Stevenson beats Conceicao, junior lightweight belts stay vacant

Hometown hero Shakur Stevenson bested Robson Conceicao at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, via unanimous decision on Friday.

The judge's scorecards had Stevenson winning handily, with two scoring the bout 117-109 and the third with an even more resounding 118-108 tally.

Stevenson was hit with a point deduction in the ninth round of the 12-round title fight for throwing his opponent to the floor.

The WBC, WBO, and Ring Magazine junior lightweight titles will remain vacant as a result of Stevenson's victory. The 25-year-old was stripped of those belts for weighing in at 131.6 pounds on Thursday - 1.6 over the limit.

Stevenson improves to 19-0 with nine knockouts for his career after the scrappy victory.

Conceicao (17-2) was eligible to win the junior lightweight belts for making weight. It was the 33-year-old's second attempt to become the champ after losing via unanimous decision to Oscar Valdez in 2021, his only other career defeat.