By Allan Fox: Shakur Stevenson believes Oscar Valdez has been trying to “trick” him all week by saying that he’s going to make it a “technical fight” on Saturday night instead of a war when they meet in a super featherweight unification at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
WBO 130-lb champion Stevenson (17-0, 9 KOs) says he’s NOT listening to anything Valdez says, and instead, he’s focusing on his game plan, which he’s not going to divulge to the media.
The 24-year-old Shakur hardly needs to let anyone know what his game plan will be on Saturday night, as he lacks the power and dislikes give & take that’s involved in going to war with his opponents.
We’re likely to see from Stevenson on Saturday night that he hits and then pulls back immediately to get to the outside to avoid returning fire from the bigger punching Valdez.
Stevenson is Mayweather lite with his style. The 2016 Olympic silver medalist Shakur is a slower, less aggressive version of the Mayweather when he was nearing the end of his career. It might be boring to the fans, but it’s an effective style.
The younger version of Mayweather was far more aggressive than Stevenson has shown to be and more entertaining.
“I won’t tell you my game plan; he’s got to wait and see. I don’t want him to watch the interview with you and try and pick up with what I’m saying,” said Shakur Stevenson to Fighthype when asked what he plans on doing against Oscar Valdez on Saturday night.
“I’ve got my own game plan in my head. We’ll see how the fight goes once I’m in there. No, he’s trying to trick me. All week, he’s been saying, ‘Oh, it’s going to be a technical fight. I can beat him in a boxing match.’
“I feel like he’s trying to trick me. I’m not going to fall for him,” Shakur continued. “But if he does, that’s a bad idea,” said Shakur about his concern over Valdez’s tricks.
Stevenson is worried about Valdez, which is odd because he’s told the media for weeks that this is a sure-thing win for him.
“Terence [Crawford] tries to push me to another level and help me the best that he can,” said Stevenson.
“That’s my big brother, and I’ve got nothing but love for my big brother. He’s trying to push me.
“Canelo has been right there, telling him [Valdez] this every step of the way, and I just feel like it’s not going to help,” Stevenson said about Canelo Alvarez giving Valdez advice on how to defeat Shakur.
“I’m the better fighter. I feel like skills are going to separate the two fighters. I feel like I’m more skillful than him, and I’m going to pick him apart, and that’s what I’m going to do,” said Shakur about Valdez.
