Shakur Stevenson vs. Shuichiro Yoshino Fight Card, Odds, & Predictions

The 135-pound division debut of former WBC and WBO World Super Featherweight Champion Shakur Stevenson (19-0) will happen this Saturday, April 8, inside Prudential Center in Newark against fellow undefeated boxer Shuichiro Yoshino (16-0) from Japan. Due to his championship background, Stevenson is the heavy favorite in boxing odds at -2000.

The Lightweight debut 🌟

Welcome to #ShakurYoshino Fight Week! pic.twitter.com/d9Cr1uB5uJ

— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) April 3, 2023

On the other hand, Yoshino could only win minor and regional titles in the lightweight division, which primarily cast him in the overwhelming underdog role in online boxing betting at +800. Yoshino’s titles include the Japan Boxing Commission Lightweight title, the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation Lightweight title, and the WBO Asia Pacific Lightweight title.

Shakur Stevenson Recent Fight Results

Fresh off his silver medal finish in the 2016 Olympic games in Rio, Shakur Stevenson made his pro debut in April 2017 against Edgar Brito, where he picked up a technical decision win. After that, he took eight consecutive victories over Carlos Suarez, David Paz, Oscar Mendoza, Juan Tapia, Roxberg Riley, Aelio Mesquita, Carlos Ruiz, and Viorel Simion.

Following these victories, the Alexandria, Virginia, native earned his first crack at a boxing title when he was pitted against Jessie Rosales in January 2019 for the vacant IBF Inter-Continental Featherweight title and WBC Continental Americas Featherweight title. Stevenson was successful in his first championship match by stopping Rosales in the fourth round via TKO.

In his next match, the former Olympian beat Christopher Diaz in April 2019 to defend the IBF Inter-Continental title and capture the WBO NABO Featherweight title. Because of these outstanding wins, Stevenson was matched with Joet Gonzales for the vacant WBO World Featherweight title fight in October 2019.

Stevenson’s world title debut didn’t disappoint as he was able to masterfully score a lopsided unanimous decision to call himself a world champion finally. That WBO title reign was cut short as he moved up in the super featherweight division in his next bouts.

“Fearless” quickly racked up two victories in the 130-pound weight class by knocking out Felix Caraballo in June 2020 and unanimously beating Toka Clary in December 2020. This led Stevenson to vie for a spot in the WBO Interim World Super Featherweight showdown with Jeremia Nakathila in June 2021.

Stevenson showed his world-class skills over Nakathila by outpointing him and winning the interim title. This interim title was upgraded to a regular world champion as Stevenson TKO’ed Jamel Herring in their WBO World Super Featherweight title fight in October 2021.

Six months after this title triumph, Stevenson outclassed Oscar Valdez in the WBO-WBC unification fight in April 2022, and the former outpointed the latter en route to another decision win. Stevenson’s latest victory came at the expense of Robson Conceicao as he fended off his title challenge to successfully defend his two belts.

Shuichiro Yoshino Recent Fight Results

Shuichiro Yoshino was a national boxing standout in Japan, having won national and regional titles in his native country. He debuted in December 2015 and bagged a third-round TKO win over Chatri Charosensin. He needed four more wins, including two stoppages, to compete for a title.

In October 2017, Yoshino faced Spicy Matsushita for the vacant Japan Boxing Commission Lightweight title, and the boxer out of Kanuma, Tochigi, scored a seventh-round TKO victory. Following this maiden title triumph, Yoshino fended off four challenges from Masaki Saito, Genki Maeda, Kazumasa Kobayashi, and Accel Sumiyoshi to retain his title.

Besides his successful reign as the Japan Boxing Commission Lightweight title, the 30-year-old also obtained the Oriental And Pacific Boxing Federation Lightweight title and WBO Asia Pacific Lightweight title, both of which he successfully defended and maintained an unbeaten record.

Yoshino’s previous opponent was Masayoshi Nakatani in November 2022, when the WBO Asia Pacific Lightweight Title was on the line. He again defended the belt with a dominant performance and a sixth-round knockout. Yoshino hopes to score a massive upset of Stevenson this weekend in his U.S. debut.

Shakur Stevenson vs. Shuichiro Yoshino: Tale of the Tape

Shakur Stevenson vs. Shuichiro Yoshino: Fight Analysis

The tale of the tape between Stevenson and Shuichiro is almost identical as the former holds only a two-inch height advantage over the latter, but the American has the youth edge at only 25 years old against Yoshino’s 30. Both fighters are undefeated; however, the stoppage rate is higher for Yoshino at 75% compared to Stevenson’s 47%.

Stylistically, both Stevenson and Shuichiro are ultra-aggressive boxers who relentlessly press opponents and throw punches until the opposition is hurt or down. Credit their incredible power in those stingy punches, which allowed them to be undefeated.

Stevenson, though, is the more tactical, refined, and sophisticated fighter among the two as he adapts well during the fight. If his opponents are moving forward, he uses his right hand to counterpunch them, but when they are on the backpedal, he moves with tremendous pressure and throws their combinations to the head and body.

Meanwhile, Shuichiro only knows one direction when fighting — move forward. He also has a decent speed which is the backbone of his attack and catches his opponents off-guard. This style has allowed him to finish 12 of his 16 previous opponents and win three minor titles in the process.

However, Stevenson’s championship experience on the big stage under the bright lights will be crucial, especially when fighting in front of his home fans. Lastly, his fight IQ and ability to adjust quickly to his foes mid-fight should be enough to get another win on his record and send loud shockwaves on his arrival in the lightweight division.

Shakur Stevenson vs. Shuichiro Yoshino: Date and Start Time

April 8, 2023, 8 p.m. PT

April 8, 2023, 10 p.m. CT

April 8, 2023, 11 p.m. ET

Shakur Stevenson vs. Shuichiro Yoshino: Fight Prediction

Official Prediction: TKO/KO victory for Shakur Stevenson.

See the entire Shakur Stevenson vs. Shuichiro Yoshino odds and wagers here.