Shakur Stevenson vs. Shuichiro Yoshino: LIVE updates, results, full coverage
Shakur Stevenson knocked out Shuichiro Yoshino in the sixth round of a scheduled 12-round 135-pound fight Saturday in Newark, New Jersey, the winner’s hometown.
The official time of the stoppage was 1:35.
Stevenson, making his debut at lightweight, dominated his Japanese opponent in every conceivable way.
The 2016 Olympic silver medalist picked Yoshino (16-1, 12 KOs) apart beginning in the second round, using his superior ability and quickness to land almost at will and take almost nothing in return.
Stevenson (20-0, 10 KOs) put Yoshino down with a straight left in Round 2. And the did the same with a right hook in Round 4, when it was already clear that Yoshino was in over his head.
Stevenson continued to deliver a brutal beating in Round 5, prompting referee Allen Huggins to save Yoshino from further punishment.
Now Stevenson will target the top 135-pounders in the world.
“Tell all the other lightweights to get ready,” he said. “I’m waiting for them. I can’t wait for them to finish the fights that they have going on. Then it’s my turn.”
You can read a full report here.
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Heavyweight contender Jared Anderson (14-0, 14 KOs) kept his knockout streak alive, stopping George Arias (18-1, 7 KOs) at the end of Round 3 of a scheduled 10-rounder.
Anderson pounded Arias more and more as the short fight progressed, including a flurry in the final seconds of the third round that wobbled his Dominican opponent.
Arias’ corner decided he had had enough following the round.
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Lightweight contender Keyshawn Davis stopped overmatched Anthony Yigit 21 seconds into the ninth round of a scheduled 10-round bout.
Davis, a 2020 Olympic silver medalist from Norfolk, Virginia, outclassed Yigit in every way. He outboxed him, outworked him and he was next to impossible to hit.
Yigit (26-4-1, 10 KOs) was game throughout but his most significant accomplishment was his ability to absorb a lot of punishment.
Davis (8-0, 6 KOs) put Yigit down with a body shot in the final seconds of Round 8. Then, in Round 9, a series of unanswered blows prompted the referee to stop the bout.
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Lightweight contenders Shakur Stevenson (19-0, 9 KOs) and Shuichiro Yoshino (16-0, 12 KOs) of Japan will face off Saturday night at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, Stevenson’s hometown.
Also on the card, heavyweight contender Jared Anderson (13-0, 13 KOs) will face George Arias (18-0, 7 KOs), and lightweight contender Keyshawn Davis (7-0, 5 KOs) will take on Anthony Yigit (26-2-1, 10 KOs).
The event will be available on ESPN and ESPN+.
The featured bouts on the card begin at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. The main event will take place later in show.
Boxing Junkie will post the results of the main event and the other featured bouts immediately after they end. Simply return to this post and refresh when the time comes.
Full coverage – a fight story, photo gallery and analysis – will follow on separate posts the day of the fight and the following day.
Enjoy the fights!
