WBC champion Shakur Stevenson’s lower attendance at the Prudential Center is due to an alternative count method.
That’s according to respected boxing writer Keith Idec, who announced the official figures but was among those reporters who faced opposition from Stevenson via social media.
“I wonder how much they paid them to leave at the same exact time so ESPN could show it on camera,” said the former Top Rank star. “The higher powers [Top Rank] sent fake reporters who write fake news for them to cap to social media about the attendance, Whatever they can to try and down me!
“Fake numbers. When the higher powers are against you, they’ve got to try their best to put you down.”
At the time, Idec announced the official figures during the aftermath. He said, “The official attendance tonight at Prudential Center is 8.412. It was a smaller crowd than Shakur Stevenson’s last two appearances in his hometown of Newark, but a respectable figure for a holiday weekend and a low-profile opponent.”
Idec added, “The live gate for the Shakur Stevenson vs Artem Harutyunyan card on July 6th at Prudential Center in Newark was $905K, according to what Top Rank reported to New Jersey’s State Athletic Control Board. The announced attendance was 8,412, which includes all tickets sold and comped.”
In response to fans backing Stevenson, Idec stated, “I’m not criticizing Shakur. You can count on one hand American boxers capable of drawing between 8,000 and 10,000 fans regularly to a venue. But tickets weren’t sold for the top tier of Prudential Center. It was not sold out top to bottom. I was there, too.”
World Boxing News then contacted the Prudential Center for clarification but faced a brick wall in return. The Prudential Center’s Guest Services Manager relayed to WBN that they cannot confirm that kind of information to the public.
Idec has since stated that the figure was lower because the counting method did not include previously counted attendees.
“Announced attendance for the two prior cards Stevenson headlined in Newark, wins against Conceicao [10,107] and Yoshino [10,408]. Per Prudential Center’s policy, they included all in attendance [employees, media, etc.]. The Harutyunyan figure only included tickets sold and comped,” he explained.
Stevenson was correct in complaining about the numbers, which should have been higher based on the counting method for his previous bouts.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
