The Hamburg native holds his own against the strong American for a long time, but loses on points
German professional boxer Artem Harutyunyan missed his big chance to win the WBC lightweight world title. The 33-year-old from Hamburg put up a strong fight against US-American Shakur Stevenson, but lost unanimously on points. For Harutyunyan, Olympic bronze medalist in Rio 2016, it was the second defeat in a row and the second in his 14th professional fight.
“Even though I couldn’t bring the title home this time, I’m proud of my performance in the ring,” Harutyunyan wrote on Instagram: “I will continue to work hard to realize my dreams and fight for my place at the top.”
In Stevenson’s hometown of Newark in the US state of New Jersey, Harutyunyan put up a strong fight from the start, but Stevenson landed the clearer shots. Despite unhappy home fans, who vented their displeasure with boos from the third round onwards after a slow start, Stevenson (27) remained unbeaten and celebrated his 22nd win in his 22nd fight.