Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero named Shakur Stevenson as the most “overrated” fighter in boxing this week, talking about his lackluster resume.
When interviewed by Mike Coppinger, Rolly gave one reason why he sees the WBC lightweight champion Shakur (23-0, 11 KOs) as being “overrated.” His focus was just on his record.
The Making of Shakur?
Romero points out that the Matchroom-promoted Stevenson’s only notable win during his eight-year career is against Oscar Valdez, who suffered a broken jaw in 2018 against Scott Quigg. The view that many have about Valdez is that he’s not looked the same since that fight.
Shakur’s Resume
– Edwin De Los Santos
– Jamel Herring
– Robson Conceicao
– Artem Harutyunyan
“I can tell you overrated real quick. Shakur,” said Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero to Ring Magazine when asked who he thinks is the most “overrated” fighter in boxing. “Can anyone in public name an opponent other than Oscar Valdez, who had his jaw broken [by Scott Quigg] in 2018, who isn’t a puncher. He can crack, but he’s not a puncher. Sylistically, he’s a counter-puncher, so Shakur was going to beat him regardless.
“You tell me another fighter Shakur has beat. Any casual fighter cannot tell me,” said Rolly, exposing the Stevenson hype.
The Hype Blueprint
It’s pretty clear that since Shakur has moved up to 135 in 2023, he’s been maneuvered around the dangerous contenders that could potentially beat him. It’s believed that Stevenson is being protected to keep him unbeaten long enough for him to get the giant payday fight against Gervonta Davis. It’s a simple strategy.
How to create a hype job for money purposes: Get an Olympian, match him against weak opposition, and then push for a big-money fight against a fighter way above his pay grade. Shakur fought in the 2016 Olympics and was thrashed by Cuba’s Robeisy Ramirez.
So, the talented contenders like Andy Cruz, Raymond Muratalla, Abdullah Mason, and Jadier Herrera will be avoided by Stevenson’s promoters so they can help hold onto his WBC 135-lb belt long enough to hit the jackpot with the Tank Davis fight.
Of the top fighters at 135, Stevenson is well below many of the fighters in the weight class. His inadequacy has been disguised by the careful matchmaking that has been done by his promoters to hide his defects and keep him from losing around the clock.
The Top Lightweights Ranked
- Gervonta Davis
- Andy Cruz
- Raymond Muratalla
- Abdullah Mason
- Keyshawn Davis
- Jadier Herrera
- Lamont Roach
- Shakur Stevenson
- Jose Velazquez
- Floyd Schofield
Shakur could potentially get a $10 million payday fighting Tank. Obviously, with that kind of money just over the horizon, Shakur isn’t about to fight anyone good and be exposed. He had a close call against Edwin De Los Santos, and that fight showed how limited Stevenson is.
After that fight, Top Rank matched him against Artem Harutyunyan in his final fight under his contract. In Stevenson’s one fight since signing with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom, he fought Josh Padley, an electrician from the UK.
Stevenson’s next fight is scheduled for July 12th in New York against William Zepeda. He’s coming off back-to-back controversial decisions over Tevin Farmer. So, that explains why Shakur is so eager to fight him.
Last Updated on 04/30/2025
Read the full article here
