Shakur Stevenson Defends Robson Conceicao’s World Title Shot

Shakur says Robson Conceicao deserved repeated championship opportunities after pushing several elite fighters to the limit

Shakur Stevenson believes Robson Conceicao has earned every world title opportunity he has received after years of close fights against elite opposition. The former three-division champion dismissed criticism ahead of Conceicao’s August 1 challenge of IBF lightweight champion Raymond Muratalla.

“S*** he arguably beat everybody on that list except me,” said Shakur on X about Conceicao.

Shakur’s comment reflects a view shared by many boxing fans regarding several of Conceicao’s biggest fights. The Brazilian dropped a disputed unanimous decision to Valdez in their 2021 WBC super featherweight title bout, fought Navarrete to a majority draw in 2023 despite being knocked down twice, and split two razor-close fights with Foster, winning the first to capture the WBC title before losing a split decision in the rematch that many also believed could have gone his way.

The one exception was Shakur. The unbeaten former three-division world champion defeated Conceicao by unanimous decision in September 2022, successfully defending his WBC and WBO super featherweight titles. While the verdict itself drew little controversy, the fight was criticized by many fans because of its tactical nature. Shakur controlled the action with movement, distance and his trademark step-back style rather than engaging in prolonged exchanges, producing a performance that was effective but lacked the drama that defined Conceicao’s bouts with Valdez, Navarrete and Foster.

The fight has largely faded from memory despite featuring two world-class fighters. Conceicao now gets another chance to silence his critics when he challenges Muratalla for his IBF lightweight title on the undercard of William Zepeda’s vacant WBC title fight against Lamont Roach Jr. If Conceicao pulls off the upset, Shakur’s defense of his record will look even more justified.

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