By Chris Williams: Shakur Stevenson is unhappy that the “bigger name” fighters are ignoring him, not mentioning his name and he’s beginning to feel like the “boogeyman” in boxing.
Stevenson sounds like he has no clue why he’s not being mentioned by the big names. Well, let Chris Williams shed some light on Shakur for a minute to try and help him out.
Shakur, they’re not mentioning you because you’re supposedly a scary “boogeyman.”
It’s a terrible witches brew of your fighting style, lack of power, and your reluctance to call out the top dogs. You’ve been fighting at 130 for a year now, and I haven’t heard you once mention Miguel Berchelt’s name. Now, why is that?
Shakur needs to make major changes
The former WBO featherweight champion Stevenson (15-0, 8 KOs) isn’t saying which popular fighters aren’t mentioning his name, but it’s likely that he wants the top lightweights – Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, and Teofimo Lopez – to be talking about him.
Stevenson is fighting in the wrong division for him to get the attention that he craves from the top guys. If Shakur wants to part of that group, he’s going to need to give up on his promoter Bob Arum’s plans for him to fight the winner of the Jamel Herring vs. Carl Frampton fight.
It’s a waste of Stevenson’s time to fight the winner of that fight because Herring is viewed as the weakest of the champions at 130. Stevenson gains nothing by fighting Herring or the past his best Frampton.
At 130, Stevenson is limited in terms of options. WBC super featherweight champion Miguel Berchelt is arguably the most talented fighter in the division, but he already has plans on facing Oscar Valdez next.
If Berchelt sticks around after that, there’s a chance that Stevenson could face him, but don’t bet on it. Berchelt is rumored to be going up to 135 after he takes care of Valdez. The money fights for Berchelt are at 135, and he’s wasting his time if he sticks around the dead 130 division.
I be doing everything in power to get these bigger name guys in the ring 🙄 All seriousness I’m the real boogeyman in the sport of Boxing.. Let’s be real what big name fighter even mentioning my name at or around my weight?
— Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) January 19, 2021
Changes Stevenson must make
- Move up to 135 immediately – Forget about the 130-lb division
- Stay in the pocket, stop running
- Work on his power game
- Stop grunting when throwing punches
- Work harder on social media
- Give interviews
- Insist on fighting only quality opposition. No more mismatches
- Quit focusing on winning paper titles against non-name fighters
What Stevenson fails to understand is how little he brings to the table as far as popularity and entertainment His fighting style of totally defensive, and he’s not someone that is particularly exciting to watch.
Stevenson, 23, doesn’t possess the punching power of guys like Ryan Garcia, Tank Davis, and Teofimo Lopez.
He’s not even as entertaining to watch than guys from his own division currently in Frampton, Berchelt, Oscar Valdez, and Joseph Diaz Jr. Those are legitimately more fun to watch than Stevenson because they hit harder, and they’re more willing to stay in the pocket.
Stevenson constantly jumps back when his opponents look to land their shots, and it’s very boring to watch. Additionally, Stevenson makes a lot of grunting noise when he throws his single shots, and his punches look weak. It’s as if Shakur is making loud noises to cover the sounds of the weak impact from his shots.
Shakur too focused on trivial titles
“Yes, I would come to Ireland, but the real question is will [Carl] Frampton get in the ring with me?” said Stevenson on Twitter. “Had a World Title at 126 and my next fight is at 130 for another strap in another weight class.
“I’m only 23-years-old. And I’m going to be a two-weight division World Champ. I’m the truth. I can’t wait to show the ones who still don’t believe it,” said Stevenson.
It sounds like Shakur confusing winning world titles with gaining popularity with the boxing world. Unfortunately, it no longer guarantees popularity with fans when a fighter wins a world title.
If you want a classic example of that, look at Terence Crawford. He’s captured world titles in three divisions, and yet he’s still not popular. Why? Because he lacks an entertaining fighting style, he fights the wrong opposition, and he’s failed to make an impact on social media.
Stevenson is in the same boat as Crawford as far as his fighting style, low-quality opposition, and lack of a social media presence. That’s three strikes that Shakur has against him right now, and it doesn’t look good for him.
It’s likely that Stevenson’s promoter Bob Arum is scratching his head wondering why he’s failing to progress to stardom like his fighters Teofimo Lopez and Tyson Fury. The answer is obvious. Stevenson’s fighting style is painful to watch, and he has very little to say when he gives interviews.