Stevenson says Romero exposed Garcia’s reliance on left hook
Shakur Stevenson called Ryan Garcia “overrated” and pointed to his loss against Rolando Romero as evidence, questioning his reliance on the left hook. The comments came during an appearance on The Stephen A. Smith Show.
“I think he’s very overrated,” Shakur said. “If a guy loses that way. The way I saw him lose to Rolly. All Rolly did was take away his left hook. That means clearly that’s all he’s got. He’d better sharpen up his weapons before he gets in the ring with me.”
That’s the real shot here. Shakur isn’t just saying he’d beat Ryan. He’s saying Garcia is too dependent on one punch, and that Rolando “Rolly” Romero already showed the rest of the division how to blunt him.
Romero beat Garcia over 12 rounds last May, dropping him and winning by scores of 115-112, 115-112, and 118-109. From Shakur’s point of view, that fight exposed a limit in Ryan’s offense. Once the left hook was taken away, he didn’t see enough variety or adjustment to change the fight.
That is the angle Shakur is pushing. Ryan’s name still carries weight because of his speed, power, and profile, but Shakur is treating him like a fighter whose game is easier to break down than people want to admit.
It is also the kind of comment that fits Shakur’s style. He has always backed his defense and ring IQ against punchers, and he clearly believes Ryan would not have enough ways to trouble him over a full fight.
Shakur’s read may sound harsh, but after the Rolly defeat, it is not hard to see why he said it. Ryan looked lost in that fight and never made any adjustments after being dropped in the second round. He got into a passive mode and stayed there for the remainder of the fight.
