Boxing fans are eagerly anticipating the upcoming match between two of the sport’s rising stars, Shakur Stevenson (19-0, 9 KOs) and Shuichiro Yoshino (16-0, 12 KOs), set to take place on April 8 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Shakur Stevenson, a native of Newark, is a former Olympic silver medalist who has quickly established himself as one of the top fighters in the sport. He has won all of his professional bouts to date, including a recent unanimous decision victory over Joet Gonzalez to win the WBO featherweight title. Stevenson’s speed, power, and technical ability have earned him a reputation as one of the most exciting young fighters in the sport.
Stevenson-Yoshino will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN, Deportes and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 pm. PT. Promoted by Top Rank, tickets starting at $55 go on sale Friday, Feb. 10 at 1 pm. ET and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com.
“Shakur Stevenson is one of the most gifted fighters I’ve had the pleasure of promoting, and I look forward to seeing him once again fight in front of his incredible hometown fans in Newark,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “Yoshino is a tough fighter and won’t be deterred by the hostile crowd. Jared Anderson and Keyshawn Davis are two of the sport’s emerging superstars, and I can’t wait to see them back in the ring.”
“Following the overwhelming success of Shakur Stevenson’s return to Newark in September, we are thrilled to build on that momentum with another stacked Top Rank boxing card on Saturday, April 8th,” said Dylan Wanagiel, VP of Sports Properties & Special Events for Prudential Center. “As Shakur continues to rise the pound-for-pound rankings, we take great pride in being his home. We all witnessed just how much Shakur means to the City of Newark a few months ago, as the event sold the most tickets to a boxing event in our venue’s 15-year history. Alongside our world-class partners at Top Rank and ESPN, we look forward to raising the bar for boxing fans not only in New Jersey but across the globe.”
Stevenson, a former featherweight and junior lightweight world champion, returns home following last September’s triumph against Robson Conceição. The stubborn Conceição lasted the distance, but Stevenson dominated in front of 10,107 fans at Prudential Center. It was the first time Stevenson had fought at Prudential Center since July 2019 and established the venue as one of the sport’s most raucous hometown crowds. Stevenson won the WBO junior lightweight title with a 10th-round knockout over Jamel Herring in October 2021, then unified the division with a stirring 12-round display over WBC king Oscar Valdez the following April. Those victories propelled Stevenson, a 2016 U.S. Olympic silver medalist, to the top 10 of most pound-for-pound lists. He now sets his sights on a third weight class and a spot atop the pound-for-pound throne.
“I am taking over the lightweight division and my run will start on April 8 in Newark. Shuichiro Yoshino is an undefeated fighter who was willing to step up and fight me when so many fighters were scared,” Stevenson said. “My last fight at the Prudential Center was just the start of what I’m building in Jersey. We are going to pack the Prudential Center again and show the world who the future of boxing really is.”
Yoshino, the WBC’s No. 5 contender, is a former Japanese lightweight champion who compiled a 104-20 amateur record. After seven defenses of his Japanese title, Yoshino rose in the rankings following a banner 2022. Last April, he won a bloody technical decision over former world champion Masayuki Ito after Ito suffered a cut over his left eye. He followed up the Ito triumph in November with a sixth-round stoppage over Masayoshi Nakatani, best known to fans for his stands against Teofimo Lopez and Vasiliy Lomachenko. Yoshino has never fought away from Japan and hopes to spoil Stevenson’s homecoming.
“I am very honored to be fighting in the US for the first time. I’m extremely focused and motivated,” Yoshino said. “I’m looking forward to fighting the great two-division champion, Shakur Stevenson, in his hometown of Newark. I’ll be training hard leading up to the fight and look forward to showing the fans an exciting victory!”
