Multiple Authors
After pitching boxing’s version of a near no-hitter in the MLB World Series in defeating Teofimo Lopez Jr. to win the WBO junior welterweight title in front of 21,324 fans at Madison Square Garden in New York, Shakur Stevenson has separated himself from his peers. Once on the outside looking in of boxing’s new version of the “Four Kings” (Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia, Gervonta Davis and Lopez), Stevenson has built his dynasty, taken down a king and become a four-division champion.
He had been patient, waiting for his opportunity to strike. All he needed was a willing opponent and he found one in Lopez. Stevenson, 28, landed the fight by moving up in weight to put himself at a size disadvantage against Lopez. Unfortunately for Lopez, a few pounds couldn’t make up for a significant skill gap that saw Stevenson lose only one round on all three judges’ scorecards.
“Finally, somebody took the bait,” Stevenson said during the postfight news conference. “I’ve been begging for this moment and I finally got it.”
Now the immediate question is where he goes next. After conceding weight, money and a headlining spot to prove himself in previous fights, Stevenson (25-0, 11 KOs) no longer has to sell himself short to land fights against the bigger names in the sport. However, as he continues to chase greatness and race up the pound-for-pound ladder, Stevenson will continue to challenge himself.
Editor’s Picks
2 Related
Although he could look to become undisputed at 140 pounds by chasing fights against titleholders Richardson Hitchins (IBF), Gary Antuanne Russell (WBA) and Dalton Smith (WBC), will any of those names really add to his legacy? None would be favored to beat him and would likely come in as significant underdogs. For Stevenson, his next move will likely require putting himself at another perceived disadvantage to level the playing field.
Enter Conor Benn.
Benn isn’t a world champion but the idea that he recently moved up two divisions from welterweight to middleweight to beat Chris Eubank Jr. is something that entices Stevenson.
“It’s a fighter in here right now and he motivated me tonight too. Where is Conor Benn?” Stevenson asked in the ring following his win. “Conor Benn, we could get it banging, boy. I want that same rehydration clause that you put on [Chris] Eubank Jr. and I want the fight.
“Sign the contract. Let’s make it happen.”
There’s a method to Stevenson’s madness and it has little to do with collecting world titles.
“People compare Floyd Mayweather to Terence Crawford, but Floyd was never an undisputed champion,” Stevenson told ESPN before the Lopez fight. “I’m not making this a debate because, to me, neither is better than the other but people swear up and down that Floyd is better than ‘Bud’ even though Terence was undisputed in three weight classes and went from 147 pounds to 168 pounds.
“Do the belts matter to the public as much as they do for us?”
Stevenson has a point. When it comes to legacy, it’s been more about taking the biggest challenges than it is about collecting world titles. The casual fan often has no idea what world titles are being contested and are more interested in the matchup.
“I’m into big fights,” Stevenson said. “I like big money fights. I like proving that I’m the best and doing things that people say I can’t do. There are people who say that I’m too little for Conor Benn and that makes for a tremendous fight.”
Stevenson also told ESPN that he sees opponents at 147 and 154 pounds that he thinks he could beat, so it isn’t outside the realm of possibility that he moves up another weight class or two for his next fight. He’s long hunted a fight with current welterweight champion Devin Haney, and if Ryan Garcia beats Mario Barrios to become the WBC welterweight champion next month, that’s another opponent who could end up in his crosshairs.
At this rate, Stevenson will eventually go from the hunter to the hunted. His win over Lopez has proven that he’s virtually unbeatable on a level playing field. For the duration of his professional career, he has rarely lost a round, much less come close to losing a fight. He’s proven to be almost too good and must find ways to put himself at a disadvantage to challenge himself.
We are in the midst of greatness as Stevenson continues a remarkable run where he is staking his claim as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Can anybody stop him from achieving his goal?
Right now, it looks pretty unlikely.
