By: Sean Crose
It must be very lonely to be Shakur Stevenson. The undefeated twoweight division is hoping to win the WBC lightweight title, which is currently held, along with all other lightweight titles, by a Devan Haney. First, however, Stevenson faced an obligatory candidate. The thing is, no opponent wants to fight him at the moment. At least that is the case with Isaac Cruz, William Zepeda and now former football player George Kambosos. Those three highly regarded boxers have, for whatever reason, decided they don’t want to share the ring with Stevenson early next year.
It’s all reminiscent of Herman Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener,” a popular 19th-century short story in which the protagonist of the same name responds to requests with the insane “I don’t want to.” However, Bartleby was at least in deep trouble. The opponents Stevenson wanted to face were much more realistic in their thinking. With that said, Stevenson understood Kambosos, who had just come through a tough battle (second straight loss to Haney). “Respect the champion,” he tweeted of the Australian boxer. “I understand it’s only the 3rd time I’ve been rejected and I haven’t played a match at 135 but understandably you’ve had a lot of rest and when you’re ready I’ll be here waiting.”
Honestly, Stevenson has reason to be disappointed. While Cruz and Zepeda may indeed have a good reason not to go head to head with him at the moment, given that he himself agrees with Kambosos, it’s ironic that a boxer of Stevenson’s lineage wouldn’t. be pitted against a high-level opponent. A 19-0 win over Stevenson would be a career performance for any boxer. With that in mind, there are certainly easier paths to the title than having to overcome one of the most overrated boxers on the planet. This is something Stevenson is acutely aware of when looking for a new competitor.
With that said, it doesn’t look like Japan’s Shuichiro Yoshino that is widely known could be Stevenson’s next ring challenge. He may not be a household name, but Yoshino 16-0 possesses an undefeated record and has won all but four of his matches in the distance. If he was willing to accept the challenge of fighting Stevenson, the rewards could be great…though the risks could be even greater. Either way, it will be the opportunity of a lifetime for the WBC’s sixth-ranked lightweight contender.
