Shakur Stevenson vs Artem Harutyunyan Odds, Pick & Prediction: KO Bet for ESPN Boxing (Saturday, July 6)

Shakur Stevenson vs Artem Harutyunyan Odds

Here's everything you need to know about the Shakur Stevenson vs Artem Harutyunyan odds for Saturday, July 6.

Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs), the polarizing lightweight champion of the world, is one of the most scrutinized athletes in the sport.

And coming off his dud fight with Edwin De Los Santos in November, he has to know that he needs a big performance.

Outclassing and outpointing Artem Harutyunyan (12-1, 7 KOs) might not be enough. And I think he's hyper-aware of that, even if he won't admit it.

Here's my Stevenson vs. Harutyunyan pick and prediction for Saturday.

Stevenson vs. Harutyunyan Breakdown & Analysis

Stevenson has every advantage, though power might be debatable. Even then, Harutyunyan isn't a big puncher either.

Harutyunyan is crafty. He's kinda slow-footed with slight pop, but he's technically solid and can hit you from weird angles. He often wound up from what felt like out of his range and sliced up Frank Martin in their bout a year ago. That bout, by the way, was a unanimous decision for Martin but a very close fight.

Showtime had Harutyunyan up three points before Round 12. He got dropped, so even with a 10-8 round, won by one on their card. To me, I'd essentially agree. Harutyunyan probably should've won that fight. Martin was ultra-conservative and thrown off his rhythm by Harutyunyan. Stevenson has to avoid those same mistakes.

Height and reach are roughly the same – Stevenson might have a one-inch edge at most. Stevenson is 5-foot-8 with a 68-inch reach and is a southpaw who will look to thwart away Harutyunyan's most effective punch against Martin: the right hook to the body.

As mentioned in previous previews, Stevenson is an expert counter-puncher, who himself can be super conservative and not take chances. But he's capable of stoppage power, as demonstrated in his lightweight debut against Shuichiro Yoshino in April 2023 in what became a sixth-round stoppage.

Stevenson vs. Harutyunyan Prediction & Pick

On Tuesday, Stevenson was -105 to win on points and -105 by stoppage. By Wednesday, Stevenson moved to -135 by stoppage and +110 by decision. By Friday morning? Stevenson was -145 by stoppage and +130 by points.

For Stevenson fights, you just want to take him on points and keep it moving, and generally, you're fine.

However, given what I said at the top, I've had reservations.

Harutyunyan fights a style that Stevenson will be able to take advantage of. He moves around and gives angles, but he's slow and doesn't have the power of De Los Santos, whom Stevenson evidently respected.

Stevenson could actually pick apart Harutyunyan and get a late stoppage, and it's something I've been thinking about all week.

I can't shake the thought that Stevenson knows he needs a statement performance. Sneakily, this is the last fight on his deal with Top Rank. You want to go into free agency having had your best performance – or close to.

I think of this as a contract year, and I want value – something juicy – this weekend, so I'm taking a chance here and avoiding the seemingly smarter and more likely pick of Stevenson on points.

Give me Stevenson by late stoppage between Rounds 9-12 at +280 on FanDuel.

It's taking a shot, but a sensible one.

Enjoy the fight, and don't go broke.

The Pick: Shakur Stevenson in Rounds 9-12 (+280 at FanDuel)