Shakur Stevenson came out of the woodwork today, posting on social media that he’ll be defending his WBC lightweight title on July 6th and claiming he’s “the best fighter in the sport.”
The 26-year-old Stevenson (21-0,10 KOs) is coming back from a brief retirement to make his first defense of his newly won WBC 135-lb title.
“July 6th, I’m back, and they woke a monster up. I’m the best fighter in the sport, take it how you want. Everyone gets punished from here on out,” said Shakur on Instagram.
The Mystery Opponent
With Shakur’s contract with Top Rank expiring with his July 6th fight, they need to throw him in the deep end against one of the sharks at lightweight. If he loses, he loses. It doesn’t matter because Shakur will leave the company anyway, so it’s all good.
Shakur is not going to become “the best fighter” in boxing without changing his fighting style and becoming more fan-friendly. Fans don’t want to watch runners compete, as that’s not entertaining, and there are many more enjoyable fighters to watch.
Stevenson has been quiet about who his opponents will be for his July 6th defense at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, but Devin Haney says Shakur is defending against #11 Zaur Abdullaev, a fighter that he knocked out in four rounds in 2019.
Stevenson has since denied that but didn’t give any hints about who his opponent will be.
Fans Demand REAL Fights
Raymond Muratalla
Abdullah Mason
Andy Cruz
William Zepeda
Edwin De Los Santos
Keyshawn Davis
Unfortunately, none of those contenders are expected, as Top Rank has been matching Shakur carefully, putting him in with many older fighters and guys who lack the wheels to chase him down. Keyshawn is obsessed with fighting Teofimo Lopez or Emanuel Navarrete next, so he’s not an option for Shakur.
Give Us De Los Santos
A rematch against De Los Santos would be infinitely more enjoyable for fans to watch Shakur fight than a fringe contender. However, De Los Santos is fighting Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela next on the undercard of Gervonta Davis vs. Frank Martin in June.