Shakur Stevenson vs Robson Conceição: Is An Upset Possible?
September has some pretty mouth-watering fights lined up, and boxing fans will be gearing up for some of the best events on the calendar. This includes Shakur Stevenson (18-0, 9KO) vs Robson Conceição (17-1, 8KO) on September 23 in Newark, New Jersey, live on ESPN at 10:00 PM ET.
With Stevenson missing weight by 1.6 pounds and ultimately stripped of the WBC and WBO titles, not much more than his image is a stake when the two fight. Many boxing predictions are centered around the former champion winning with relative ease, but we really don’t know how this one is going to pan out.
Stevenson is the heavy favorite, but if Conceição should manage to pull off an unexpected win, it wouldn’t be the first time in boxing that a favorite has succumbed to an underdog. Conceição is no joke! The Brazilian fighter is seen as a tricky competitor.
Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum had this to say about the bout:
“The sensational Shakur Stevenson is a once-in-a-generation boxing talent, and he’s back home in Newark as a world champion against a worthy contender in Robson Conceição. I also can’t wait to see young talents like Keyshawn Davis and Bruce Carrington perform on such a significant card.”
The Undercard
There is an exciting undercard, too, so it’s easy to see why so many people are hyping this event.
- Keyshawn Davis (5-0, 4 KOs) vs Omar Tienda (25-5, 18 KOs) ‒ 8 rounds, lightweight
- Jahi Tucker (8-0, 5 KOs) vs Jose Luis Sanchez (11-2-1, 4 KOs) ‒ 8 rounds, welterweight
- Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (4-0, 3 KOs) vs Jose Argel (9-4, 3 KOs) ‒ 6 rounds,
featherweight - Armani Almestica (6-0, 6 KOs) vs Omar Urieta (3-1-1, 2 KOs) ‒ 6 rounds, lightweight
- Pablo Valdez (6-0, 5 KOs) vs Noe Alejandro Lopez (11-5-1, 4 KOs) ‒ 6 rounds, welterweight
- Orlando Gonzalez (18-1, 11 KOs) vs Misael Lopez (13-1, 5 KOs) ‒ 8 rounds, featherweight
- Floyd “Cashflow” Diaz (6-0, 2 KOs) vs Eduardo Diogo (3-0, 2 KOs) ‒ 6 rounds, junior
featherweight
September 23 is bound to be an exciting night in New Jersey for boxing, and amazingly there are still some tickets available. This is just one of the exciting upcoming boxing events in September, with fights like Joyce versus Parker, and of course Canelo vs Golovkin, generating a lot of buzz too.
Is Conceição in the market for an upset?
Conceição is no stranger to upsets, and whatever happens in this bout, he will no doubt be fondly remembered as making some big strides for Brazilian boxing. He became the first Brazilian ever to win a boxing gold medal at the Olympics, which he achieved in Rio back in 2016. Stevenson actually won a silver in a different division at the same games.
The Brazilian had a perfect pro record until he received a controversial loss to Oscar Valdez In September 2021. Conceição came roaring back, however, beating Xavier Martinez who was unbeaten at the time. It might not be in Stevenson’s best interests to completely rule out the possibility of an upset here, but he is already talking about the future in some terms that could concern fans, as he may not be focusing too much on the task at hand.
Stevenson has said that he might not fight in the division again.
“We gotta see, it’s all up in the air right now. It’s all depending on how I’m feeling. Going up to 135 is not out the way and staying at 130 is not out the way. It’s all depending on what I feel and how I feel after this fight. So, we’re gonna see.
“Maybe I’ll go up to 135 for one fight, and then come back down to 130. You never know. I can play with it like that. I feel like I’m that good.”
Summary
Confidence is nothing new in the world of professional boxing, and the young, impressive fighter certainly has what it takes to become one of the best. It’s not beyond him to step up to another weight, but he’d be ill advised to write off the Brazilian at this stage. He could be setting himself up for defeat if he isn’t totally focused when the fight comes around.
Although Stevenson is strongly favored to win, some feel that Conceição is not the sort of fighter that people should be writing off, given his history of causing upsets. What is not in doubt, though, is that this fight will be a cracker!
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