By Elliot Worsell
TWO things we know. We know, one, that Shakur Stevenson is an aesthete, both brilliant and annoying, and we know, two, that his days with Top Rank, his current promoter, are numbered because he’s, well, an aesthete.
In boxing, you see, winning – and keeping winning – is often not enough. For promoters, at least, how a fighter wins is what matters most, not just that they win. Moreover, for fans, whose interests ultimately determine those of a promoter, it is imperative that a fighter does more than just win, no matter what the entertainment cost.
For Stevenson, a 27-year-old from Newark, New Jersey, there has long been a desire, both from promoters and fans, for him to provide a little entertainment along with his perfection. That those two things, entertainment and perfection, rarely coexist in a sport like boxing has nothing to do with the demands of the audience and those who pay him, it seems.
That’s why this Saturday (July 6), he will be expected to not only win against Artem Harutyunyan again, but win in a way that will appease anyone who has criticized the way he has won his previous fights. That is, with ease, dominance and very little effort (in fact).
Shakur Stevenson shows off his power en route to defeating Edwin De Los Santos in Las Vegas (Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)
Of course, it’s Stevenson’s prerogative to win fights. Keep winning and he’ll keep his WBC lightweight title and he’ll also keep making money and putting himself in position to fight names who might, who knows, take him to the next level in terms of status and marketability. This happened to Floyd Mayweather, another divisive boxer who didn’t win fights the “right way,” long before Stevenson came along. Indeed, for Mayweather it was Actually What made things work, taking him from “Pretty Boy” to “Money”, was the influence of opponents like Arturo Gatti and Oscar De La Hoya, both of whom were ideal opponents for a fighter who was always looking to win rather than entertain.
For Stevenson, 21-0 (10), something similar could happen in the future. After all, he is surrounded by big-name fighters, including the likes of Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia. Any one of that trio could be Stevenson’s dance partner, and what’s more, there’s every chance that the threat they pose will be enough to bring out the best in Stevenson and prove to everyone that he’s a champion worth investing in.
There is a sense that there are still some undecided people on that front. Even his promoters, Top Rank, seem to be mulling over the prospect of retaining Stevenson after his next fight (the final fight on his current contract with them). If they don’t, Stevenson will automatically become a free agent, at which point there will be plenty of suitors and the opportunity for him to find a home elsewhere.
This seems like the most likely scenario at this point. In fact, Stevenson has stated that Top Rank essentially told him to “go see the market” before coming back to them, implying that potential suitors would have the same reservations about Stevenson’s box office appeal as Top Rank.
That may be true, but it’s clear, whether true or not, that Stevenson’s relationship with Top Rank is broken, damaged. Ever since they gave George Kambosos a title fight with Vasiliy Lomachenko (which Stevenson campaigned for so hard), Stevenson has clearly felt slighted, overlooked, and unappreciated by them. He’s now accepted that there was nothing he could do about that particular situation, but he’ll also know that he’s in complete control of his own reputation and appeal to the fans. That’s why a fight like this next one against Artem Harutyunyan is so important, both for the present (holding the title) and for the future (winning lucrative opportunities). Beating Harutyunyan on Saturday night is important, yes, but it’s not enough. That wasn’t enough given the nature of the match—which no one wanted—and it wasn’t enough because Shakur Stevenson, now more than ever, was performing in store windows, begging passersby to stand still long enough to properly appreciate what he was selling.
