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Shakur Stevenson wanted nothing more than to walk into the ring as the defending 130-pound champion in his hometown on Friday night.
His growing body was no longer cooperating.
Stevenson, 25, arrived 1.6 pounds overweight Thursday for his 12-round fight against Robson Conceicao. The New Jersey State Board of Athletic Control gave him two hours to get back on his scale at or below 130 pounds, but Stevenson admitted he couldn’t lose the extra weight and relinquished his WBC super featherweight and junior lightweight titles. from the WBO.
Stevenson confirmed in a Tweet shortly after Thursday’s weigh-in that he will move up to the lightweight limit of 135 pounds for his next fight.
“I gave it my all,” Stevenson declared in his Tweet. “I’ve been pro my whole career and I’ve gained weight, but my body can’t do 130 anymore. My health has to come first. I will go up to 135 in my next fight.”
The 135-pound division could provide several intriguing fights for Stevenson (18-0, 9 KOs), most notably matchups with undefeated undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney, undefeated WBA secondary champion Gervonta Davis and former champion of the WBA/WBC/WBO Vasiliy Lomachenko.
Brazil’s Conceicao (17-1, 8 KOs) weighed in at 129.6 pounds on Thursday. The 2016 Olympic gold medalist can win the WBC and WBO belts his opponent gave up if he defeats Stevenson in a main event that ESPN will televise from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, where Stevenson is a native (10 pm ET).
Stevenson was 5-0 in fights at the 130-pound junior lightweight limit since June 2020. His successful career as a 130-pound fighter included dominant performances against champion Jamel Herring (WBO), whom Stevenson stopped at the tenth round on October 23 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, and Oscar Valdez (WBC).
The southpaw Stevenson floored Mexico’s Valdez (30-1, 23 KOs) in the sixth round and outclassed him to become the unified champion on April 30 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Stevenson previously held the WBO featherweight title, but moved up to the junior lightweight division without defending that 126-pound crown.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
