Last Saturday, Shakur Stevenson (22-0) retained the WBC Lightweight Championship against Artem Harutyunyan (12-2) by unanimous decision. Soon after the win, Stevenson wore a T-shirt that reads, “Bob is saving his son from this a– whooping.”
Shakur Stevenson turned down Top Rank’s $15 million contract and is now a free agent. Stevenson wanted to fight Vasiliy Lomachenko’s IBF Lightweight Championship. However, Bob Arum didn’t book the bout, and later Stevenson blamed the promoter for not giving him the opportunity to become a unified champion.
In an interview with Fights ATW, Bob Arum responded to Shakur Stevenson’s claim of Bob protecting Vasyl Lomachenko from him.
“These guys like him don’t realize other fighters have a say in things. He paints a picture—everybody is a puppet but him, like I can make any fight I want. Listening to pals and strangers on the internet doesn’t serve Shakur because those folks have their own agendas and are not versed in the realities of big-time prizefighting. He has some good people around him. But the ‘street’ people who talk to him don’t understand.”
Shakur stays undefeated 😤 #ShakurArtem pic.twitter.com/ZyWJdtVV27
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) July 7, 2024