By Craig Daly: Lightweight contender Shakur Stevenson says he wants to fight Jamaine Ortiz next, followed by Vasyl Lomachenko for one of the vacated 135-lb titles that current undisputed champion Devin Haney is expected to give up when he moves to 140 in 2023.
Stevenson (19-0, 9 KOs) states that after he fights the former three-division world champion Lomachenko, he’ll fight WBA ‘regular’ lightweight champion Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis.
Of course, Stevenson’s hopes of fighting Lomachenko & Tank Davis aren’t guaranteed. They’re more like fights that he’s hoping his promoters at Top Rank will make happen in 2023 or 2024.
If Lomachenko loses to undisputed lightweight champion Haney next, it’s fair to say that Loma won’t face Shakur for one of the fragmented 135-lb belts once Devin vacates them and moves up to light welterweight next year.
Unfortunately for the 2016 U.S Olympic silver medalist Stevenson, the only fight that has an excellent chance of happening in 2023 is against the recently beaten fringe lightweight contender Jamaine Ortiz (16-1-1, 8 KOs), is coming off a competitive 12 round unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs) on October 29th in New York.
Jamaine, 26, gave Lomachenko all he could handle in the first seven rounds before fading in the last five to lose by the scores 116-112, 117-111, and 115-113.
Many boxing fans still felt that Jamaine did enough to either win or deserve a draw, but he was going up against a big star in Lomachenko, so the judges weren’t about to give him the victory.
“Jamaine Ortiz is on the list. He did real good with Lomachenko. He just was a frontrunner,” said Shakur Stevenson to Sky Sports News about wanting to fight fringe lightweight contender Jamaine Ortiz next in 2023.
“I already know he’s a tough fight for whoever. He’s a big 135 lb. I think the first six rounds, he’s going to start off blazing hot, then the next six, he dies down,” said Stevenson.
Shakur is still upset that he was turned down for fights against Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz, William Zepeda, and George Kambosos Jr.
“I’ll probably fight Lomachenko,” said Shakur. “That could be after he fights Haney I think that me and him could fight. “I’ll probably fight him for a vacant title.
“After [Lomachenko], I want to fight ‘Tank. I want to fight ‘Tank,’ that’s who I would fight after Lomachenko if I could pick my year,” said Stevenson.
Shakur’s best wins:
- Oscar Valdez
- Jamel Herring
- Robson Conceicao