Shakur Stevenson lost his junior lightweight world titles on the scale Thursday afternoon. He wasn't about to lose the fight. Stevenson bested Robson Conceição by 12-round unanimous decision (117-109 2x and 118-108) in front of 10,107 fans Friday evening at Prudential Center, the largest crowd ever to attend a boxing event at the arena.
Stevenson (19-0, 9 KOs) landed a career-high 199 punches, including a body shot knockdown in the fourth round. He stunned Conceição (17-2, 8 KOs) in the sixth, but the Brazilian challenger hung tough. Stevenson had a point deducted by referee David Fields for hip tossing Conceição in the ninth round.
After the inauspicious ninth, Stevenson closed the show in pound-for-pound form, winning the final three rounds on all three judges' cards. After missing weight by 1.6 pounds the previous day, Stevenson will now begin his lightweight journey. Undisputed champion Devin Haney sits atop the 135-pound heap, with big names like Vasiliy Lomachenko also in play.
“I had a long week. I killed myself to make weight. All I want to do is come in here and perform. I did everything I could to do that," Stevenson said. “I’m just a dominating individual. With me versus him, the ref, I did everything I could to try and beat {Conceicao} up as much as I could. He held me the whole night, but I did everything I could.
“I think he was doing a lot of holding whenever I was getting on the inside. As soon as I got on the inside, he grabbed me.
“We gotta fight the champ. Me and Devin {Haney}, we could lock in. After he fights Kambosos, let’s get it on!"
Down to "Business"
Rising lightweight Keyshawn "The Businessman" Davis, who captured a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics, stopped Mexican veteran Omar Tienda in the fifth round in a career-best performance.
Davis (6-0, 5 KOs) set the tone in the first round, outlanding Tienda 15-5. He kept the pressure on and ended matters in swift fashion in the fifth. He knocked down Tienda with a right hand, who appeared alert as he rose to his feet.
Davis then unleashed a torrent of left hooks that staggered Tienda (25-6, 18 KOs). That prompted referee Earl Brown to stop the carnage. Davis had to withdraw from a pair of fights earlier this year with a stomach ailment, but he now has a clean bill of health. He hopes to return in December to close out a successful second year in the pro ranks.
Davis said, “Honestly, it felt like a dream come true. I couldn’t believe I got a chance to perform {on a card of this} magnitude again being that I was out with health issues. I didn’t really know what to expect in myself, but I always said since I went pro, God has me. And he definitely had me tonight.
“We’re working toward becoming a contender. My next fight will put me in that process faster. Then next year, we’re definitely going to be contending, and we’re going to be top 10, for sure.”
Junior Lightweight: Henry Lebron (17-0, 10 KOs) UD 8 Andy Vences (23-4-1, 12 KOs), Scores: 80-72, 79-73 and 78-74. Lebron, one of Puerto Rico's top prospects, picked up the most meaningful win of his career with a convincing showing over the longtime contender. Vences, who has now lost three straight, pressed the action in the opening round. Lebron, a southpaw stylist, opened a cut over Vences' right eye and tagged the San Jose native with vicious straight lefts. Vences, an 11-year-pro, was just a step too slow against his fresher foe.
Featherweight: Bruce Carrington (5-0, 3 KOs) UD 6 Jose Argel (9-5, 3 KOs), Scores: 60-54 3x. "Shu Shu" Carrington, the latest prodigy from Brownsville, Brooklyn, could not put away the durable Chilean, but he banked valuable rounds in going the six-round distance for the first time. Argel has only been knocked out once as a pro and provided an ample target for Carrington, who worked off the jab and tagged him with left hooks and right uppercuts.
Junior Middleweight: Pablo Valdez (7-0, 6 KOs) KO 4 Noe Alejandro Lopez (11-6-1, 4 KOs), 2:45. "The King of New York" thrilled his large fan contingent that traveled across the Hudson River, knocking down Lopez three times en route to the stoppage. The third and final knockdown was a left look to the liver that forced Lopez to spit out his mouthpiece.
Welterweight: Jahi Tucker (9-0, 5 KOs) UD 8 Jose Luis Sanchez (11-3-1, 4 KOs), Scores: 80-72 2x and 79-73. Long Island native Tucker could not stop the durable Sanchez, but he went the eight-round distance for the first time in his career. Tucker stunned Sanchez in the opening round, but Sanchez, the younger brother of former world title challenger Jason Sanchez, weathered the early storm and provided the 19-year-old phenom with a stern test.
Featherweight: Misael Lopez (14-1, 5 KOs) UD 8 Orlando Gonzalez (18-2, 11 KOs), Scores: 77-75, 78-74 and 79-73. Upset alert. Lopez, who fights out of Denver, Colorado, won his third straight bout and announced himself as a featherweight contender on the rise. Gonzalez fell to 1-2 in his last three bouts after starting his career 17-0.
Junior Featherweight: Floyd Diaz (7-0, 2 KOs) UD 6 Juan Hernandez (2-2-1), Scores: 58-55 2x and 59-54. Diaz emerged victorious in a firefight that was the most taxing of his young career. He knocked down Hernandez at the end of the third round but ran out of time to notch the knockout. The final half of the bout went back and forth, as Hernandez had pockets of success fighting at close range. Diaz stunned Hernandez with an uppercut in the sixth to put a bow on his performance.
Welterweight: Antoine Cobb (1-0-2, 1 KO) DRAW 4 Jaylan Phillips (1-2-2, 1 KO). Scores: 40-36 Cobb, 39-37 Phillips and 38-38. It was déjà vu, as Cobb and Phillips fought to their second draw of the year. It was a rematch of their April bout, and once again, the judges were split. Phillips stunned Cobb in the fourth round, but that was not enough to swing the rematch in his favor.