Shakur Stevenson is annoyed by his opponent Shuichiro Yoshino talking about his lack of punching power ahead of their WBC lightweight title eliminator this Saturday night in a Top Rank event at the Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey. Stevenson-Yoshino event will be shown ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT.
During the face-off today for the final press conference, the 5’9″ Yoshino looked taller and bigger than Stevenson. It will be interesting if Yoshino can put hands on Shakur and give him problems as Robson Conceicao and Jeremiah Nakathila did. This is the biggest puncher Shakur has faced since his match against Nakathilia in 2021.
“This dude been running around here saying that I don’t have any power,” said Shakur about Yoshino. “He’s been saying that he’s going to push me mentally. Let’s see if he’s ready to go to the deep waters with me. I’m going to drown him.”
“I’m not going in there looking for a knockout. In my last fight [against Robson Conceicao], I went in there going for looking for a knockout. I think that’s why we ended up where we was at,” said Shakur Stevenson to the media when asked if he’s going to look for a knockout this Saturday night in his twelve-round headliner fight against Shuichiro Yoshino.
“I’m not not going in there looking for a knockout. If it comes, it comes it comes,” Shakur continued. “The business side of me, says, ‘Tank – Ryan,'” said Stevenson when asked who he wants to fight next of the winners of the Devin Haney vs. Vasily Lomachenko and Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia.
“In legacy terms, it’s more important for me to fight for the belts. Marketing-wise and money-wise, it would make more sense for m to chase the biggest star in boxing.
“Nah, because people don’t want to fight me,” said Shakur when asked if he feels he’s underestimated. “They know I’m here. They just ignore me.
I’ve been sparring a lot of bigger fighters because I know this dude [Yoshino] is a bigger fighter. I’m very prepared, I’m very ready.
“Nah, not really, but as the years go and I get a lot bigger, probably so, but right now, but not right now,” said Shakur when asked if he’d be interested in fighting Ryan Garcia at 140.
