By Jeff Aronow: Shakur Stevenson (17-0,9 KOs) says he desires to remain at tremendous featherweight lengthy sufficient to seize three titles to dominate the division earlier than transferring as much as light-weight quickly.
Stevenson received the WBO tremendous featherweight title final Saturday night time with a tenth spherical knockout win over champion Jamel Herring on the State Farm Enviornment in Atlanta. The struggle was proven on ESPN and ESPN+.
Instantly after the struggle, Shakur, 24, referred to as out WBC 130-lb champion Oscar Valdez for a unification.
It’s unclear why Stevenson referred to as out Valdez (30-0, 23 KOs) as a result of it was clear earlier than the struggle that Oscar could be taking over Emanuel Navarrete subsequent.
Shakur must be utilizing his title higher by placing his vitality into preventing guys which might be accessible to struggle him, and his greatest probability of that occuring is for him to go as much as 135.
The magic query is, why isn’t Shakur keen to maneuver as much as 135? The featherweight division is useless compared.
STEVENSON TO MOVE TO 135 SOON
“Most positively. I really feel prefer it’s obtained to occur as a result of I really feel like we as boxers must struggle the perfect boxers, and Oscar Valdez is without doubt one of the greatest boxers in my division, and I’m among the finest fighters within the division,” stated Shakur Stevenson to Jalen & Jacoby.
“Nah, we’re not going to maneuver as much as 135 simply but,” stated Stevenson when requested if he’d be fascinated about transferring as much as light-weight. “I need to win a number of belts at 130 and dominate the division.
“And I need to be the person at 130. I obtained to win greater than this one belt that I obtained to do this. We’re going to get there. We’re not too removed from going to 135, and I can’t wait to get there too.
“I need to be a family title and get extra identified within the sport of boxing, and I obtained to maintain placing on exhibits like that to do it,” stated Shakur.
The transfer to 135 might be prior to Stevenson thinks if he fights himself shut out by the opposite champions at 130. It’s already clear that Stevenson WON’T be getting a unification match with WBC tremendous featherweight champion Oscar Valdez.
Except High Rank throws a bunch of cash at WBA 130-lb champion Roger Gutierrez, he seemingly received’t need to struggle Stevenson both.
With Valdez and Gutierrez probably off the desk for Shakur to struggle, the one belt left is the vacant IBF 130-lb title.
Stevenson will seemingly must try to arrange a struggle with #1 IBF Shavkat Rakhimov if he desires to get his palms on that tile sooner or later.
In the event you take a look at it logically, Stevenson is losing his time by staying at 130, and he ought to transfer as much as 135 proper now as a result of he can nearly instantly begin getting large fights.
It’s a much better use of Stevenson’s time if he strikes as much as light-weight proper now and goes after the titles towards Devin Haney, Teofimo Lopez, and Gervonta Davis.
SHAKUR WANTS OSCAR VALDEZ NEXT
“I really feel prefer it must occur, and I really feel prefer it must occur subsequent,” Shakur stated about wanting a struggle towards Oscar Valdez. “And I need Valdez to cease operating. That’s all I really feel like. I really feel like he’s operating. I don’t really feel like he can maintain operating no extra.
“It was purported to occur at 126,” stated Shakur a few struggle between him and Oscar Valdez.
“I imply, he sort of moved up in weight after saying he would keep and look forward to Leo Santa Cruz and Josh Warrington.
“However it’s all on him now. I can’t maintain calling it, and he can’t maintain ducking. He retains making an attempt to disregard my title and act like I don’t exist, however I clearly exist, and I’m clearly right here. So I don’t know what we’re ready on,” stated Shakur about Valdez.
WBO tremendous featherweight champion Oscar Valdez could also be specializing in winnable cash fights towards opposition that matches his fashion.
Going up towards a defensive artist isn’t Valdez’s cup of tea, clearly, and you may perceive why he’s not speeding to make the struggle with Shakur. If the shoe had been on the opposite foot, Shakur could be simply as reluctant.
Stevenson sounds needy & determined
Relatively than losing time sounding like a needy/determined fighter with out choices, Shakur ought to neglect about Valdez and give attention to preventing the fellows that can face him. It’s forlorn for Shakur to proceed to name Oscar Valdez out night time and day. Transfer on already; cease begging for that struggle.
Vasily Lomachenko is a wonderful possibility for Stevenson, so long as he’s prepared to maneuver as much as 135 to struggle him. It’s unrealistic for the 24-year-old Shakur to play A-side with Lomachenko and anticipate him to come back right down to 130.
If that’s what Stevenson’s expectation is, he’s going to finish up lacking that struggle too.
After all, Stevenson won’t be desirous to struggle Lomachenko, so his requests to have Loma come right down to 130 to struggle him might be his means of ducking the Ukrainian.
BEING COMPARED TO MAYWEATHER
“I can’t be mad on the comparability,” stated Shakur when requested about his ideas on being in comparison with a younger Floyd Mayweather Jr.
“And I really feel like I’m the primary Shakur Stevenson, and I’m going to maintain saying that.
“I recognize everybody evaluating me to Floyd, however I’m my very own fighter, and I’m going to maintain working at being my very own fighter. It’s positively comparability, and it means I’m doing one thing proper.
“I’m sort of used to it now,” stated Stevenson about his ideas on dominating Jamel Herring final Saturday night time.
“Each struggle, we dominate and placed on exhibits like this. I really feel with this struggle; it was a greater opponent than all people anticipated it to be a more durable struggle than it was.
“We didn’t put together for a tough struggle. We ready to dominate, and that’s what we do,” stated Shakur.
The boxing followers that evaluate Shakur Stevenson to Floyd Mayweather Jr. most likely weren’t round to have seen Floyd when he was younger. If that they had seen him, they’d notice that Stevenson is nothing like him.
Mayweather had a special fashion and was extra aggressive and prepared to take punishment to win fights. Stevenson is way much less aggressive, and he darts backward when his opponents throw pictures.
Regardless of having higher hand velocity than Stevenson, Mayweather took extra dangers and wasn’t content material with pitching defensive shutouts like Shakur.
Stevenson can solely be the perfect model of himself as a result of he’s not the subsequent Mayweather. Shakur has his personal fashion, and there’s nothing fallacious with that.
