Hometown Hero Shakur Stevenson Defeats Robson Conceição in Newark Extravaganza

NEWARK, NJ — Shakur Stevenson lost his junior lightweight world titles on the scale Thursday afternoon. He wasn’t about to lose the fight. Stevenson outpointed Robson Conceição by unanimous decision over 12 rounds (117-109 2x and 118-108) in front of 10,107 fans Friday night at the Prudential Center, the largest crowd ever to attend an arena boxing event. .

Stevenson (19-0, 9 KOs) landed a career-high 199 punches, including a fourth-round knockdown to the body. He stunned Conceição (17-2, 8 KOs) in the sixth, but the Brazilian challenger stood his ground. Stevenson was deducted a point by referee David Fields for shaking Conceição’s hip in the ninth round.

After the inauspicious ninth, Stevenson closed out the show in pound-for-pound form, winning the last three rounds on all three judges’ scorecards. After losing weight by 1.6 pounds the day before, Stevenson will now begin his lightweight journey. Undisputed champion Devin Haney sits atop 135 pounds, with big names like Vasiliy Lomachenko also up for grabs.

“I had a long week. I killed myself to gain weight. All I want to do is come here and perform. I did everything I could to do that,” Stevenson said. “I’m just a dominant individual. With me against him, the referee, I did everything I could to try and beat {Conceicao} as much as I could. He held me all night, but I did my best.

“I think he was holding on a lot every time I was in. As soon as I got inside, she grabbed me.

“We have to fight the champion. Me and Devin {Haney}, we could make sure. After he fights Kambosos, let’s do it!”

Until “Business”

Rising lightweight Keyshawn “The Businessman” Davis, who captured a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics, stopped Mexican veteran Omar Tienda in the fifth round in the best performance of his career.

Davis (6-0, 5 KOs) set the tone in the first round, outscoring Tienda 15-5. He kept up the pressure and finished things off quickly in the fifth. He dropped Tienda with a right hand, who seemed alert as he got to his feet.

Davis then unleashed a torrent of left hooks that wobbled Tienda (25-6, 18 KOs). That prompted referee Earl Brown to stop the carnage. Davis had to pull out of a couple of fights earlier this year with a stomach ailment, but is now in a clean bill of health. He hopes to return in December to close out a successful second year in the pro ranks.

Davis said: “Honestly, it felt like a dream come true. I couldn’t believe I got the opportunity to perform {on a card of this} magnitude again, as I was out due to health issues. I really didn’t know what to expect from myself, but I always said that since I turned pro, God has me. And he definitely had me tonight.

“We are working to become a contender. My next fight will put me through that process quicker. Then next year we will definitely be contenders, and we will be in the top 10 for sure.”

Junior lightweight: Henry Lebron (17-0, 10 KOs) UD 8 Andy Vences (23-4-1, 12 KOs), Scores: 80-72, 79-73 and 78-74. Lebron, one of Puerto Rico’s top prospects, earned the most significant win of his career with a convincing performance over the longtime contender. Vences, who has now lost three in a row, pressed the action in the first round. Lebron, a southpaw stylist, opened a cut over Vences’ right eye and hit the San Jose native with vicious left right hands. Vences, an 11-year pro, was a step too slow against his new foe.

Featherweight: Bruce Carrington (5-0, 3 KOs) UD 6 Jose Argel (9-5, 3 KOs), Scores: 60-54 3x. “Shu Shu” Carrington, the latest prodigy from Brownsville, Brooklyn, was unable to defeat the durable Chilean, but he did rack up valuable rounds by going the six-round distance for the first time. Algiers has only been knocked out once as a pro and provided a wide target for Carrington, who took out the jab and dialed it in with left hooks and right hooks.

Junior middleweight: Pablo Valdez (7-0, 6 KOs) KO 4 Noe Alejandro Lopez (11-6-1, 4 KOs), 2:45. “The King of New York” thrilled the large contingent of his fans who crossed the Hudson River, knocking Lopez down three times en route to the stoppage. The third and final knockdown was a left look to the liver that forced Lopez to spit out his mouth guard.

Welterweight: Jahi Tucker (9-0, 5 KOs) UD 8 Jose Luis Sanchez (11-3-1, 4 KOs), Scores: 80-72 2x and 79-73. Tucker, a Long Island native, couldn’t stop the durable Sanchez, but went the eight-round distance for the first time in his career. Tucker stunned Sánchez in the first round, but Sánchez, the younger brother of former world title challenger Jason Sánchez, weathered the early storm and gave the 19-year-old phenom a severe test.

Featherweight: Misael López (14-1, 5 KOs) UD 8 Orlando González (18-2, 11 KOs), Scores: 77-75, 78-74 and 79-73. Discomfort alert. Lopez, who fights out of Denver, Colorado, won his third fight in a row and announced himself as a rising featherweight contender. Gonzalez dropped to 1-2 in his last three bouts after starting his career 17-0.

Junior Featherweight: Floyd Diaz (7-0, 2 KOs) UD 6 Juan Hernandez (2-2-1), Scores: 58-55 2x and 59-54. Diaz emerged victorious in a shootout that was the most grueling of his young career. He dropped Hernandez at the end of the third round, but ran out of time to score the knockout. The final half of the fight was back and forth, as Hernandez found success fighting at close range. Diaz stunned Hernandez with a hook in the sixth to put an arc on his performance.

Welterweight: Antoine Cobb (1-0-2, 1 KO) PACK 4 Jaylan Phillips (1-2-2, 1 KO). Scores: 40-36 Cobb, 39-37 Phillips and 38-38. It was déjà vu, as Cobb and Phillips battled for their second tie of the year. It was a rematch of their April fight, and once again the judges were divided. Phillips stunned Cobb in the fourth round, but that wasn’t enough to tip the rematch in his favor.

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