Shakur Stevenson showed his class and power as he stopped Shuichiro Yoshino in six rounds to earn a shot at the WBC lightweight title on Saturday night at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Stevenson, who had previously won world titles at featherweight and super-featherweight, made an impressive debut at 135 pounds against Yoshino, who had never fought outside Japan before. Stevenson dominated the fight with his speed, accuracy and ring IQ, dropping Yoshino twice and landing at will until the referee intervened.
Stevenson used his jab and right hook to keep Yoshino at bay, while also mixing up his attack with body shots and uppercuts. Yoshino tried to pressure Stevenson and land his own power punches, but he was outclassed and outgunned by the American. Stevenson scored his first knockdown in round two with a short left hand that caught Yoshino off balance. He then floored Yoshino again in round four with a three-punch combination that sent him reeling to the ropes.
Stevenson continued to punish Yoshino in the fifth and sixth rounds, landing more than half of his power shots according to CompuBox. In the sixth, Stevenson unleashed a barrage of punches that forced referee Allen Huggins to stop the fight at 1:35 of the round.
Stevenson improved his record to 20-0 with 10 knockouts, while Yoshino suffered his first defeat and fell to 16-1 with 12 knockouts. Stevenson is now the mandatory challenger for the WBC lightweight title, which is currently held by Devin Haney, who will face Vasiliy Lomachenko on May 20.
Stevenson said after the fight that he felt his power was a factor and that he wanted to finish Yoshino off. He also called out Haney for a future showdown, saying that he has always had the edge over him in their previous sparring sessions.
“Newark’s main name is the Bricks. And tonight, I had bricks in my hands. We did what we were supposed to do. We settled our business. And now we’re going to enjoy it with the family,” Stevenson said.
“Just tell all those other lightweights to get ready. I’m waiting for them. I can’t wait for them to finish the fights they’ve got going on, and then it’s my turn.
“Tell him [Devin Haney] to come on. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. I swear to God. I’ve been waiting for that for a long time. Me and Devin have been in the ring with each other for years. I always got the best of Devin. Tell him, ‘come on.'”