Shakur Stevenson gloated today on social media about his #1 ranking in The Ring’s top 10 at lightweight, and dared fighters to “come get this fight from me.”
(Credit: Golden Boy)
Speaking about his rise to #1 in the last three months, Stevenson (24-0, 11 KOs) says he “kicked the door down and took my #1 spot.” The victory that catapulted Shakur to #1 was his 12-round unanimous decision win over William Zepeda on July 12, 2025.
A Manufactured Number One?
What Stevenson isn’t saying is that he achieved the top spot in the Ring Rankings without fighting any of these talented lightweights: Andy Cruz, Floyd Schofield, Jadier Herrera, Raymond Muratalla, and Abdullah Mason.
Fans consider those fighters as the apex predators in the lightweight division and the main threats to ending Shakur’s brief reign at 135. Thus far, Stevenson has managed to avoid fighting any of these dominant predators.
Is that an accident that Shakur hasn’t fought any of them, or a sign that he’s a manufactured fighter made to look better than he is with the clever matchmaking done by his promoters?
The Ring Top 10 Lightweight Rankings
- Shakur Stevenson
- Gervonta Davis
- Raymond Muratalla
- William Zepeda
- Andy Cruz
- Floyd Schofield
- Denys Berinchyk
- Sam Noakes
- Abdullah Mason
- Lucas Bahdi
3 months ago I was at the #3 spot when I knew I shouldn’t of been there.. Kicked the door down and took my #1 spot, Now tell somebody come get this spot from me 😤 https://t.co/bVRZBlYiSs
— Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) September 4, 2025
Ranking on weak opposition
- William Zepeda: W-UD 12
- Josh Padley: W-TKO 9
- Artem Harutyunyan: W-UD 12
- Edwin De Los Santos: W-UD 12
- Shuichiro Yoshino: W-TKO 6
I don’t believe those victories are good enough for Shakur to be rated #1 in the Ring Magazine’s rankings at lightweight. One can shoot holes through all five of those fighters, as they’re all flawed in their own way.
First of all, Padley was a part-time boxer with a job as an electrician. He was brought in as a substitute after Shakur’s originally scheduled opponent, Floyd Schofield, dropped out of the fight with food poisoning for the February 22, 2025, event.
Shuichiro Yoshino had never beaten any notable opposition at the time that Shakur fought him on April 8, 2023. Yoshino has since been knocked out by the prospect Siro Choi in the eighth round last April.
Artem Harutyunyan had been inactive for 1 year and was coming off a 12-round unanimous decision loss to Frank Martin at the time Stevenson fought him on July 6, 2024. Harutyunyan hasn’t fought since losing to Shakur by a 12-round decision. You can argue that this is another part-time boxer that Stevenson had beaten at lightweight.
One of the better fighters Shakur has faced at 135, William Zepeda, wasn’t a big puncher and less of a threat. Some fans on social media didn’t agree with the punch stats for the fight, which showed Shakur outlanding Zepeda despite taking numerous body shots in every round. Stevenson was pinned to the ropes virtually the entire fight, trying to block incoming fire from Zepeda on his gloves.
Stevenson-Zepeda Punch Stats
- William Zepeda: 272 of 979 punches thrown for 28%
- Shakur Stevenson: 295 of 565 shots for 52%
The gem of the five that Shakur has fought at 135, Edwin De Los Santos, landed the harder, cleaner shots, yet found himself on the receiving end of a 12-round unanimous decision on November 16, 2023.
Fans booed Stevenson at ringside for choosing to move for the entire fight. He only landed 65 punches in the whole battle due to the nonstop movement he used to evade the big punches from De Los Santos. It was a fight that could have gone the other way, given the harder shots and the aggressiveness of Edwin. He was the one making the fight with his pressure. The judges scored it 116-112, 115-113, and 116-112, all for Stevenson.
Last Updated on 09/04/2025
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