Is it over?
Sorry. I fell asleep sometime in the middle of the Shakur Stevenson-Edwin De Los Santos “fight” on Thursday night in Las Vegas. I suspect I wasn’t the only one who dozed off. A total of 105 punches landed – an average of less than 10 per round – would send even a hardcore boxing fan into slumber.
And that’s not good news for Stevenson.
The new 135-pound titleholder, as gifted as anyone in the world, has designs on becoming the face of boxing. His performance against De Los Santos was a step in the opposite direction.
It was exactly what Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs) said it was: “A bad performance.”
Stevenson did enough to win a unanimous decision and a vacant belt but his unwillingness to take significant risks against the hard-punching De Los Santos (16-2, 14 KOs) in the process undoubtedly turned off fans around the globe.
The lack of action in the fight certainly disappointed the spectators at T-Mobile Arena, who booed with more passion than the boxers fought.
How damaging to Stevenson’s reputation was the performance?
Well, let’s not overreact. There might’ve been a reason for Stevenson’s reticence beyond his typical hit-and-not-be-hit style. Some have speculated that the southpaw had a problem with left hand (or perhaps his arm or shoulder).
That could at least partly explain the fact he threw only 54 power punches, connecting on a mere 19.
Stevenson was asked immediately after the fight whether he fought with an injury but wouldn’t provide a direct answer, instead only implying that there might’ve been a problem.
“I don’t got nothing to say about that. I don’t make excuses. It happens. We go through a lot as fighters,” said Stevenson, whose instincts to take responsibility for his subpar performance should be applauded.
Maybe Stevenson did have an injury. And maybe he’ll revert to the fighter who showed signs of being more aggressive in his previous few fights, which undoubtedly was the result of those who openly have questioned his punching power.
However, at the moment, one of the worst title fights in recent memory remains at the forefront of our minds.
Having your hand raised is the primary objective in boxing, as Stevenson suggested when he said in the ring, “That’s all I wanted to do.” And victories can pay big dividends. Good paydays, major titles and recognition of your ability come with success.
Winning isn’t enough, though, at least if you hope to become iconic. Fans want to be entertained, not anesthetized. And there was nothing entertaining about Stevenson’s performance against De Los Santos unless his elusiveness was enough to satisfy you.
Floyd Mayweather was a safety-first fighter in the latter part of his career but he scored many knockouts as he built his fanbase in his formative years and was a master self-marketer, which captured the imagination of fans.
It’s safe to say there will never be another Floyd Mayweather, meaning it’s unfair to expect Stevenson to aspire to that.
Andre Ward, another sublime boxer, had neither the entertaining style nor the ability to sell himself. As a result, he was a generational talent that didn’t resonate with fans. This could be Stevenson’s fate if he doesn’t take more risks in the ring.
That doesn’t mean Stevenson should suddenly become an aggressive, knockout-oriented fighter who walks down his foes. That approach wouldn’t play to his strengths, particularly his uncanny ability to avoid taking clean punches.
It does mean that he might want to take just enough risks to break down opponents and then find his killer instinct to take them out if the opportunities are there. Perhaps he could watch more videos of Terence Crawford, a talented technician with a seek-and-destroy mentality.
Yes, Crawford takes more punches than Stevenson does but that’s acceptable if you consider the results: “Bud” probably hasn’t heard a single boo in his career.
I won’t be surprised if Stevenson becomes the fighter and attraction he wants to be. Everyone agrees that the skillset is there. And while he’ll never be a one-punch knockout artist, I believe he’ll learn from his experience on Thursday and grow.
He could make subtle, measured changes that will allow him to become a more entertaining fighter, remain the boxing wizard he has become and continue to do what he has always done, which is to win fights.
If he does that, he could silence those boos forever and become a legend.
