Trainer Buddy McGirt says Shakur Stevenson is “the best 135-pounder” in the lightweight division. McGirt wants to see the unbeaten 26-year-old Shakur (21-0, 10 KOs) fight Gervonta Davis next.
Some obstacles could stand in the way of the Top Rank-promoted WBC lightweight champion Shakur & WBA ‘regular’ 135-lb champ Gervonta (29-0, 27 KOs) from fighting, starting with Stevenson’s recent overly cautious performance against Edwin De Los Santos on November 16h.
Shakur mostly jabbed and moved around, and it was very boring to watch. De Los Santos couldn’t get to Shakur, as he was hitting & moving all night.
“Shakur Stevenson vs. Gervonta Davis,” trainer Buddy McGirt told Boxing Social when asked what fight he’d like to see. “I won’t get up and watch it. I’ll buy a ticket and go to that fight.
“I think right now, Shakur is the best 135-pounder. I think he’s the best right now at that weight. I’m not taking nothing from Tank. That’s going to be a fight that people will remember because Tank is very cagey and very smart. Shakur is very cagey and very smart.”
Many boxing fans would disagree with McGirt about his view of Shakur being “the best 135-pounder,” as he’s too much of a fencer type of fighter, and he easily could have lost the fight to De Los Santos if he’d been pressured more.
If McGirt had said that Shakur was ‘the most boring’ fighter in the 135-lb division, people would agree. Stevenson might be the most boring fighter in the entire sport, as he hits & runs and looks to spoil.
After the fight, Shakur’s promoter, Bob Arum & the ESPN commentators appeared to be in damage control mode, blaming his timid fighting style on his shoulder injury, which wasn’t disclosed to the public before the fight.
The problem with that excuse is Shakur fought the same way in his past fights with Jeremiah Nakathilia, Joet Gonzalez, Robson Conceicao, Oscar Valdez, and Jamel Herring.
This begs the question: Will Shakur always be a boring, safety-first fighter with a Mayweather-esque fighting style? If so, why would any top-level fighter want to face him and chase him around the ring?
“I heard about his [Shakur] last fight [against Edwin De Los Santos], but I’m not going to judge him on it because it happens,” said McGirt. “It’s boxing. Joe Montana didn’t look good in every football game.”
If McGirt isn’t going to judge Shakur on his performance against De Los Santos, how about judging him on his fights against these guys:
Jeremiah Nakathilia
Joet Gonzalez
Robeisy Ramirez
Robson Conceicao
Jamel Herring
Oscar Valdez
“Michael Jordan didn’t look great in every basketball game, but they got the job done, and Shakur Stevenson got the job done,” said McGirt, giving Shakur a pass for his cautious and some would say overly timid, safety first performance against knockout artist Edwin De Los Santos earlier this month on November 16th in their fight for the vacant WBC lightweight title.
