Tag Archives: Shakur Stevenson

Posted on 02/01/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Shakur Stevenson is anxious to get his hands on more gold.

Following his 10th round stoppage victory over former WBO super featherweight champion Jamel Herring in October of 2021, the 24-year-old former Olympic silver medalist nabbed his second world title in as many weight classes.

With his newly won trinket now safely tucked underneath his arm, Stevenson is on the verge of adding even more hardware to his collection. According to promoter Bob Arum, both Stevenson and WBC titlist Oscar Valdez, have agreed to financial terms for a proposed bout. While the details of their showdown are still being worked upon, Arum revealed that their contest is being targeted for April 30th, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Although Stevenson believes his showdown against Valdez is one of the biggest in all of boxing, he also feels sympathetic for another high leverage contest that’s set to take place on the other coast.

In what many believe is the biggest fight in women’s boxing history between current undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor and former seven division titlist Amanda Serrano, Stevenson is uneasy about their contest taking place on the same date. Currently, Serrano vs. Taylor will also face off on April 30th, in New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Considering the high stakes of both showdowns, Stevenson is hopeful that something can be worked out to allow everyone involved their moment in the sun.

“To be honest,” said Stevenson on his social media account. “I hope they can stagger the times for my unification with Valdez and Serrano vs. Taylor for April 30.”

Stevenson’s statement comes just a few days after the controversial comments made by Arum. The longtime promoter was originally unaware that Taylor vs. Serrano was set to take place on April 30th. However, when asked if he would be willing to move Stevenson’s unification showdown against Valdez to a later date to acquiesce Taylor vs. Serrano, Arum barked at the request.

“I mean, as good a fight as [Taylor-Serrano] is, come on,” said Arum to IFL TV. “You know, whatever reason it is, people don’t particularly pay attention to the women’s fights. The answer is ESPN made the schedule and they couldn’t care less. I don’t want to denigrate fights, I don’t want to be accused of being anti-women in sports, but I’m telling you, this is like the Premier League against women’s football.”

Since making those public comments, Arum has received pushback, including from Jake Paul, who, along with Eddie Hearn, will be promoting Taylor vs. Serrano.

“Men like this dinosaur r the reason women haven’t been given a fair shake in many parts of society,” said Paul on his social media.

While Stevenson hasn’t gone as far as to denigrate the character of his promoter, he has voiced his opinion and would like both his showdown and his female counterparts, to receive plenty of the spotlight.

“Let the ladies shine too and the fans watch both fights.”

Posted on 01/19/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Claressa Shields was both elated and taken aback when the news initially broke.

As first reported by Dan Rafael, formerly of ESPN, WBO lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson and WBC titlist Oscar Valdez – are on the verge of agreeing to terms for a unification showdown on April 30th, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

On paper, Valdez will be undoubtedly the most accomplished and skilled fighter Stevenson has ever faced in his young career. Still, despite the step up in competition, fellow former Olympian Claressa Shields believes that once the bell rings, Stevenson will prove that he’s simply on another level.

“I got Shakur winning,” said Shields recently during an interview with FightHype.com. “I got Shakur tested slightly but I think Shakur is going to break Oscar Valdez down and by the seventh round, it’s going to be a knockout. Skills pay the bills.”

While Valdez has enjoyed sizable success throughout his career thus far, in 2021, he took both his game and star power to another level.

Following a fairly dominant title reign at 126 pounds, Valdez struggled mightily once he opted to test the super featherweight waters. With two shaky performances against Adam Lopez and Jayson Velez, Lopez found himself as a gigantic underdog against the hard-hitting Miguel Berchelt.

Regardless of the thoughts of the betting public, however, Valdez easily dispatched of the Mexican star, scoring three knockdowns on the night before violently stripping Berchelt of his WBC crown via 10th round stoppage. Soon after, Valdez would successfully defend his newly won trinket, somewhat controversially, against Robson Conceicao.

Although Valdez may have solidified his placement as one of the best 130 pounders in the world, Stevenson planted his flag firmly alongside him.

The former Olympic silver medalist toyed with fringe contender Jeremia Nakathila, winning every round during their June 12th, showdown. Four months later, Stevenson laid waste to former marine Jamel Herring.

Even with a packed pro-Herring crowd vehemently cheering him on, Stevenson ignored the noise and easily outboxed his man before scoring the 10th round stoppage victory. In the process, Stevenson was successful in wrapping his second divisional title around his waist.

With both 130 pound titlist riding the high of their respective stellar years, and with the pair considered arguably head and shoulders above the rest, Shields is anxious to watch them lock horns in the middle of the ring.

In the end, while the former two-time Olympic gold medalist ultimately respects Valdez and thinks extremely highly of his overall skills, she maintains that once the bell rings, Valdez will be on the receiving end of a beating like no other.

“I think Shakur is going to beat Oscar Valdez pretty bad.”

Posted on 01/16/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Shakur Stevenson began growing impatient as a showdown between himself and Oscar Valdez grew more and more unlikely.

Immediately following his 10th round stoppage win over Jamel Herring, to relieve the former marine of his WBO 130 pound title, Stevenson swiftly turned his attention towards Valdez and his WBC title. However, in the mind of Bob Arum, Stevenson’s promoter, he expressed a desire to match Stevenson against former WBC belt holder Miguel Berchelt. In the meanwhile, Arum also indicated that a matchup between Valdez and WBO 126 pound titlist Emanuel Navarrete, was firmly in his sights.

In Arum’s perfect world, the winners of those contests would then meet in a unification bout. While Valdez appeared open to the idea, Stevenson scoffed at prolonging his showdown against Valdez.

Despite Arum’s original thoughts, Stevenson is now on the verge of landing his first unification bout.

As first reported by Dan Rafael, formerly of ESPN, both team Valdez and team Stevenson are nearing a deal for a two belt 130 pound unification. Though the finish line is within reach, there are still a few small details that are left to be ironed out. As of now, their contest is expected to take place on April 30th, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Valdez, 31, strung together arguably the best year of his career in 2021. To start things off, Valdez walked into his showdown against the previously mentioned Berchelt as a considerable underdog. Despite the odds, Valdez dominated, dropping the heavy-hitting former titlist a total of three times before scoring a brutal stoppage victory in the 10th.

Shortly after nabbing Berchelt’s WBC crown, Valdez eked out a close and somewhat controversial unanimous decision over Robson Conceicao.

Should Stevenson successfully dethrone Valdez and reign as unified champion, the 24-year-old no longer wants to see any pound-for-pound lists without his name near the top.

“My next opponent gone be a big surprise,” said Stevenson on his social media account. “Pound for pound me please.”

Posted on 01/10/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Shakur Stevenson has enjoyed his time fighting under the promotional banner of Top Rank. But, despite his ongoing success, both Stevenson and longtime promoter Bob Arum, are diametrically opposed when it comes to his immediate pugilistic future.

Following a one-sided win over Jeremia Nakathila at the midway point of 2021, Stevenson marched confidently into his showdown against former WBO super featherweight titlist Jamel Herring. Although the crowd at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, vehemently cheered on the former marine, Stevenson effortlessly dissected his man throughout the night.

As the punishment continued, referee Mark Nelson saw enough, putting an end to their showdown in the 10th round. With the victory, Stevenson wrapped his second world title in as many weight classes around his waist.

For his next ring appearance, Arum has floated around the idea of matching up Stevenson with former three-division world champion and current pound-for-pound star, Vasiliy Lomachenko. In the opinion of Stevenson, however, a showdown against the Ukrainian, while intriguing, isn’t at the forefront of his mind.

Considering both men’s track records, if the decision was solely up to the former Olympic silver medalist, he would much rather face off against undefeated WBC 130 pound titlist, Oscar Valdez.

“We seen Lomachenko lose twice,” said Stevenson during an interview with BoxingInsider.com. “He beat a lot of great fighters but did we see him lose twice? We did right? How many times did we see Valdez lose? We never seen him lose before.”

Although Lomachenko currently occupies a high standing on most pound-for-pound lists, the former two-time Olympic gold medalist has suffered defeats during his time as a pro.

In only his second professional contest, Lomachenko attempted to become the fastest boxer in history to win a world title. However, though he would rally back in the second half, Lomachenko was handed a split decision loss to Orlando Salido.

For the next six years, Lomachenko outboxed and out-muscled his competition. As a result, he was crowned a world champion in three separate weight classes. Nevertheless, at the tail end of 2020, Lomachenko was surprisingly dethroned by Teofimo Lopez. Since then, the slick hitting southpaw has picked up back-to-back victories over Masayoshi Nakatani and Richard Commey.

Still, regardless of Lomachenko regaining his form, Stevenson believes Valdez has been more impressive as of late.

“Valdez had a great performance with [Miguel] Berchelt, knocked him out and Valdez has never been beat. We saw him [Vasiliy Lomachenko] get in the ring with Teofimo and he looked kind of scared.”

Valdez, 31, sauntered his way to the ring against Berchelt in the first quarter of 2021, attempting to establish himself as a true player at 130 pounds. In his lone appearance as a super featherweight before his showdown against Berchelt, Valdez won a fairly close unanimous decision against journeymen Jayson Velez.

Even with most in the betting market and boxing world counting him out, Valdez had arguably the best performance of his career. The 31-year-old would go on to drop Berchelt a total of three times before registering a knockout of the year contender in the tenth to strip Berchelt of his WBC crown. Recently, Valdez defended his newly won strap against Robson Conceicao.

If Arum were successfully able to lure Lomachenko down to the 130 pound weight limit or convince Stevenson to move five pounds north, the Hall of Fame promoter believes a showdown between them would be box office gold.

While Stevenson isn’t opposed to facing Lomachenko, or anyone else for that matter, if he was given complete autonomy over his career, he would much rather take on Valdez.

“Valdez never lost, I never lost. I’m reaching the prime of my career, he’s in the prime of his career. The best vs. the best.”

Posted on 01/04/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Stephen Fulton is sick and tired of not getting the respect he believes he truly deserves. The 27-year-old Philadelphia native registered his best stretch yet as a professional.

In the first month of 2021, Fulton dethroned former WBO super bantamweight champion, Angelo Leo. Ten months later, Fulton would add even more gold to his shoulders, taking care of business against Brandon Figueroa. In the process, Fulton ripped away Figueroa’s WBC title as well.

Yet, despite becoming a unified 122-pound champion, Fulton is unsatisfied with the amount of respect he’s receiving in the boxing world. So, in an effort to force the pugilistic sport to revere his overall skills, Fulton is threatening to not only clean out his own weight class but do so in several others as well.

“I’m on everybody ass this year from 122-130Lbs,” said Fulton on his social media account. “Mark my words. Don’t ever disrespect me again!”

Although the words of Fulton didn’t appear to offend any of the other world champions at 122 and 126 pounds, Shakur Stevenson, the WBO 130 pound titlist, immediately became truculent.

“Hol up now champ,” said Stevenson in response to Fulton. “That 130 on clamps. Shit finna be in a chokehold.”

Though Fulton refrained from openly calling Stevenson out, he did make his feelings clear that a matchup between the pair was not out of the realm of possibility.

“122 in a headlock,” continued Fulton. “26-30 right there though. I see it.”

The 24-year-old Stevenson recently captured his second world title against Jamel Herring. In front of a mostly pro-Herring crowd at State Farm Arena in Atlanta Georgia, Stevenson decisively outboxed his man before scoring the stoppage victory to claim the WBO super featherweight title.

At the moment, Stevenson’s Hitlist includes the likes of Gervonta Davis and Vasiliy Lomachenko. But, more than anything, if the choice was solely his, Stevenson would jump at the opportunity to face WBC 130 pound titlist, Oscar Valdez.

Still, despite Fulton not being a part of Stevenson’s immediate plans, if Fulton were truly anxious to try his hand at the super featherweight division, Stevenson urges him to pick up the phone and give him a call.

“I’m a champion at 130 who will look to give another champion a opportunity. Just let me know, I don’t mind at all.”

Posted on 11/29/2021

By: Hans Themistode

For much of the 1980s, Thomas Hearns, “Sugar” Ray Leonard, “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler, and Roberto Duran defined a star-studded time in the sport of boxing. With all four making their mark by winning multiple world titles spread across numerous weight classes, many have searched far and wide for the new crop of generational fighters that can and will usurp them.

Presently, the highly talented quartet of Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, and Teofimo Lopez – has been viewed as this generation’s version of those previously named Hall of Famers.

Though fresh off becoming a two-division titlist and in the same age range as his contemporaries, Shakur Stevenson is seldom mentioned amongst them. However, after watching the first amongst those four in Lopez suffer defeat for the first time in his career this past weekend at the hands of George Kambosos Jr., Stevenson is wondering if his name can now replace Lopez in the grand scheme of things.

“So now can I enter the conversation of the 4 kings?” Asked Stevenson on his social media account.

Before this weekend’s mostly unexpected result took place, Lopez enjoyed a lofty ranking in virtually every credible pound for pound list. His placement along the sports best, mostly arrived after registering the most impressive victory of his career against Vasyl Lomachenko late last year.

Despite heading into their showdown as a sizable underdog, Lopez both outworked and outboxed the Ukrainian pound-for-pound star. In the process, he nabbed the IBF, WBO, WBA, and WBC Franchise lightweight titles.

Following the win, Lopez was forced to sit on ice. Though he was ordered to defend his newly won titles against Kambosos Jr., his mandatory challenger, several months ago, the 24-year-old saw their showdown suffer countless setbacks postponements.

As Lopez and Kambosos Jr. finally swapped fists at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater this past weekend, the supremely confident young star was flippant in his approach to his unheralded opponent.

Ultimately, Lopez paid the price as he was dropped in the opening round en route to having his title reign truncated via split decision.

While Stevenson was once lobbying for his name to replace Lopez in the pantheon of young stars, the former Olympic silver medalist has seemingly changed his mind. In the opinion of the two-division champion, it’s pointless to have his standing elevated to the same level of his peers. Instead, he’s more interested in being recognized as a notch above.

“Nah, I’m good I don’t want it,” continued Stevenson. “I rather stand alone.”

Posted on 11/25/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Even with his newly won WBO super featherweight title, Shakur Stevenson is anxious to get his hands on even more gold.

The former 2016 Olympic silver medalist, fresh off his one-sided victory over Jamel Herring, has called for a unification showdown against WBC belt holder, Oscar Valdez. Although Stevenson’s number one target is Valdez, he’s now veering away from the Mexican native in favor of facing someone else from his 130-pound weight class.

“I want to fight Chris Colbert in 2022,” said Stevenson on his social media account.

Colbert, 25, might be in only the infancy stages of his career but the Brooklyn, New York, native has gained a reputation of being brash, flamboyant, and filled with hubris.

Before Colbert directs his attention towards a showdown against Stevenson, he has his sights on winning his first world title. In January of 2020, Colbert easily outpointed Jezzrel Corrales to nab the WBA interim super featherweight title. Colbert would ultimately go on to defend his crown on two separate occasions. Most recently, he handed Tugstsogt Nyambayar a lopsided decision defeat in July earlier this year.

Since then, Colbert has seen his interim title reign come to an abrupt end, thanks to the WBA sanctioning body attempting to put an end to the proliferation of world titles across all weight classes. As a result, Colbert was moved from interim titlist to mandatory challenger to WBA full titleholder, Roger Gutierrez.

In the mind of Stevenson, he’s fairly confident that Colbert will take care of business against Gutierrez. Once the New York native begins his own title reign at 130 pounds, Stevenson urges Colbert to square off against him in the first defense of his crown.

“Tell him to unify with me after he beat that bum up.”

With both fighters still relatively early in their respective careers, at one point, Colbert readily admitted that a showdown against Stevenson was one he believes could be a super fight sometime down the line. However, with Stevenson wanting to square off against him sooner rather than later, Colbert seemingly has no issue with placating his wishes.

“Shakur Stevenson is p*ssy and he act like he’s like that,” said Colbert in response to Stevenson. “He know my body but let’s make it happen, 2022.”

Posted on 11/07/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Teofimo Lopez is extremely proud of what he was able to accomplish late last year.

The 24-year-old New York native walked into his showdown against Vasyl Lomachenko as a considerable underdog. Despite most of the betting world expecting him to come up short, Lopez went on to dominate the early portion of their showdown before ultimately holding on to eke out a close decision win.

At the time, Lomachenko was considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. And while Lopez is convinced that he’s now the superior fighter, he also believes that Lomachenko would cause fits to any and everyone at both 130 and 135 pounds.

“Lomachenko would beat up Tank,” said Lopez to a group of reporters. “Lomachenko would devour Devin Haney, Lomacehnko would beat Shakur.”

As Lopez’s comments have made the airwaves, Stevenson has gotten wind. Although the newly crowned 130-pound titlist could have aimed his vitriol at just Lopez, he instead set his sights on both Lopez and Lomachenko.

“Boy you or Loma can’t f with me,” said Stevenson on his social media account. “Don’t put me in no convo.”

Stevenson, a former Olympic silver medalist, is fresh off a career-best performance. Just a few short weeks ago on October 23rd, at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta Georgia, Stevenson ripped away the WBO 130 pound title from former champion, Jamel Herring.

Currently, Stevenson is hoping to add even more gold to his ever-growing collection as he’s targeting a matchup against WBC champion, Oscar Valdez. In addition to a bout against Valdez, Stevenson has expressed a desire to take on Lomachenko as well. However, Stevenson has acknowledged that a showdown between the pair is unlikely with Lomachenko currently campaigning five pounds north.

Although it appears as though Stevenson and Lopez are now at odds, the WBO 130 pound titlist quickly put that narrative to bed.

“He cool peoples. I support him. I’m just telling it like it is.”

Posted on 11/04/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Seemingly everywhere Oscar Valdez turns, he hears his name on the lips of a 130 pounder.

The newly crowned WBC super featherweight champion staked his claim earlier this year with a one-sided drubbing over former titlist, Miguel Berchelt. Despite being considered a sizable underdog, Valdez went on to drop Berchelt a total of three times before closing the show in the 10th round.

Since wrapping that world title around his waist, Valdez’s name has become ubiquitous. Although the callouts have been nonstop, Valdez enjoys hearing that so many fighters want to take him on.

“It feels good because everybody wants to get the WBC belt,” said Valdez to ESNEWS. “Everyone wants to go against the champ.”

Amongst the many that are eyeing a showdown against Valdez is Shakur Stevenson. The former 2016 Olympic silver medalist is coming off a dominant victory over Jamel Herring. Following Stevenson’s win, he placed his newly won WBO title over his shoulder and proceeded to call for a unification showdown against Valdez.

Admittedly, Valdez acknowledges that Stevenson is a truly skilled fighter. That said, with both fighters signed to the same promotional company in Top Rank, Valdez doesn’t see why the fight can’t and won’t happen soon.

“Shakur has that belt, I have a belt, why not make the fight? The best have to fight the best. If we can make the fight happen now, let’s make it happen.”

Regardless of both fighters chomping at the bit to swap fists against one another, promoter Bob Arum has other ideas. While he would also like to see both Stevenson and Valdez face-off, he’s attempting to put together a mini 130-pound tournament.

On one side this presumed tournament would be a showdown between Valdez and WBO 126 pound champion, Emanuel Navarrete. The Mexican native is fresh off a fight of the year contender against Joet Gonzalez earlier this year. On the other side of the bracket would be a matchup between Stevenson and Berchelt. Following their respective victories, the winners would meet in a 130-pound unification.

Although Arum is hoping to finalize those matchups by the first quarter of 2022, Valdez isn’t entirely interested in taking part. In the end, the WBC belt holder has made his feelings succinct in terms of what he wants to do next.

“I truly want Shakur. The only reason is because he’s been calling out my name for quite some time. I don’t want nobody to think I’m ducking. Let’s do the fight, let’s get it on right now.”

Posted on 11/01/2021

By: Hans Themistode

It appears as though Shakur Stevenson is on the verge of getting exactly what he wants. He’ll just have to wait slightly longer than he would like.

Just a few short weeks ago, the former 2016 Olympic silver medalist truncated the title reign of former WBO 130 pound champion, Jamel Herring. Stevenson picked his man apart in front of a crowd of just over 5,000 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

Once Stevenson ripped away Herring’s title and wrapped it around his 24-year-old waist, he immediately turned his attention to WBC belt holder, Oscar Valdez. For months now, Stevenson has wanted to snag away both Valdez’s title and his perfect record. But while the two-division titlist was hoping to face him next, promoter Bob Arum has other ideas.

“I want Valdez to fight Emanuel Navarrete,” said Arum during an interview with SkySports. “And to match Shakur against maybe [Miguel] Berchelt, who Valdez beat in a spectacular fight. We’d see how Shakur does with Berchelt, then we can match the winners.”

As previously mentioned by Arum, Berchelt was last seen in the ring suffering the most lopsided loss of his career. On February 20th, at the MGM Grand Bubble in Las Vegas, Nevada, Berchelt squared off against Valdez in an all-Mexican showdown. By and large, Berchelt was expected to retain his WBC title. With that said, Valdez would put on a career-best performance, dropping Berchelt a four total of times before picking up a tenth-round stoppage victory.

Berchelt has since hinted at the idea of moving up in weight but at the moment, still competes at 130 pounds. While Stevenson has pushed back at the thought of facing anyone other than Valdez next, Arum is hoping to change his mind.

Long before Stevenson snagged his second world title in as many weight classes, the long-time promoter has been intrigued by the idea of having Valdez take on Navarrete.

Presently, the 126-pound champion would be forced to move up to 130 pounds in order to face Valdez. The come-forward Mexican recently fought a fight of the year contender against Joet Gonzalez, winning a close unanimous decision.

In the terms of when Arum plans on putting together this mini 130-pound tournament, the first quarter of 2022 seems like the logical answer.

“I think that’s the way to go. That’s what we will suggest to them. I hope to have Shakur back in the ring in March or April. Same thing with Valdez and Navarrete.”

Posted on 10/26/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Bob Arum has always been impressed with Emanuel Navarrete but his admiration for the WBO featherweight champion has seemingly gone to another level.

The long-time promoter sat comfortably in his ringside seat less than two weeks ago as Naverrete defended his world title against Joet Gonzalez. Arum couldn’t keep himself from smiling as the long-reigning champion fought a fight of the year contender en route to prolonging his championship status.

The 126-pound landscape has a slew of great fighters that Arum is more than willing to put his Top Rank promoted champion against. With that said, Arum is also intrigued by the possibility of Naverette moving up in weight to take on WBC 130 pound champion, Oscar Valdez.

“There’s a lot of places and a lot of good featherweights he can fight,” said Arum to FightHype.com. “What about him and Valdez? That would be some fight.”

A showdown between Valdez and Navarrete could placate several including the fighters, Arum, fight fans, and media pundits. However, Shakur Stevenson would be none too pleased if their contest were to take place next.

The newly crowned WBO 130 pound champion truncated the title reign of Jamel Herring this past weekend at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Following his win, Stevenson took aim at Valdez and claimed that Arum would be “protecting” his WBC champion if he placed him in the ring with Navarette as opposed to himself.

In spite of Stevenson’s criticism, the former 2016 Olympic silver medalist could be given no choice but to wait patiently on the sidelines.

Valdez, to his credit, has publicly asked for a showdown with Stevenson as well. The 30-year-old, much like Stevenson, recently wrapped another world title around his waist as he dismantled Miguel Berchelt earlier this year. Just a few months later, Valdez saw his stock take somewhat of a hit after eking out a controversial unanimous decision win over Robson Conceicao on September 10th.

With both world champions, albeit from different weight classes, pulling off recent victories, Arum has placed the ball in their court in terms of making their contest a reality.

“If the fighters sort of like the fight, it’s easy to make.”

Posted on 10/25/2021

By: Hans Themistode

The taste of gold was satisfying to Shakur Stevenson but it wasn’t enough to placate his appetite for more.

The former 2016 Olympic silver medalist scored a decisive 10th round stoppage win this past weekend at State Farm Arena, in Atlanta Georgia against Jamel Herring.

After outboxing Herring in the early goings, Stevenson turned up the heat in the second half of their contest. The result was a devastating one for the former marine as he was sliced and diced several times over before ultimately succumbing to the relentless pressure of his man.

Stevenson flashed a bright grin as he strapped his newly won title around his waist. He cheesed even wider as he thought about mouthwatering matchups against the rest of the division’s titleholders. Although he opted to leave the 126-pound weight class with just one championship belt to his name, Stevenson refuses to move on from his second weight class without stripping every 130 pounder of their world title.

“I need every title at 130,” said Stevenson to Barak of DAZN following his victory. “At the end of the day, I need to be undisputed.”

In a perfect world, Stevenson will continue his undisputed journey with a unification showdown against WBC belt holder, Oscar Valdez. Stevenson has long called for the Mexican native to accept his callouts and meet him in the center of the ring. Valdez, to his credit, has continued to reiterate his willingness and desire to face Stevenson as well.

Despite both showing an interest in signing their names on the dotted line, a contest between the pair seems incredibly unlikely. Instead, promoter Bob Arum has revealed that a matchup between Valdez and 126-pound champion, Emanuel Navarrete, is the most likely route.

Whether Stevenson has his wish granted by facing Valdez next, is somewhat inconsequential in the immediate future as long as he faces the other titleholders at 130 pounds. In the grand scheme of things, the 24-year-old is simply gaining inspiration from another young, up-and-comer that etched his name in the history books with his own undisputed title run just last year.

“I saw Teofimo do it and I need that to happen for me too.”

Posted on 10/24/2021

By: Hans Themistode

A full 24 hours hasn’t passed quite yet but Shakur Stevenson is already taking aim at some of the bigger names in, or around, the super featherweight division.

Just a few short hours, the former 2016 Olympic silver medalist dominated long-standing WBO super featherweight belt holder, Jamel Herring. The two clashed in the main event slot at State Farm Arena, in Atlanta Georgia, late last night.

From the moment the opening bell rang, Stevenson showed exactly why he was pegged as an overwhelming favorite. The New Jersey native sliced and diced through the defense of Herring and made it look incredibly easy in the process. A crowd of just over 5,000 may have rooted Herring on, but Stevenson simply smiled as he continued his assault.

With Stevenson pitching a near shutout, referee Mark Nelson mercifully called a stop to their contest in the tenth round.

As Stevenson now scours the 130 pound landscape, very few names intrigue him. However, if a showdown against Vasyl Lomachenko can be made, Stevenson would love to square off against him next.

“Most definitely,” said Stevenson when asked about the possibility of facing Lomachenko next by Mike Coppinger of ESPN. “But last I checked, he said he was staying at 135. I’m down for a fight, I don’t duck no action.”

Long before Stevenson staked his claim as arguably the best fighter at 130 pounds, Lomachenko was viewed as just that. During his super featherweight run, the Ukrainian star unseated the likes of Roman Martinez, Nicholas Walters, and Guillermo Rigondeaux.

After laying waste to many of the top names in the division, Lomachenko opted to face bigger men one-weight class higher at 135 pounds. So far, the former two-time Olympic gold medalist has proven to be just as dominant, getting his hands on three of the four major world titles in the division, before coming up just short in his bid to become an undisputed world champion against Teofimo Lopez.

While it’s unclear if Lomachenko would be willing to placate Stevenson’s wishes and move back down to the division he once dominated, Stevenson is hoping that at some point, he matches up against WBC titleholder, Oscar Valdez.

Posted on 10/24/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Jamel Herring had an unspoken confidence about him heading into his WBO super featherweight title defense against mandatory challenger Shakur Stevenson. That self-belief, however, was immediately zapped away the moment the opening bell rang.

Despite sharing a cordial relationship outside the ring, there was nothing friendly about their encounter. In front of a mostly sold-out crowd at State Farm Arena, in Atlanta Georgia, Stevenson came out aggressive in the opening period. Known mostly for his ability to box and move, Stevenson imposed his will early on.

The former 2016 Olympic silver medalist ripped off several hard shots to the mid-section of Herring and continued with a healthy barrage upstairs. Herring, on the other hand, appeared content with walking through fire as he covered up and allowed the punches to glance off his gloves.

Stevenson continued his assault into the second round. Although Herring appeared to be just fine standing in the comfort zone of Stevenson, the former featherweight world titlist made him pay. Stevenson moved away from the unsuccessful straight rights and lefts and opted to curl his punches around the guard of his man. Stevenson’s newfound attack worked perfectly as Herring was repeatedly battered and walked down.

With an ever-growing glow of confidence, Stevenson began putting his shots together even more. The young and brash multiple division titlist picked up the pace in the middle rounds as he continued to butcher and pick apart Herring on the outside.

In the midst of a dominant performance, Stevenson was taken aback in the seventh. A visibly frustrated Herring pounded his gloves together and began to let his hands go. For the first time all fight long, Stevenson began taking several steps back as Herring continued to push the pace.

Despite Herring’s ability to adjust on the fly, Stevenson quickly followed suit. He met Herring in the center of the ring and exchanged huge shots. At the start of the eighth, Herring’s eye looked like it had seen better days.

With a chance to close the show, Stevenson stepped on the gas in the following two rounds. The result was one he was hoping for, as referee Mark Nelson waved off their contest in the tenth round.

Although the pair hurled several verbal jabs at one another throughout the entire build-up, they embraced soon after and squashed their differences.

As for what could be next for Stevenson, Herring reiterated several times over that Stevenson has the ability to take over the 130-pound division.

Posted on 10/23/2021

By: Hans Themistode

There was a confident glow about Carl Frampton.

The former two-time world champion sauntered his way to the ring on April 3rd, at Caesars Palace in Dubai as a considerable favorite earlier this year. Standing across the ring from him on the night was WBO 130 pound titlist, Jamel Herring. Frampton may have believed that he would take care of business against Herring convincingly, but he was completely shocked at the overall skills of the former Marine.

What ultimately ensued was a short but painful night as Frampton was dropped and later stopped before subsequently retiring from the sport altogether.

As Herring patiently watches the clock wind down for his title defense against Shakur Stevenson later on tonight at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, Frampton believes that his former rival isn’t getting his just due.

“I don’t think Jamel Herring gets the credit he deserves. He’s a good fighter, as I found out in my last fight,” said a chuckling Frampton. “Clever, willy, and mentally a very, very strong fighter.”

All of Herring’s attributes were accentuated all of those months ago. But even while the WBO belt holder has reeled off seven straight victories, including three coming in defense of his title, many are expecting Herring’s championship reign to come to an end unceremoniously.

In Stevenson, Herring faces one of the brightest young stars in all of boxing. Since picking up Olympic silver in the 2016 games, Stevenson has gone on to dominate everyone placed in front of him in the pros.

Even as the competition has gotten stiffer, Stevenson has continued to elevate his game. In his three most recent trips to the ring, the New Jersey native has failed to lose a single round, as he’s casually and effortlessly boxed circles around his opposition.

From first-hand experience, Frampton is well aware of the skillset that Herring brings to the table. And while he has nothing but the utmost respect for the man who brutally stopped him in six rounds, he believes that Stevenson is simply a notch above.

“I think he’s the younger and fresher guy,” said Frampton of Stevenson. “He has a lovely style. He also punches hard enough, something we’ve seen him develop over time. His ring IQ is fantastic and can do a bit of everything. His better boxing, ring IQ, and all-around game will probably be enough for him to get the fight.”