Shakur Stevenson says people don’t like to watch his fights because he “dominate” his opponents, and he does not like to see these types of contests. WBC lightweight champion Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) feels that’s why fans hate to watch; it makes their fight so one-sided.
Build a Global Star
He signed with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom last summer and will debut with his company against Floyd Schofield on February 22 in Riyadh. Hearn thinks he can turn Stevenson into a global superstar. However, this is how the British promoter is when he signs someone.
We saw the same from Hearn when he inked Jaron Ennis, Richardson Hitchins and Demetrius Andrade. None of those fighters became stars, and Hearn seems to lose his enthusiasm quickly when they fail to become the superstars he hoped for.
We’ll likely see this soon when Shakur misbehaves next month against Schofield. Hearn will stop mentioning Shakur’s name, and will be invisible.
Shakur, 27 years old, has not forgotten why he was not liked. He doesn’t commit, he can’t stay in the pocket, and he fights scared when he faces opponents with power.
The only guys Stevenson dominates are slow, old fighters with marginal talent and no power. He usually drowns in his fights and lacks the popularity or fighting style to get the big names to fight him.
Fan perceptions
“They’re not just going to watch the knockout. They’re going to take the knockout if it comes. They’re going to enjoy it, but they also like to see the science, and I appreciate them for that as well,” Shakur Stevenson told talkSport Boxing about British fans.
“I’m getting more comfortable with it (being labeled ‘bored’). You understand that every night, there will be no war. A style like mine and a man like me, I am very dominant. I just went in and dominated. People don’t like to see someone come in and dominate.
“I’m kind of used to being the hungry young lion. Now, I’ve got another hungry young lion who’s younger than me. I definitely don’t think he’s hungrier than me,” Shakur said about Floyd Schofield of 22 years who fights on February 22.
Shakur, a native of Newark, New Jersey, will need to start getting used to being the older fighter as he is approaching 30. It won’t be long before he is one of boxing’s elder statesmen. and will have a target. his back For fighters who rely on their mobility and reflexes, they don’t last long in the sport.
Career path
“I’m trying to get the big names. I’m trying to get the William Zepedas. I’m trying to get the Vasily Lomachenkos. If I can’t get these guys, I’m going to get the guys who are next in line. This is a guy who called the my phone all the time,” Shakur said.
Stevenson would have no difficulty in getting the great names he mentioned if he were not such a runner, afraid to commit, and get whistled out of the arenas. Fighters like Lomachenko, Zepeda and Gervonta Davis don’t want to have to chase a runner around the ring while being booed by fans. They would not drown.
It would be Shakur, and it would be a cup of poison for the people watching. You can’t blame the main fighters for not wanting anything to do with Stevenson because he doesn’t come to fight.
Hesitant to Move Up
“After we passed him (Schofield), I would say, Zepeda and Gervonta Davis,” said Shakur about who he wants to fight in the rest of the year in 2025 after defending against Kid Austin. “I’m very comfortable at 135 lbs. We’ll see after I conquer the division,” Stevenson said when asked if he’ll move up in weight like Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Shakur isn’t about to move up to 147 to get killers in that division because he can’t punch at 135, and he’s already shown that he’s scared to death when he fights guys with power.
Although there aren’t many sluggers at the top of the welterweight division today, fighters like Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, Eimantas Stanionis and Brian Norman Jr. they feast on a weak, shy and finesse fighter like Shakur. I couldn’t run fast enough to stop myself from reaching him. They brought in Stevenson, hunted him down and destroyed him in that order.
