NEWARK, NJ – Shakur Stevenson vowed to “beat the crap out of me” Robson Conceicao as they trash-talked onstage Wednesday at the Prudential Center.
Brazil’s Conceicao responded calmly in Portuguese, which didn’t faze Stevenson because he couldn’t understand what his next opponent was saying. Conceicao later claimed that Stevenson is overconfident, that the brash, undefeated southpaw doesn’t realize how tough his fight will be.
“Shakur is definitely underestimating me,” Conceicao told BoxingScene.com through a translator. “That is going to be the biggest mistake of his career, underestimating a guy like me who is really willing and hungry to win. He really he never faced anyone like me, an athlete of this caliber, and that will be the undoing of him.”
Despite Conceicao’s confidence, Caesars Sportsbook listed Stevenson (18-0, 9 KOs) as a 30-1 favorite on Thursday. Stevenson’s status as the heavy favorite did not change even after the 2016 Olympic silver medalist was 1.6 pounds overweight and relinquished his WBC super featherweight and WBO junior lightweight titles.
The aforementioned lopsided odds are a byproduct of Stevenson’s rise to the elite level over the last three years, as well as the opposite results of his fights with Oscar Valdez.
Valdez overcame Conceicao’s strong start on September 10 to win a unanimous decision and retain his WBC super featherweight title at Casino Del Sol in Tucson, Arizona. Stevenson handed Valdez his first loss in his next fight, a 12-round, 130-pound title unification fight on April 30 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Despite how they fared against Valdez (30-1, 23 KOs), Stevenson respects Conceicao (17-1, 8 KOs). Stevenson is pretty sure the 2016 Olympic gold medalist can’t compete with his boxing brain and diverse skill set.
“I think it offers a great challenge,” Stevenson told BoxingScene.com. “He is not a bad fighter. I can’t take anything away from him. He is awkward. He is not an easy style to deal with for anyone. But at the end of the day, he’s going against me, so I’m not too worried.”
The 12-round bout between Stevenson, 25, and Conceicao, 33, will headline a two-fight telecast scheduled to begin at 10 pm ET on ESPN. Keyshawn Davis (5-0, 4 KOs), a well-respected lightweight prospect from Norfolk, Virginia, will face Omar Tienda (25-5, 18 KOs), from Guadalupe, Mexico, in the eight-round co-feature of ESPN .
Undercard coverage is scheduled to begin on ESPN+ at 6 pm ET.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
