Shakur Stevenson says people dislike watching his fights because he “dominates” his opponents, and they don’t like to see those types of contests. WBC lightweight champion Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) feels that’s why fans hate watching him; he makes his fights so one-sided.
Building a Global Star
He signed with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom last summer and will debut with his company against Floyd Schofield on February 22nd in Riyadh. Hearn thinks he can turn Stevenson into a global superstar. However, that’s how the British promoter is when he signs anyone.
We saw the same from Hearn when he inked Jaron Ennis, Richardson Hitchins, and Demetrius Andrade. None of those fighters have become stars, and Hearn seems to lose his enthusiasm rapidly when they fail to become the superstars he hoped for.
We’ll likely see that soon when Shakur performs poorly next month against Schofield. Hearn will stop mentioning Shakur’s name, and he’ll be invisible.
Shakur, 27, is oblivious to why he’s disliked. He doesn’t engage, fails to stay in the pocket, and fights scared when he faces opponents with power.
The only guys Stevenson dominates are slow, old fighters with marginal talent and no power. He’s routinely booed in his fights and lacks the popularity or fighting style to get the big names to fight him.
Fan Perceptions
“They’re not just watching it to watch for the knockout. They’ll take the knockout if it comes. They’ll love it, but they love to see science, too, and I appreciate them for that too,” said Shakur Stevenson to talkSport Boxing about British fans.
“I’m getting more comfortable with it [being labeled ‘boring]. You got tor realize that every night, it’s not going to be war. A style like mine and a guy like me, I’m very dominant. I just go in and dominate. People don’t like to see someone go in and dominate.
“I’m kind of used to being the young, hungry lion. Now, I’ve got another young, hungry lion that’s younger than me. I definitely don’t think he’s hungrier than me,” said Shakur about the 22-year-old Floyd Schofield that he fights on February 22nd.
The Newark, New Jersey native Shakur will need to start getting used to being the older fighter because he’s getting up there in age, approaching 30. It won’t be long before he’s one of the elder statesmen in boxing and will have a target on his back. For fighters that rely on their mobility and reflexes, they don’t last long in the sport.
Career Path
“I try to get the big names. I try to get the William Zepedas. I try to get the Vasily Lomachenkos. If I can’t get these guys, I’ve got to take the guys that are next in line. This is a guy that has been calling my phone all the time,” said Shakur.
Stevenson wouldn’t have trouble getting the big names he mentioned if he weren’t such a runner, afraid to engage, and getting booed out of arenas. Fighters like Lomachenko, Zepeda, and Gervonta Davis don’t want to have to chase a runner around the ring while being booed by fans. They wouldn’t be booed.
It would be Shakur, and it would be a cup of poison for people watching. You can’t blame the top fighters for not wanting anything to do with Stevenson because he doesn’t come to fight.
Hesitant to Move Up
“After we get past him [Schofield], I would say, Zepeda and Gervonta Davis,” said Shakur about who he wants to fight in the rest of the year in 2025 after he defends against Kid Austin. “I’m very comfortable at 135 lbs. We’ll see after I conquer the division,” said Stevenson when asked if he’ll move up in weight the way Floyd Mayweather Jr. did.
Shakur isn’t about to move up to 147 to take on the killers in that division because he can’t punch at 135, and he’s already shown that he’s deathly scared when fighting guys with power.
Although there aren’t a lot of sluggers at the top of the welterweight division today, fighters like Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, Eimantas Stanionis, and Brian Norman Jr. would feast on a weak, timid, finesse-level fighter like Shakur. He couldn’t run enough to keep from getting to him. They’d bring Stevenson in, hunt him, and destroy him in that order.
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