Anointed as one of modern boxing’s sharpest and youngest talents, the 27-year-old Shakur Stevenson is starting to fulfill his prophecy undefeated. With notable defensive skills, a high ring IQ, and finesse, Stevenson blends his way to a stellar 22-0 record with 10 knockouts. Charlo has been a world champion at three weight divisions and now seeks to join the ranks of the elite in a fourth, as he begins his lightweight run.
Early Life and Boxing Career
Shakur Stevenson was born in Newark, New Jersey on June 28, 1997, and came of age around boxing. A big part of it is that he was raised idolizing Floyd Mayweather Jr., and where his style comes from. Stevenson made his name as an amateur, including winning a silver medal (bantamweight) at the Rio Olympics in 2016. Two years later, in 2017 he turned professional with the top-rank promotional support.
Professional Career and World Titles
Stevenson’s rise from the bottom was almost as swift and within a few short years, he’d be a world champion in two divisions. In 2019, he won the WBO world featherweight title. He moved up to super featherweight where he won the WBO title in 2021 against Jamel Herring. Stevenson unified the super feather and moved up to lightweight, winning the WBC title over Edwin De Los Santos in 2023.
Style and Criticism
Stevenson, whose style has earned comparisons to Mayweather — in terms of his defense and ring IQ — is no slouch. A southpaw who likes to set the pace, Smith keeps his foes off balance with slick head movement and quick counters. But his passive style has been derided for being dull compared to one-punch knockout artists. Stevenson has been winning his fights handily but he’s occasionally been showered with boos from various segments of the crowd, upset with a sort-of lack of knockouts.
Last 5 Fights: Future Opponents
Shakur Stevenson has breezed past most of his recent opponents, but the apparent ease with which he outboxes them sometimes disguises how competitive the fights turned down on paper by contributing to what are often lopsided scorecards. When he won a unanimous decision over Edwin De Los Santos to seize the WBC lightweight title, Dadashev received mixed reviews from fans, many of whom were underwhelmed by the lack of fireworks such an in-ring event normally produces. He outboxed Artem Harutyunyan in a unanimous decision in July 2024, but that didn’t stop him from hearing boos for failing to bring an early close.
- UD = Unanimous Decision
- TKO = Technical Knockout
Stevenson is next set to take on Joe Cordina in a do-or-die fight for his career as of October 12, 2024. For this fight, it sees former IBF super featherweight champion Cordina step up to lightweight. So a win by Stevenson would arguably place him at the doorstep of a possible marquee opponent in 2025, which is listed as Gervonta “Tank” Davis. That’s a fight many already are salivating for.
Shakur Stevenson vs Gervonta Davis:
One of the biggest fights that can still be pursued in boxing is a showdown between Shakur Stevenson and Gervonta Davis. The two fighters are undefeated and all-time champions at lightweight — Stevenson with the WBC and Davis Serge with the WBA. Though Stevenson — a crafty, defense-first boxer who doesn’t use his power as effectively as some believe he should — possesses the style advantage over Davis, the biggest threat and potential momentum-changing puncher of the four has to be Mongo. But some experts say Davis could have the upper hand because he can end a fight with one punch, while Stevenson’s lower knockout rate could be a liability in what will be a marquee bout.
Free Agency and Career Planning
Perhaps the seminal moment in Stevenson’s career to date is his declaration as a free agent, having finally finished with Top Rank. It allows him to have a promoter-proof ability to attempt to negotiate big money fights. Well, Stevenson has made this decision to put the most money in his pocket and get the biggest fights possible, which could include a mega-fight with Davis. Stevenson’s net worth is likely only to rise, with some financial experts predicting that if he keeps up his winning ways and pulls in marquee fights, the sky could be the limit.
Conclusion
Shakur Stevenson is unquestionably one of the best young talents in boxing right now, Having held world titles in three weight divisions, with a possible future showdown on the way against Gervonta Davis as well, Stevenson is angling to solidify his standing as one of the sport’s best. That being said, if Stevenson wants to broaden his fan base and reach the pinnacle of his career, he finds himself potentially in need of becoming even more electrifying and pleasing to the crowd in the ring. The next stage of his already decorated career then must come in a fight with Joe Cordina.
