David Stevens drops, stops Sean Hemphill in final seconds of ShoBox main event

David Stevens said that it was important to show that he is a main event fighter. For the boxing fans in attendance or watching live on SHOBOX: The New Generation, Stevens delivered on Friday night at The Wind Creek Casino in Bethlehem, PA.

Stevens, of nearby Reading, PA faced fellow undefeated super middleweight Sean Hemphill from New Orleans, LA in a fight that was originally set to take place in October 2022.  That fight was cancelled due to a fight week injury that forced Hemphill out of action.  I’m certain that when the final bell rang, the furthest thing from Stevens’ mind was that he had to wait three months for the result.

One look at the fighters facing off at Thursday’s weigh-in and any boxing novice could tell you what you are likely to expect, style and strategy-wise.  The 6’1” Hemphill was going to need to use his length and movement to outbox Stevens.   At 5’11”, Stevens would need to figure out how to get inside so he could slow down and eventually stop Hemphill.

From the opening bell, each fighter followed their respective game plans.  Despite the action taking place in ring that one may politely describe as smallish.  Hemphill was able to use his legs while attempting to keep Stevens at the end of his jab.  Stevens showed that he had worked on various ways to close the distance and impose his will.  He’d use head movement to come in low and then follow that up by following his own jab to get inside.

The first quarter of the fight basically came down to which style one preferred. The scorecards of the ShoBox team of Barry Tompkins, Raul Marquez, and Brian Campbell varied, but the official scorecards of Adam Friscia, Dewey LaRosa and Steve Weisfeld all had Stevens ahead 20-18. I agreed with the official scorecards.  While Hemphill was busy with his jab, he was throwing it while on the move.  It was more of a “show me” jab thrown to slow down Stevens rather than to deter him from coming forward.

Stevens clearly grabbed the momentum with his overhand right that stunned Hemphill early in round three.  Stevens seemed to be the better student of the two, as he was slowly anticipating Hemphill’s movement and thus landing his right hand more frequently.

Had Hemphill not chosen prize fighting as a career, one would have to guess that he would be very successful at one of the tables in the adjoining casino. His facial expression never changed.  I, for one, couldn’t figure out if he felt he was following his game plan or becoming frustrated from the ever-present Stevens in his chest.

Almost as if Hemphill thought he was in the middle of a 10-round fight, he began sitting down on his punches and finding success ripping shots to Stevens’ body. The only problem for Hemphill was that the bout was only scheduled for 8 rounds.

The seventh round could have been fought in a phone booth. Both fighters were battling toe-to-toe determined to leave nothing to chance.  Each fighter gave as well as he took, but the steam seemed to be clearly coming off of Stevens’ punches.  This was the first time in his career he fought past six rounds, and he was trading with a game opponent that seemed to be the fresher of the two.

Prior to the final round trainer, Buddy McGirt instructed Hemphill to win the final round by boxing. He urged him to not go for a knockout, but rather to win the round by outboxing Stevens.

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n the red corner, Ronnie Shields emphatically pleaded with Stevens the he needed the round and repeated that he could do so by landing his uppercut.

Stevens began the final stanza by throwing punches with bad intentions.  Hemphill met him in the trenches and tried to build on the success he found by targeting Stevens’ body. They fought on even terms until a Stevens uppercut landed that clearly rattled Hemphill. Stevens forced Hemphill to the ropes in his corner where he unleashed a four-punch combination that hurt and sent Hemphill to the canvas and nearly under the bottom rope. 

Referee Shawn Clark initially did a good job giving Hemphill the opportunity to beat the count.  He rose on unsteady legs at the count of 9. Clark again correctly asked him to walk to his left, rather than straight forward.  Hemphill needed the ropes to guide him as he made those steps, yet for some reason, Clark allowed the action to continue. With only seconds remaining, Stevens only had time to throw three more punches.  The last one was a left hook that sent Hemphill down for the final time, and the fight was waved off with only 2 seconds remaining.

Stevens (12-0, 9 KO) was declared the winner by TKO, while the game Hemphill suffered his first defeat (14-1, 8 KO)

Both fighters should be lauded for not only taking the fight but by daring to be great until the final bell.

Stevens was the better man on this evening, and he rightfully deserves an even bigger fight his next time out.  

Hopefully his team continues to match him up against opponents realizing that he is only 22 years old, and this was his first time fighting beyond six rounds.  Hemphill should build from this experience, and do everything he can to stay as busy as possible for the rest of 2023.  His skills will travel well against any opponent and hopefully, this set back will inspire and not derail his future.

Jason Pribila is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He could be reached for questions or comments at pribs2000@gmail.com or followed on twitter @PribsBoxing