Shakur Stevenson vs. Shuichiro Yoshino: Fight Odds, Live Stream, Predictions
Shakur Stevenson will begin his quest for a world championship in a third weight class with his lightweight debut against Shuichiro Yoshino in front of a hometown crowd at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Stevenson continues to ascend up the pound-for-pound rankings and blossom into a star, but he's taking a dangerous fight against Yoshino. The Japanese puncher is 16-0, with 12 of those two wins coming by way of knockout.
He'll look to play spoiler against the rising star while fighting outside of his home country for the first time in his career.
It's an important fight for Stevenson that could open up his future matchmaking possibilities with some really big names, including Gervonta "Tank" Davis, Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney.
Here's all the pertinent info to catch the fight as well as a fight preview, odds and a prediction.
Fight Info and Odds
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When: Saturday, April 8 at 10 p.m. ET
Where: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Live stream: ESPN+
Odds: Stevenson -1600 (Bet $1600 to win $100); Yoshino +800 ($100 bet wins $800)
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Top Storylines
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What Will Stevenson Look Like at Lightweight?
It's no secret that Stevenson has his eyes set on bigger prizes in the lightweight division. The undefeated boxer from New Jersey has the potential to be a star if he manages his career correctly and lives up to the hype that he's built.
Stevenson knows that there's a reputation to be made in the 135-pound division.
"Honestly, I look at it this way," Stevenson said, per Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. "I feel as though whenever I get to a weight class, all I know is to take over. I don't know how to go to a weight class and be just a regular guy, or the same as everybody else. I'm down to fight these dudes, and I'm down to beat these dudes and become a household name in the sport of boxing."
"These dudes" that he's referring to are the likes of Devin Haney, Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia. They are the high-profile fights that will sell pay-per-views and give him the credit and name recognition he's looking for.
But first, he must prove that he's capable of fighting at this weight.
Yoshino is a good first fight in the division to tell us. He's a bit bigger than Stevenson at 5'9" with a 68" reach. Stevenson is two inches shorter with the same reach. However, there's a good case to be made that Yoshino has the power advantage here. His knockout rate is much higher, and he has more experience fighting in the division.
Can Stevenson Dominate?
If Stevenson wants to be considered among the top lightweights, then he can't just win against Yoshino. As a -1600 favorite, he should be in control of this fight from pillar to post.
For Stevenson to become a full-fledged star, he's going to have to overcome a general lack of power. It's not impossible to become a household name without stopping power, but it does make it more difficult.
Stevenson's hand speed is elite, and he's a good defensive fighter. But he has just nine knockout wins to his name. He's not likely to put together a highlight reel of knockouts.
He can, however, utilize the fact that he's the much quicker, slicker and more technical boxer in this one to rack up the damage against his opponent.
If Yoshino is able to catch him and make a few of these rounds competitive, it's going to be a bit of a ding in Stevenson's quest for respect in the division. If Yoshino actually pulls off the upset, it's a major setback.
Prediction
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This was definitely a well-thought-out matchup by Top Rank. The promotion has a potential star on their hands in Stevenson, and a move to lightweight gives him all kinds of opportunities.
Stevenson is an excellent counter-puncher, while Yoshino is an aggressive power puncher. It's a match made in heaven for Stevenson. He's going to stick, move and counter all night.
Stevenson has all the tools in his kit to use Yoshino's aggression against him. While the Japanese underdog is going to come forward and go for the knockout, Stevenson is likely to use those as opportunities to fire back counters.
The biggest question comes in whether that equates to a knockout win for Stevenson. He's generally a decision machine, but many of his opponents don't play into his hands as a counter-puncher once the fight is out of hand.
Yoshino is not going to put it in cruise control. He'll keep coming forward and keep throwing. Unfortunately for him, that could mean a late stoppage.
Prediction: Stevenson via 10th round TKO
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