Shakur Stevenson Stripped of Titles at 130 at Robson Conceicao Weigh-in
Shakur Stevenson’s (18-0, 9 KOs) days as unified WBC/WBO champion have come to a sudden end. He was scheduled to defend those belts against challenger Robson Conceicao (17-1, 8 KOs) on September 23 on ESPN. But during a September 23 weigh-in, Stevenson failed to make weight. After initially coming in 1.6 pounds over the 130-pound junior lightweight limit, Stevenson declined a second attempt to make the weight.
As a result, the 25-year-old has been stripped of the WBC and WBO titles. The fight with Conceicao will go on as scheduled. If Conceicao is victorious, he wins the titles. After failing to make weight, Stevenson went to social media to air his take.
Fighting in his hometown of Newark, New Jersey, this match was his big homecoming. While he still gets to fight at home, the fight loses much of its luster. It will be a big disappointment for Stevenson that he will not be able to defend those belts.
Now the focus will be on the lightweight division. Stevenson has hinted throughout 2022 that a move up to 135 would happen sooner rather than later with an eye on fighting either undisputed lightweight champ Devin Haney, ex- unified champ Vasyl Lomachnko, or WBA Regular champ Gervonta “Tank” Davis.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
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