Report: Shakur Stevenson, Artem Harutyunyan Finalizing July Lightweight Title Fight

Shakur Stevenson and Artem Harutyunyan are finalizing a deal to face off against one another in a fight for Stevenson's WBC lightweight title, according to ESPN boxing insider Mike Coppinger.

Per Coppinger, the bout is expected to take place on July 6 in Newark, New Jersey. This represents the first WBC lightweight title defense for Stevenson after he previously captured the vacant title by defeating Edwin De Los Santos on Nov. 16 in Las Vegas.

Stevenson moved to 21-0 following the victory with 10 knockouts. The reported upcoming fight against Harutyunyan is also Stevenson's first bout since his brief retirement on Jan. 29. The 26-year-old originally announced his decision to step away from the sport in a post on X, which came to the surprise of many.

However, it didn't last long as Stevenson discussed his plans for a future fight that was originally scheduled to take place in June during a post on Feb. 12.

He later explained that he enjoys the sport too much and "couldn't keep myself away from it."

Stevenson began his professional career after the 2016 Summer Olympics, as he earned a silver medal in the bantamweight division. ESPN currently ranks him as the No. 3 lightweight boxer in the world behind Vasiliy Lomachenko and Gervonta Davis.

As for Harutyunyan, he owns a career record of 12-1 with seven knockouts. However, the 33-year-old is coming off a close loss to Frank Martin in July 2023 via unanimous decision. Harutyunyan also has some olympic hardware of his own, winning a bronze medal in 2016 in the light welterweight division.

While Harutyunyan hasn't faced anyone since his previous defeat, he still represents an intriguing opponent for Stevenson to face off against in his hometown of Newark.