Shakur Stevenson: Still Undefeated, Still Avoiding Lightweight’s Toughest Four

Promoter Bob Arum claims that his former fighter, Shakur Stevenson, “Will dominate the lightweight division for years to come” following his victory over William Zepeda on July 12th.

Shakur’s Lightweight Apex Avoidance

Stevenson has been avoiding the lightweight apex since he first landed on the 135-lb division’s soil. He wants nothing to do with these predators:

• Andy Cruz
• Floyd Schofield
• Abdullah Mason
• Jadier Herrera

Arum says that as long as Shakur (24-0, 11 KOs) can keep making weight for the 135-lb division, he believes he’ll stay on top for a long time. He has yet to beat anyone good, and the ones who do have talent, he won’t fight.

“Shakur is one of the best fighters around. People say he’s a technician. He’s more than just a technician. He’s a great fighter,” said Bob Arum to Fight Hub TV, pouring on the praise of his former Top Rank fighter, Shakur Stevenson. “He’s a fighter as the years go on and the fights pile up, people will realize he’s extremely difficult to beat.”

“Best fighters” compared to who, Bob? You can’t compare Stevenson to the A-level fighters like Andy Cruz, because he’s been fighting opposition that was made to order for him since he moved up to the lightweight division in 2023.

Analyzing Stevenson’s 135-lb Opponents

– William Zepeda
– Josh Padley
– Artem Harutyunyan
– Edwin De Los Santos
– Shuichiro Yoshino

When Shakur is running around the ring, he has been difficult for the limited opposition he has faced. As we saw in his fight against William Zepeda, he’s very beatable if he’s stationary against good opposition.

Stevenson has been maneuvered around by the killers in the 135-lb division by his clever promoters, who kept him far away from the top guys. Just look at the opposition he’s faced. They’re light years away from the best fighters in the lightweight division.

Arum’s Praise: Empty Words?

“I wasn’t surprised by that fight [William Zepeda] and how it went because I’ve always been very high on Shakur and his ability. I think, as long as there’s no problem making weight, he will dominate the lightweight division for years to come,” said Arum.

I disagree. Stevenson will lose once he faces the lightweight apex [Andy Cruz, Abdullah Mason, Floyd Schofield, and Jadier Herrera], and the fans who bought into him being the best will feel they were tricked by the promoters who deceived them.

If fans would just open their eyes and look at the opposition that Shakur has been facing at 135, they’d have caught on to the hustle. They’d see that it was all smoke and mirrors.