By Sean Jones: Shakur Stevenson says he’s leaning in the direction of Terence Crawford coming out victorious against Errol Spence Jr on July 29th.
Shakur sees the Spence vs. Crawford undisputed welterweight championship as a fight similar to the Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Marvin Hagler mega-fight in the 1980s, with two strong punchers going at it from start to finish.
Stevenson doesn’t see this match-up ending in a robbery because someone will lose in a conclusive manner. Spence (28-0, 22 KOs), who will be coming off a long fifteen-month layoff, will put his IBF, WBA & WBC 147-lb straps at stake.
For his part, Crawford will have his WBO belt on the line. Crawford fought last December, stopping David Avanesyan in the sixth round. The last high-level fight Crawford had was two years ago against Shawn Porter in 2021.
Crawford is turning 36 in September, and it’s difficult to say how much he has left because he’s been plagued by inactivity since 2020.
Spence-Crawford will be a classic
“Yeah, I’ve been telling people I didn’t tell people when they asked me. I’m like, hey, you know a lot of people were mad that the fight didn’t happen, but I told people fights don’t happen when they were supposed to happen. If it didn’t happen, it just wasn’t meant to be at that time,” said Shakur Stevenson to Fighthype about the Errol Spence Jr vs. Terence Crawford clash.
“I got a lot of love for Errol Spence, and I got a lot of I got a tremendous amount of love for my brother Terence Crawford. I’m rocking with my brother [Bud], but nothing but love and respect for Errol. I can’t wait to watch the fight.”
“I think it’s going to be a classic. I think it’s going to be something like Leonard-Hagler. It’s going to be an amazing fight to watch with two high-skill level fighters,” Shakur continued about the Spence-Crawford contest.
“I think he’s a master of the basics. Like, he mastered what he does. Like if you watch Errol fight, if you pay attention to like how he fights, watch how many jabs you throw. I don’t know nobody that throws as many jabs as Errol Spence.”
“I think with him; it’s all around. Throwback fighter; that’s how I look at him like when they say the words ‘throwback fighter,] and they just putting it on everybody,” said Shakur.
Crawford = a throwback fighter
“I just think Bud is like a true throwback fighter. He reminds me of like the Tommy Hearns type of fighter,” said Stevenson.
“I think he might be 34. I think he might be 35, actually. That dude is 21 in real life. I’m talking about all day he’s doing something like going here to go play basketball; he’s going here to do like. He’s non-stop. That dude is like a little kid dude like he’s non-stop like. That’s crazy.
“I think I’ll be leaning more so to like a knockout really I think, with both of them Fighters. I think most of them dudes is like they thoroughbreds like they going to want to fight like I feel like honestly no matter how to fight no matter how much we picture the fight going or like the elite level that you know everybody put it I think that both of them dudes are itching to punch each other,” said Stevenson.
Somebody’s O has got to go
“This one ain’t going to be a robbery. Nah, nah, it won’t be no robbery somebody O gotta go,” said Shakur on how he views Spence vs. Crawford ends.
“I just want y’all to keep tuning in, and I want to let my fans know that I’m a boxer with my heart. I train with my heart. Y’all ain’t gotta worry about me flopping or doing anything to mess up what I got going because I know like my main goal is just here, and that’s all I see.
“Probably August or September,” said Shakur when asked when he’ll be fighting next. “For all my fans, I want you to keep tuning in.
“So I’m putting my all into this, and I appreciate all my fans’ support. It means everything to me, especially the ones that really know, like the ones that are really in tune and know what’s going on because there are a lot of people that I’m watching boxing. Still, they just started watching boxing, and there are some people that just heard of me, and they are all up under my picture.
“‘Oh, this dude, he’s not that good,’ and ‘he’s this dude y’all been talking about dudes like you feel me. It’s like they don’t know that I’m the truth, so it’s like just keep supporting me. I appreciate my fans. I love them, and I’m putting my all into this,” said Shakur.
