Shakur Stevenson has thrown in the towel on his short seven-year professional boxing career, announcing his retirement on Twitter after capturing three division world titles.
Navarrete Fight: The Crushing Blow?
Although Shakur (21-0, 10 KOs) didn’t give a reason for his early exit from the sport, it’s believed that the reason for him walking away is the WBO ordering former two-division world champion Emanuel Navarrete to battle the entertaining fighter, Denys Berinchyk for the vacant 135-lb title, which champion Devin Haney had recently vacated.
It’s no secret that Stevenson had his eyes on fitting the smaller, slower Navarrete after being ignored by Vasily Lomachenko and having Frank Martin walk away without fighting him.
Some boxing fans feel Shakur is frustrated because he’s been unable to get the well-known lightweights to fight him. Shakur is likely being avoided because he’s got a reputation for being a runner, and he’s almost impossible to hit because he’s always retreating.
I’m officially retiring from the sport of boxing I’ll be in the gym forever perfecting my craft and helping the next generation become great and chase they dreams but I ain’t fw this weak boxing game 💪🏾
— Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) January 30, 2024
In the 2020 U.S. Olympian Stevenson’s last fight against Edwin De Los Santos last November, he was retreating all around the ring the entire night, flinching and looking afraid. The crowd booed loudly from the fourth round on and continued to chorus him with catcalls immediately after the fight while Stevenson was being interviewed.
After that fight, Shakur has not had any luck in getting the name fighters to face him, and the reason is obvious. The fighters don’t want to be forced to chase a track star because they’re not built to face a sprinter.
If Shakur does choose to come out of retirement, he needs to do the following things if he wants to get the fights that will make him money and transform him into a star:
1. Fight stationary: Stop running!
2. Move up to 140 or 147: Shakur has burned his bridges at 135.
3. Face Subriel Matias & Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis
Impact on Lightweight Landscape
For the sake of argument, let’s assume that Shakur will stand firm in his retirement and not return. That frees up his WBC lightweight title for the entertaining talent Raymond Muratalla to swoop in and scoop up the belt.
This isn’t a knock on Shakur but Muratalla is a far more entertaining fighter to watch than Stevenson can ever hope to be, and he adds more flavor to the 135-lb division as the WBC champion. Muratalla won’t be avoided because he’s not a runner and he comes to fight.