

Mikhailovich (21-1, 13 KO) is a weighty puncher with long arms (74½ inches) from Auckland, Recent Zealand. He won seven of his last eight fights by stoppage before losing to Alimkhanuly.

Mikhailovich was born in Russia, but after being adopted, he and his brother moved to Recent Zealand.

Where can I watch a replay of the Alimkhanuly vs. fight? Mikhailovich?

Alimkhanuly vs. fight card replay Mikhailovich can be streamed on ESPN+.

Watch: Download the ESPN App | WatchESPN | TV

Don’t have ESPN? Find out how to get instant access today: ESPNInstantAccess.com


Alimkhanuly vs. fight card results Mikhailovich:

  • Title fight: Janibek Alimkhanuly defeated Andrei Mikhailovich by KO in the ninth round to defend his IBF middleweight title

  • Mea Motu defeated Shannon O’Connell via TKO4 in a women’s featherweight bout

  • Charlie Kazzi defeated Lui Magaiva via TKO7 in a lightweight fight

  • Ahmed Reda defeated Joe Kara by TKO 2 in a lightweight fight

Top stories:

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Ennis Boots explains why he couldn’t knock out Karen Chukhadzhian

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Image: Boots' Ennis Explains Why He Couldn't KO Karen Chukhadzhian

Jaron “Boots” Ennis says his inability to knock out Karen Chukhadzhian last year has nothing to do with what he did during their fight in Washington

Boots (32-0, 29 KO) blames it on himself because he entered the fight trying to score a knockout instead of having fun as usual. Chukhadzhian (24-2, 13 KO) took advantage of Ennis’ crazy swings that caused him to miss and took annoying shots that made him look bad.

IBF welterweight champion Ennis, 27, will have the opportunity to show fans he can knock out No. 1 Chukhadzhian in their rematch next month on November 9 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

Chukhadzhian is on a three-fight winning streak to put himself in a must-see position to face Ennis again and will be keen to take advantage of that opportunity. Ennis believes that Chukhadzhian will try to play more aggressively this time as he didn’t win a single round last time, losing by scores of 120-108, 120-108 and 120-108.

This will be Ennis’ second fight at Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom and it must look good as the British promoter has had fans buzzing with him. Unfortunately, Ennis did not perform impressively in his first fight under Hearn’s wing, as he was hit strenuous by David Avanesyan on July 13. He won by knockout in the fifth round, but it was not a spectacular effort.

“It wasn’t him. It was me. My attitude was, “I’m going to knock him out.” You can’t go into a fight like that thinking you’re going to knock someone out,” said Jaron Ennis. Brian Mazique about what happened in his previous fight against Karen Chukhadzhian last year.

“I went from not having fun, and when I get back to having fun, it’s going to be another knockout. In the next fight I’m going to put on a show, not look for it. Just let me be myself. Don’t look for a knockout. “As you saw, when I got back to having fun in my last fight, there was a knockout,” Ennis said of his fight with David Avanesyan last July.

It would have worked better if Ennis had just admitted to Chukhadzhian that he made him look indigent instead of putting it on himself for fighting a bad fight. The way Ennis talks, it sounds like he’s just making excuses and doesn’t know how to admit that he lacks the talent to do the job.

“He won’t change his style. Could be a little more. In his last fight, he tried boxing, but he didn’t win the round. I feel like he’ll be more involved this time, but I feel like once he gets touched, he’ll be back on the bike,” Ennis said.

Chukhajian always fights on the defensive in every fight. Therefore, it is a stupid idea for Ennis to assume that he will fight aggressively against him in the rematch. What Chukhadzhian will probably do is steal some bullets and make Ennis look bad again. This would hurt his chances of fighting Terence Crawford.

“In the last fight, everything depended on me. It was me who did wrong, not him. He has been winning since we fought and has become a must-see fighter. So that’s what happened,” Ennis said.

He looked like the same Jaron Ennis as usual, but he was dealing with a player with impressive defensive skills on par with Shakur Stevenson. Against a defensive artist like Chukhadzihian, Ennis has to fight very differently because he won’t knock him out with a swing for the fence.

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