By Chris Williams: Shakur Stevenson got here out weapons blazing on Thursday evening in reacting to Teofimo Lopez telling the media that Vasily Lomachenko would beat Shakur together with Devin Haney and Gervonta’ Tank’ Davis.
Teofimo didn’t imply to downgrade newly topped WBO tremendous featherweight champion Stevenson (17-0, 9 KOs) by saying the extra skilled and achieved two-time Olympic gold medalist and former three-division world champion Lomachenko would beat him.
Teo believes that the fledgling Shakur nonetheless has a LONG strategy to go earlier than he’s able to hanging with a expertise like Lomachenko, and he’s nonetheless combating in a fashion that wouldn’t lead to a victory in opposition to the Ukrainian.
Shakur denies Lomachenko beats him
“Boy, you or Loma can’t fw me @TeofimoLopez. Don’t put me in no convo you understand ain’t nun Fraud about me mf,” mentioned Shakur Stevenson on Twitter in racing to Teofimo saying Lomachenko beats him.
Particularly, Teofimo talked about that Stevenson, 24, remains to be utilizing the spoiling amateurish pull-back type of combating, and he’s not displaying the willingness to remain within the pocket and battle. Teofimo states that even Floyd Mayweather Jr stayed within the pocket, each early and late in his profession, to combine it up along with his opponents, and that’s what made Mayweather nice.
When Mayweather was the identical age as Stevenson twenty years in the past, he stayed within the pocket to defeat Diego Corrales, Jesus Chavez, and Jose Luis Castillo.
Mayweather wasn’t utilizing the pull-back type nonstop the way in which we’ve seen with Shakur Stevenson his whole professional profession. Floyd was prepared to place his chin on the road to entertain the boxing public, which we haven’t seen from Shakur along with his safety-first pull-back type of combating.
For Shakur to have any likelihood in opposition to a expertise like Lomachenko, he would wish to remain within the pocket and battle him fairly than hitting and instantly pulling again.
That ugly hit & run spoiling type wouldn’t work for Stevenson in opposition to Lomachenko, and it would lead to him getting knocked out.
That’s extra of an beginner type that Shakur is utilizing, and Lomachenko is well-versed in choosing that technique of combating aside. Loma has seen that type 1,000,000 instances within the amateurs, and it might be too straightforward for him to defeat.
Teofimo says Lomachenko beats Shakur
“Lomachenko would beat Shakur,” mentioned Teofimo on Thursday. “You bought to stay extra there fairly than [Stevenson using his pull-back style],” mentioned Teofimo in declaring Shakur’s unhealthy behavior of hitting and instantly pulling again to keep away from getting hit again.
“You’ll be able to’t [fight like that]. Fairly Boy even did it [stood and fought]. Fairly Boy needed to go in and dig in generally, and generally he obtained buckled, however he nonetheless fought,” mentioned Teofimo.
Shakur shouldn’t take what Teofimo is saying about him as an insult. If Stevenson is prepared to take a look at himself within the mirror, he’ll understand that Teofimo is making an attempt to assist him.
Teo is saying what the boxing public is about his boring pull-back type of combating and his complete unwillingness to remain within the pocket the way in which he must grow to be a star.
At this level, it’s solely evident that Lomachenko would decide Stevenson aside and smash him, which is probably going the only real motive Prime Rank isn’t making an attempt to place them in with one another.
In the event that they thought Shakur may beat Lomachenko, they seemingly can be pushing for that battle subsequent fairly than speaking about desirous to match the not too long ago knocked out Miquel Berchelt in opposition to Stevenson.
It’s unlikely that Shakur will ever change the way in which he fights as a result of he doesn’t have the willingness to remain within the pocket and danger getting hit laborious by his opponents.
I imply, Stevenson stayed within the pocket quite a lot of the time in his final battle in opposition to 35-year-old Jamel Herring, however that man isn’t a puncher, and he seems nearer to 40 than he does his chronological age.
We noticed Shakur’s response when he did battle a man with energy final June when he fought timidly in opposition to Jeremia Nakathilia and was booed by the followers throughout and after the battle.
