The Power Myth Around Shakur Stevenson

The idea that Shakur Stevenson lacks power survives for one reason: people are judging him by the wrong standard. They’re looking for a wrecking ball when Shakur is actually a sniper.

In a recent sit down with Brian Custer, Stevenson didn’t hold back when the power talk came up. “Nobody ever just walked through me,” he said. “Nobody ever just walked through my punches.” It wasn’t a boast or a scream for attention. It was a cold statement of fact.

At the elite level, power isn’t just about the “smashed faces” and “broken bones” Turki Alalshikh looks for. It’s about interruption. Shakur’s shots land clean and exactly when they’re supposed to. They don’t just hurt; they break your rhythm. They catch you right as you’re trying to start your own offense. After a few rounds of that, the bill starts to come due.

Opponents who realize they can’t just walk inside start to hesitate, and they reset. They overthink. They start second-guessing every opening because every time they twitch, they get tagged. When the pace drops, fans might call it “dull,” but the reality is that one guy has already snatched away the other’s will to engage.

This becomes the massive question for the Teofimo Lopez fight at the Garden. Shakur is moving to 140, meaning he isn’t the bigger man anymore. Against a natural junior welterweight like Teofimo, the test isn’t whether Shakur can find a one-punch KO. The real test is whether his shots still make a bigger man think twice about coming forward.

If Teofimo, a guy who lives on aggression, can’t push through Shakur’s timing, the “no power” narrative officially hits a wall. If Shakur’s punches dictate how the fight unfolds, then that control is the ultimate form of power.

Shakur has never claimed to be a knockout artist, and he doesn’t need to be. He’s a master of denying initiative. His opponents might stay on their feet, but they almost always stop coming forward the way they planned. If that pattern holds at 140 pounds, the critics won’t have much left to say.