Undefeated WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson revealed on social media today that he’s “officially retiring” from the sport and says he’s done with this “weak boxing game.”
If Shakur is faking his retirement, it will make him look bad, like a drama queen or an actor who pretends to quit to get attention from the public.
Reasons for Retirement Unclear
The 26-year-old Newark, New Jersey native, Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs) doesn’t say what led to his decision to retire, but he did seem to get upset earlier today, reacting to the news of the WBO ordering Emanuel Navarrete and Denys Berinchyk to battle for their vacant WBO 135-lb title.
Immediately after learning about the WBO ordering Navarrete and Derinchyk to fight for their lightweight title, Shakur said on X, “This is sickening. This is disgusting. I might as well retire.”
It could be that Shakur had hopes of fighting Navarrete for the WBO title, and now he’ll get the chance. It’s not a big deal that Navarrete is fighting Berinchyk because he likely wouldn’t have fought Shakur anyway. Navarrete wouldn’t have wanted to chase Shakur around the ring all night.
Shakur’s performance last November against Edwin De Los Santos turned off many fighters, boxing fans, and likely promoters as well because it was pure running.
Fans didn’t buy Shakur’s injury excuses; they saw it as an example of running. If this had been the first time that Shakur had fought in a safety-first manner, resembling a track star, the fans would have given him a pass.
But he’s been fighting like this since his amateur days and all throughout his professional career. It gets worse when Stevenson is fighting someone with punching power.
Reaction from the Boxing Community
Fans’ reactions to Shakur’s retirement are mixed, with some being supportive of him, giving him sympathy, and begging him to reconsider. While others are glad, viewing Stevenson as bad for the sport due to his attendance to hit and immediately pull back and start running.
I’m officially retiring from the sport of boxing I’ll be in the gym forever perfecting my craft and helping the next generation become great and chase they dreams but I ain’t fw this weak boxing game 💪🏾
— Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) January 30, 2024