Lamont Roach responded favorably to Shakur Stevenson’s comment about being on his three-fight hitlist, saying it’s “going to be one hell of a fight.” It would be a classic Jerry vs. Jerry fight involving two pure boxers that use the step-back style to avoid getting hit.
Turki Alalshikh would have to be interested in using Roach, 29, as an opponent for Shakur on his Riyadh Season cards. It’s not the ideal opponent to use against a defensive fighter like Shakur.
Roach Responds to Stevenson
“That’s going to be two great competitors against one another, and it’s going to be one hell of a fight. Just like me and Tank was a good fight,” said Lamont Roach as quoted by Ring Magazine on X, talking about a hypothetical fight against Shakur Stevenson at lightweight.
To make Stevenson’s fights entertaining, it requires brawlers that pressure him. Putting him in with another pure boxer like Roach would be absolute poison. The boos would be nonstop from fans, unhappy at seeing two Jerry-esque fighters inside the ring. Turki needs to have his eyes open and think about the worst-case scenario of matching these two similar fighters.
Making Shakur Fights Palatable
To make Shakur palatable to fans, Turki needs to concentrate exclusively on matching him against these fighters:
- Andy Cruz
- Floyd Schofield
- Abdullah Mason
- Raymond Muratalla
- Jadier Herrera
I would add Gervonta Davis to the list, but he’s not interested in fighting movers like Shakur. He wants his opponents to come and fight.
If the Stevenson-Roach fight was buried near the bottom of an undercard, the backlash wouldn’t be bad. Being the opening fight of an event wouldn’t be too bad, but nowhere near the main event or the co-feature spot.
Roach (25-1-2, 10 KOs) still has a rematch with Gervonta Davis that he’s waiting on. So, it’s questionable whether a match against Shakur can happen soon.
Why Stevenson Wants Roach
“I would love to fight him,” said Shakur to Nightcap about wanting to fight Roach. “I’ll take Tank, Lamont, and I like Andy Cruz,” said Stevenson about the three lightweights he wants to fight.
It’s understandable why Shakur is interested in fighting Roach. He can’t punch, and he has less to fear fighting him than ‘The Big Four’ – Andy Cruz, Muratalla, Jadier, and Schofield.