Shakur Stevenson says people don’t like watching his fights because “you rule” his opponents, and they don’t like to see those kinds of contests. WBC lightweight champion Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) sees why fans hate watching him; he made his fight one-sided.
What’s interesting is how resistant Shakur is to change. He is not willing to change his style to please the fans and get the fights he wants. Stevenson will be doing himself a world of good if he looks vulnerable against Floyd Schofield and fell twice or three times in their fight on February 22nd. That’s all it would take to find other fighters to face him.
Changes Shakur Needs
– Stay in the pocket
– Throw more punches
– Focus on energy
– Stop running
Building a Global Star
He signed with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom last summer and will make his debut for his company against Floyd Schofield on February 22 in Riyadh. Hearn thinks he can turn Stevenson into a global star. However, the British promoter is like that when he signs anyone.
We saw the same with Hearn when he drafted Jaron Ennis, Richardson Hitchins and Demetrius Andrade. None of those fighters have become superstars, and Hearn seems to lose interest quickly when he fails to become the stars he expected.
We’ll see that soon when Shakur doesn’t perform well next month against Schofield. Hearn will stop mentioning Shakur’s name, and will be out of sight.
Shakur, 27, does not know why he is not popular. He doesn’t engage, he can’t stay in the pocket, and he fights nervously against strong opponents.
The only guys Stevenson dominates are slower, older fighters with marginal talent and strength. He is always underwhelmed in his fights and doesn’t have the prestige or fighting style to get big names to fight him.
Fan opinions
“They don’t just watch it to watch the finale. They will take the knockout when it comes. They will like it, but they like to see the science, and I appreciate that,” said Shakur Stevenson speaking to Sport Boxing about the British fans.
“I’m getting comfortable with it [being labeled ‘boring]. You have to realize that every night, it will not be a war. A style like mine and a guy like me, I’m very dominant. I just come in and dominate. People don’t like to see someone come into power.
“I’m used to being a young, hungry lion. Now, I have another little lion, hungry and smaller than me. “I definitely don’t think he’s hungrier than me,” Shakur said of the 22-year-old Floyd Schofield who he will fight on February 22.
Shakur, who hails from Newark, New Jersey, will have to start adjusting to being an older boxer because he is already in his early 30s. his back. For fighters who rely on movement and reflexes, they don’t last long in the game.
Career Path
“I’m trying to find big names. I am trying to find William Zepedas. I’m trying to find Vasily Lomachenkos. If I can’t get these guys, I have to get the next guys in line. This is the guy who has been calling my phone,” Shakur said.
Stevenson wouldn’t have had a problem finding the big names he mentioned if he wasn’t such a runner, afraid to get involved, and get out of the stadiums. Fighters like Lomachenko, Zepeda, and Gervonta Davis don’t want to chase a runner around the ring while being attracted by fans. They would not be scolded.
It would be Shakur, and it would be a cup of poison for the people watching. You can’t blame the top players for not wanting anything about Stevenson because he’s not coming to fight.
Reluctance to Go Up
“After we passed him [Schofield]I would say, Zepeda and Gervonta Davis,” Shakur said about who he wants to fight at the end of 2025 after defending against Kid Austin. “I’m very comfortable at 135 lbs. We will see when I win this division,” said Stevenson when asked if he will increase in weight like Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Shakur isn’t about to move up to 147 to face the killers in that division because he can’t hit 135, and he’s shown that he’s deadly nervous against stronger guys.
While 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’re going to feast on a weak, shy, classy fighter like Shakur. He couldn’t run fast enough to avoid her. They were going to bring Stevenson in, hunt him down, and destroy him in that order.
Source link
