Shakur Stevenson defeats Shuichiro Yoshino by sixth-round TKO

Set for Saturday, April 8, undefeated Shakur Stevenson (19-0, 9 KOs) will make his highly anticipated return to the ring as he jumps up to the lightweight division. In Stevenson’s way of a WBC title shot, however, is an undefeated fighter from Japan: Shuichiro Yoshino (16-0, 12 KOs). The bout will take place in Stevenson’s hometown of Newark, New Jersey at the Prudential Center, and is the Main event of the eight-fight card.

Stevenson is back in the ring after being stripped of his WBC & WBO super featherweight titles for coming in too heavy against Robson Conceicao last September. Since then, Stevenson has seen his name fall down the P4P rankings, despite possessing some of the best boxing skills in the sport. His tale of the tape shows a height of 5-foot-7 with a reach of 68 inches. Now fighting in a crowded lightweight division, the southpaw will need to start making statements every time he enters the ring.

Shuichiro Yoshino is a fighter that will absolutely warrant Stevenson’s respect, especially for Yoshino’s powerful right hand. Through 16 professional fights (dating back to 2016), Yoshino has a devasting KO rate of 75 percent. Fast forward to now and Yoshino is currently riding an impressive three-fight knockout streak. Standing one inch taller (5’8) than Stevenson, the two fighters have identical reach lengths. Still, how will Yoshino perform in his first fight outside of Japan? Expect Stevenson’s home crowd support to be noticeable.

Immediately preceding Stevenson-Yoshino will be another bout of undefeated boxers; as co-main event, heavyweights Jared Anderson (13-0, 13 KOs) and George Arias (18-0, 7 KOs) will slug it out in the squared circle. Anderson is one of the best up-and-comers in the division, winning all of his fights via knockout since going pro in 2019. Arias, on the other glove, has much more experience than Anderson but has not registered a knockout victory since 2018 (def. Bryan Polley). Arias, standing at 5’11, will have to work deliberately to chop down the taller Anderson (6’4).

At DraftKings Sportsbook, Stevenson is a heavy favorite (-1600) on the moneyline, while Yoshino is an 8/1 underdog to pull off the upset. In the Co-Main event, Anderson is also a -1600 favorite to win, with Arias showing as a +750 underdog for Saturday night.

Full Card for Shakur Stevenson vs. Shuichiro Yoshino

• Main event: Shakur Stevenson won by TKO-6 (1:35) over Shuichiro Yoshino

• Jared Anderson won by TKO-3 (3:00) over George Arias
• Keyshawn Davis won by TKO-9 (0:21) over Anthony Yigit
• Damian Knyba won by TKO-8 Curtis Harper (2:38)
• Troy Isley won UD-6 (79-73, 80-72, 80-72) over Roy Barringer
• Bruce Carrington won by KO-2 (2:46) over Brandon Chambers
• Kelvin Davis won UD-6 (59-55, 60-54, 60-54) over Nelson Morales (59-55, 60-54, 60-54)
• Antoine Cobb won D-4 (38-38, 38-38, 40-36) over Jaylan Phillips