Sources: Shakur Stevenson finalizing fight with Artem Harutyunyan

Shakur Stevenson and Artem Harutyunyan are finalizing a deal for a July 6 fight in Newark, New Jersey, for Stevenson's WBC lightweight title, sources tell ESPN.

The fight will mark the final bout of Stevenson's promotional deal with Top Rank before he enters free agency. He made his professional debut with Top Rank a year after winning a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics.

Stevenson, ESPN's No. 9 pound-for-pound boxer, won the vacant WBC lightweight title in November when he outpointed Edwin De Los Santos, but the performance hurt his stock. The pair combined to land 40 punches in total, a CompuBox record for fewest connections in a 12-round fight. There was not a single round where either boxer landed double-digit shots.

Fans headed for the exits before the fight ended.

Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs) then injured his hand. After briefly declaring that he was retired, he vowed to punish his next opponent.

That opponent is Harutyunyan, a 33-year-old Armenian who fights in Hamburg, Germany. Harutyunyan (12-1, 7 KOs) will enter the ring after a one-year layoff. His last fight was in July, a unanimous decision loss to Frank Martin in Las Vegas.

The PBC main event on Showtime was Harutyunyan's first fight outside of Germany. Harutyunyan performed well in his first fight at the world level. If he had won the final round, the fight would have been declared a draw. Instead, he was dropped by Martin in round 12.

Martin, ESPN's No. 7 lightweight, will fight star boxer Gervonta Davis in June.

Stevenson is ESPN's No. 3 boxer at 135 pounds. The 26-year-old southpaw is one of the most talented fighters in the sport and will fight in his native Newark for the fourth time. A former champion at 126 and 130 pounds, Stevenson hasn't lost many rounds in his career, but he's still looking for the kind of marquee fight that fits his skill level.