Shakur Stevenson says he’s got a “chip on his shoulder” heading into his fight this Saturday night against Artem Harutyunyan in Newark, New Jersey. He wants to silence his naysayers who view him as dull and lacking courage.
A Chip on His Shoulder
WBC lightweight champion Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs) is upset because fans no longer see him as “that guy” that they thought he was after his last performance against Edwin De Los Santos last November.
Shakur, 27, wants to prove the fans wrong about him by putting on a show against Harutyunyan (13-1, 7 KOs) in their headliner on ESPN at the Prudential Center in Newark on July 6th.
Stevenson initially justified his boo-filled performance against De Los Santos by claiming he was injured, but now he says he had to fight that way because he’s a puncher.
He says he fought Oscar Valdez in the pocket, but that’s inaccurate. Shakur was on his bike against him and even more so against Jeremiah Nakathilia.
If Shakur can’t fight punchers in the pocket at least some of the time, he’ll have a difficult time establishing himself as a marketable fighter at 135 because there are many fighters with power in the division.
Motivated to Deliver a Spectacular Show
“I’m levels above Frank Martin. I think Artem is a good fighter, but he’s dealing with a different beast come July 6th,” said Shakur Stevenson to Sean Zittel’s YouTube site. “I got a chip on my shoulder. Now that I got a chip on my shoulder, he’s got to deal with somebody that is very motivated. I’m coming to put on a show.”
Entertainment-wise, Shakur is many levels below Frank Martin, not above. Shakur might be a better fighter than Martin in his own way, but he’s not as entertaining as him, and he’s nowhere near some of the more exciting contenders in the lightweight.
“It’s from people playing around with me, trying to act like I’m a person that I say,” said Stevenson. “I’ve got a lot of built-up frustration because I’ve delivered so many times out, and I’m going against a tough fighter. I got a bad situation. A lot of people threw me out of the room. ‘He’s not this.’”
Many boxers view Shakur as deluded. He is a prime example of a fighter with a tremendous ego who can’t see his own weaknesses and make corrections to adapt. He’s not self-aware, and that’s the problem.
Stevenson cannot grasp the flaws in his game due to his ego, and he cannot change despite fans giving him feedback in large numbers. Instead of listening to them, Shakur is sticking with his own deluded view and unwilling to change. He’s his own worst enemy.
“I think it’s funny. What are they going to say when I start beating people up? They’re going to find a reason. They’re going to call Artem a pizza delivery guy. They’re going to try and take credit away from me and say I’m not that guy. It’s okay because one day I’m going to get my opportunity to prove them wrong.
The Challenge of Proving Marketability
“I’ve fought so many punchers during my career. So that logic wouldn’t even make sense,” said Shakur when asked if he’s uncomfortable letting his hands go against punchers due to his performances against Edwin De Los Santos and Jeremiah Nakathilia.
It will be difficult for Shakur to become marketable if he’s unwilling to put himself in the line of fire to exchange shots with his opponents. The way Shakur wins fights now, landing one shot and then retreating, it’s not entertaining for fans who want to see exciting fights.
It’s surprising that Shakur can’t understand why fans don’t view him as a must-see TV star and criticize him. His style of fighting isn’t worth the time spent watching him. In this entertainment age with the Internet and cable TV with many channels, it’s more important that fighters entertain than in the past.
“Sometimes, it ain’t smart to sit in the pocket against someone that is a puncher. Some punchers you do sit in the pocket with. Against Valdez, I did sit in the pocket against,” said Stevenson.
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