Promoter Floyd Mayweather Jr. praised his ex-fighter Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis as the “biggest puncher” in the lightweight division but chose Shakur Stevenson as the “most skillful.”
Fans have a different view, seeing WBC 135-lb champion Shakur as a runner who is afraid to engage and hasn’t fought anyone talented other than Edwin De Los Santos, who arguably beat him last November but was on the receiving end of a questionable decision.
Is Mayweather Living in the Past?
“The biggest puncher at 135 will probably be Gervonta Davis, but the most skillful fighter at 135 will be hands down Shakur Stevenson,” said Floyd Mayweather Jr. to Come and Talk 2 Me YouTube channel.
Regarding a fighter with actual skills who isn’t afraid to engage, Vasily Lomachenko is #1 at lightweight. Shakur is far down in the skills department list because his main thing is his movement. He doesn’t do much of anything else.
Lomachenko: The REAL Most Skilled At 135
- Vasily Lomachenko
- Denis Berinchyk
- Andy Cruz
- Gervonta Davis
- Maxi Hughes
- Raymond Muratalla
- Edwin De Los Santos
- Nahir Albright
- Giovanni Cabrera
- Shakur Stevenson
The Future of Boxing: Excitement Over Everything
To be the most skillful, a fighter has to be willing to engage, and Shakur doesn’t do that. He’s afraid, and he’s mostly a mover who uses a simple step-back style. He’s arguably one of the dullest fighters in the 135-lb division.
Shakur needs to be willing to stay in the pocket to be one of the best skilled fighters in the lightweight division, and he’s unwilling to do that. He doesn’t seem to have the heart to stand and fight.
That’s why it’s going to be near impossible for him to become a star in the sport because boxing fans in this generation don’t like to watch runners or the potshot fighters of the past.
Mayweather: A Dinosaur in Today’s Boxing World
If Mayweather had been younger, he would have had difficulty becoming one of this generation’s stars. The Fans’ tastes have changed. They no longer like watching runners and defensive fighters in the dinosaur age of the sport when Floyd was popular.
The biggest punchers at lightweight:
- Gervonta Davis
- Edwin De Los Santos
- Frank Martin
- Mark Chamberlain
- William Zepeda
- Keyshawn Davis
- Raymond Muratalla
- Miguel Madueno
- Gustavo Lemos
- Gary Cully
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