Shakur Stevenson’s “run for the roses” at the T-Mobile Arena was more like a snooze fest than a boxing match! It’s like Stevenson thought he was in a game of tag rather than a fight. He captured the WBC lightweight crown alright, but let’s just say it wasn’t with the kind of fireworks that get you on the edge of your seat.
The 26-year-old southpaw turned the ring into his personal runway, practically moonwalking backwards anytime Edwin De Los Santos (16-2, 14 KOs) tried to get close. It was like watching a game of tag where only one person is playing. De Los Santos, bless his heart, started taunting Stevenson by the fifth round, probably out of sheer boredom.
De Los Santos spent more time swinging at air than connecting with anything resembling a boxer. It was like watching a cat trying to catch a laser pointer – lots of effort, zero results. The judges scored it 115-113 and 116-112, which must have been for Stevenson’s impressive cardio display.
Stevenson’s comment about his performance? “I had a bad performance tonight.” Well, at least he’s honest. He admitted to feeling off and resolved to just jog around and secure the win. Hey, a win’s a win, right? Even if it’s by way of a 12-round jogging session.
De Los Santos wasn’t having any of it. He called Stevenson out for turning the fight into a “track meet” and not standing and fighting like usual. He declared himself the people’s champ, and who can blame him? At least he came to box, not to get his steps in for the day.
In the co-feature, we had Emanuel Navarrete (38-1-1, 31 KOs) and Robson Conceição (17-2-1, 8 KOs) battling it out to a majority draw. This was an actual fight, folks. Navarrete kept his WBO junior lightweight title after a real slugfest that saw both fighters hit the canvas.
Navarrete found his rhythm and sent Conceição packing to the canvas a couple of times, but the Brazilian wasn’t having any of it. He got up and kept the fight going, catching Navarrete with some sweet counter right hands. The judges couldn’t decide, ending with a 114-112 for Navarrete and two 113-113 scores.
Navarrete was gracious, calling Conceição a great fighter and acknowledging the tough match. He seemed open to a rematch, promising an even better fight next time. Conceição, dusting himself off, agreed it was a hard fight and looked forward to a rematch where they could both up their game.
Undercard Results
Brian Norman Jr. continued his unbeaten streak, clinching the WBO International title with a decisive victory over Quinton Randall. The fight, filled with clinches, saw Norman’s aggressive style earn him scores of 99-91 twice and 97-93.
Floyd ‘Cash Flow’ Diaz rose to the occasion despite being the shorter fighter, twice flooring Max Ornelas to claim the WBC Youth belt in a split decision. The judges scored it 77-73 and 78-72 for Diaz, and 76-74 for Ornelas.
Troy Isley faced a fierce challenge from Vladimir Hernandez but managed to outperform him. The intense bout ended with Isley edging out Hernandez, as all judges scored it 77-75.
Emiliano Fernando Vargas made a statement with a swift victory over Brandon Mendoza, showcasing his dominance by stopping the fight in just 57 seconds of the second round.
Jackson ‘White Chocolate’ Murray kept his undefeated record intact, dominating Steven Torres with a right hook that sent Torres to the canvas, leading to a unanimous decision of 60-53 from all judges.
The young Abdullah Mason demonstrated his talent by knocking out Jose Cardenas, ending the fight impressively in the third round with a powerful left hand.
In his U.S. debut, Hugo Micallef, ‘The Fresh Prince of Monaco,’ outshone Sergio Odabai, leading to a stoppage in the fourth round due to his superior boxing skills.
Opening the night, Giovanni Sarchioto claimed a third-round TKO victory over Lucas de Abreu, showcasing his strength and ending the fight at 2:06.
