Shakur Stevenson doesn’t see anything special about Shuichiro Yoshino.

The undefeated two-division champion recognizes that Yoshino can punch and will provide pressure during their 12-round lightweight fight Saturday night. Beyond that, though, the intelligent, highly skilled southpaw expects to handle the Tokyo resident in a manner similar to how he beat Brazil’s Robson Conceicao in his last fight when he faces Yoshino in their WBC elimination match at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, Stevenson’s hometown.

“With these dudes, I don’t watch a full fight,” Stevenson told krikya360.com. “I’ll watch two, maybe three rounds, and see everything that I needed to see. He’s a pressure fighter. He’s strong. He look like he gonna throw a lotta punches. But he’s basic to me. He’s a basic fighter. I’ve just gotta come in there, be in the best shape as possible, and it’s gonna take care of itself.”

The Stevenson-Yoshino winner will become the WBC’s mandatory challenger for Devin Haney or Vasiliy Lomachenko, who will meet May 20 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas for Haney’s IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO 135-pound championships. Stevenson (19-0, 9 KOs) is ranked third among the WBC’s lightweight contenders, one spot atop the fourth-rated Yoshino (16-0, 12 KOs).

Stevenson will make his debut at the lightweight limit of 135 pounds against Yoshino, who has competed as a lightweight for almost all of his six-year pro career. The 25-year-old Stevenson moved up to the lightweight division after his last bout because he came in 1½ pounds overweight the day before he beat Conceicao (17-2, 8 KOs) by unanimous decision and was stripped of his WBC and WBO 130-pound championships.

“You know what’s crazy?,” Stevenson said. “My weight is better than it’s ever been. There’s 126-pounders that’s way bigger than me right now. It’s people that’s in camp that’s 126 and they’re bigger than me. … This is my weight class for a long time. I’m not moving up to 140 anytime soon.”

Yoshino, 31, has beaten proven opposition, both Japanese contenders, in each of his last two fights.

He recorded a sixth-round knockout of Masayoshi Nakatani in his last bout, which occurred November 1 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Nakatani (20-3, 14 KOs) had only previously lost to former lightweight champs Teofimo Lopez (18-1, 13 KOs), who won their 12-rounder unanimously on points, and Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs), who stopped Nakatani in the ninth round.

Yoshino defeated former WBO junior lightweight champ Masayuki Ito (27-4-1, 15 KOs) by technical decision in his prior appearance. Ito’s cut caused a premature stoppage in the 11th round, when Yoshino was ahead on all three scorecards (107-102, 107-102, 106-103) last April 9 at Saitama Super Arena.

Stevenson-Yoshino will be the main event of ESPN’s three-bout broadcast on Saturday night (10 p.m. ET; 7 p.m. PT).

Undefeated heavyweight Jared Anderson (13-0, 13 KOs), of Toledo, Ohio, is scheduled to box unbeaten Bronx resident George Arias (21-0, 7 KOs) in the 10-round co-feature. The telecast is set to start with lightweight Keyshawn Davis (7-0, 5 KOs), of Norfolk, Virginia, who will oppose Swedish southpaw Anthony Yigit (26-2-1, 10 KOs) in a 10-rounder.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for krikya360.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.