NEWARK, New Jersey – The odds for his fight against Robson Conceicao were so wide that Shakur Stevenson probably showed more on his drawing power Friday night than his in-ring prowess.
The 25-year-old Stevenson helped draw an advertised crowd of 10,107 to the Prudential Center, the home stadium of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils. That total represents the second-largest crowd for boxing at the Prudential Center, which opened in 2007, and provided proof to Stevenson’s handlers that the two-division champion sells tickets in his hometown.
Only the Tomasz Adamek-Michael Grant card, which drew an advertised audience of 10,972 in August 2010, exceeded this number of fans for a boxing event at the Prudential Center. Stevenson (19-0, 9 KOs), who was 13 when the Adamek-Grant show took place, took particular pride in rebutting those who insisted it’s not a draw.
“I’m definitely proving that I’m a bigger star than everyone gives me credit for,” Stevenson said during his post-fight news conference Saturday morning, following his lopsided victory against Conceicao on all three scorecards. “A lot of people try to act like I’m down here [motioned low toward the floor] and all these 135 pounds are up here [raised his arm]. But clearly, I just did a show in my hometown and I did big numbers here.
“So, I appreciate all my family and friends, and all the fans who came out to support me. … It made me feel good. I am glad that I received the support of my entire city. And I pray and hope that my city will continue to support me the way they do.”
Stevenson’s dominant 12-round victory over Oscar Valdez in their 130-pound title unification fight on April 30 drew an advertised crowd of 10,102 to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and generated approximately $1.6 million in ticket revenue. Bob Arum, whose company promotes Stevenson, noted after that event that thousands of Mexican fans gathered that night to support the previously undefeated Valdez (30-1, 23 KOs), but was pleasantly surprised by the turnout on Friday night. at the Prudential Center.
“The tickets sold extraordinarily well, much more than we expected,” Arum told BoxingScene.com. “Us [opened up] some new sections because the demand was very good”.
There is a large Brazilian population in the Ironbound section of Newark, so some fans bought tickets to cheer on Conceicao (17-2, 8 KOs), who won a gold medal for Brazil at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. of Janiero. Several fighters on the card, most notably featherweight prospect Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington and welterweight prospect Jahi Tucker, are also selling tickets.
However, Arum estimated that 90 percent of the buyers were there to support Stevenson, who has become one of the best fighters, pound for pound, in the sport. Ticket revenue from Friday’s event will amount to about half of what the Stevenson-Valdez show produced because ticket price points were lower in Newark than Las Vegas, but Arum is still pleased with the performance. of Stevenson at the box office.
“I think that’s very important,” Arum said. “We know that boxing-wise, he is a great talent. The question has always been, what about star power? You can draw? Well, he showed that he could draw when he fought [Jamel Herring] in atlanta [last October 23 at State Farm Arena]. We had a really good crowd there. And then when he fought Valdez, it was a tremendous crowd. And now here. So, he’s showing that he’s a big, big draw. We are very pleased with that kind of development.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
