By: Sean Crose
“Yesterday he said I’m fake,” Robson Conceicao said of Shakur Stevenson after the weigh-in for their Friday night fight, “so it shows the world whose fake it is: It’s him.” Conceicao was understandably bummed out by the fact that Stevenson, who held the WBO and WBC junior lightweight titles, missed weight for his fight by more than a pound. The former 17-1 gold medalist also made it clear through his interpreter that he felt Stevenson was letting down local fans, as the fight will take place at the Prudential Center in Newark, Stevenson’s hometown. Stevenson. “You should set an example for your hometown,” Conceicao said, “and that proves otherwise.”
In a nutshell, Conceicao made it clear that he believed the 18-0 Stevenson was not fulfilling the requirements of his job as a boxer. “He’s not a professional,” Conceicao said, “and that’s an embarrassment to the whole boxing world.” When asked if he felt Stevenson hadn’t taken him seriously, Conceicao was quick to respond. “Oh sure,” he said. However, the Brazilian contender also made it clear that he brimmed with confidence on the eve of the biggest fight of his career. “Even if I had shown the weight,” he said of Stevenson, “I would have taken the belt from him… (if) it’s his, it’s not anyone’s, I’ll take the belts home.” Fortunately, Conceicao still has a chance to win the WBC and WBO belts, even though Stevenson has now been stripped of them.
Conceicao indicated that he and Stevenson are just different people. “I don’t talk too much like him,” Conceicao said, “so I’m a professional athlete that I do in the ring and I do it in my sport, I don’t talk too much like him.” It is obvious that Conceicao feels that he represents what it means to be a professional boxer. “Tomorrow I am going to show the world the professional athlete and fighter that I am,” he said. There are still some boxers who feel that boxing requires more than wins on a resume, and Conceicao made it clear, through his interpreter, that he is one of them.
“Any kind of champion…has to be an example to the world,” he said. “He is not an example,” she added, referring to Stevenson. Conceicao will undoubtedly provide an example of how to shock the fight world if he manages to defeat Stevenson on Friday night at the Prudential Center. The fight will air live on ESPN beginning at 10 pm ET.
