By: Sean Crose
He may have slipped in his final bout, but now Shakur Stevenson has moved from super featherweight to lightweight to take on Shuichiro Yoshino this Saturday night in Stevenson’s hometown of Newark, New Jersey . While no one knows how the bout will play out (some of us still remember watching Mike Tyson lose to Buster Douglas live), undefeated Stevenson is expected to win easily this weekend. Afterward? Provided that Stevenson wins against Yoshino, he will officially become a force in one of the hottest divisions in the whole of boxing.
Twenty-five-year-old Stevenson should have just entered his prime. The question now is how will he be fair against a larger opponent? After all, even the greatest warriors have managed to cross a bridge too far. However, Stevenson showed remarkable ability throughout his 19-0 undefeated career. In addition to receiving numerous amateur awards, Steven has won world titles in multiple weight classes. However, this man is looking for a fresh start in lightweight, the area he wants to conquer, just as he has conquered the featherweight and super featherweight classes.
“It’s like a reboot,” the fighter said to New York Post Office about his transition to light weight. “It’s weird, because when you’re the champion, they respect you on a whole different level. When I was the champion down there, I played on the pound and all this. You haven’t heard my name anymore lately, just because I don’t have a belt anymore and I’ve moved to a new department.
Stevenson admits that it upsets him that he is no longer considered one of the best in the business. “I look at it,” he said, “I’m not too angry about it, I really don’t care. Actually, no, I’m lying. I care. I care, and because I care, I have to wake them up. I have to make them remember who I am. Now at 135, I have to open their eyes a little bit more and make sure they really respect my name.” With names like Vasyl Lomachenko, Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney likely to appear, Stevenson may struggle to earn that respect.
One thing that Stevenson is quite pleased with is fighting in his hometown this weekend. “I think the most special thing about Newark about me is that I represent my city the way I do,” Stevenson said. “If you were from Newark, you would represent Newark. … I put my city on my back. I represent us no matter where I go.”
Stevenson-Yoshino will be broadcast live from the Prudential Center on ESPN starting at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday night.
