A year and a half removed from a silver medal in Brazil, featherweight boxer Shakur Stevenson (6-0, 3 KO) is making a name for himself within the professional circuit.
In a post-fight interview Saturday touts himself as the best prospect in all of boxing. Again this Monday morning from his Twitter, “I’m the best prospect in Boxing no debate.”
After Saturday’s impressive win with a TKO in the second round against Roxberg Patrick Riley (12-1, 6 KO) it’s hard to debate it. Look at the record again on Riley. He’s lost to one man. Stevenson!
People that read me know I’m bold and I stick true to my opinion 100%, so here are my claims…
Stevenson will be the greatest fighter of this generation.
We have seen and fell in love or massive hate with: Andre Ward, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Bernard Hopkins, Roy Jones Jr. and more. Now Stevenson is bringing it all back. The man is twenty years old, but fighting like the fighters named above, in their prime. He so easily picks apart a fighter and does it with such calmness to him.
When I watch Stevenson, especially in the Tapia fight one thing kept playing in my head, “how is this possible?” For a whole eight rounds Tapia didn’t look like he was in a comfortable spot at all and Stevenson wasn’t putting your typical, “Mexican style” pressure on him, just boxing smart. Round after round putting on a master class you’d second guess his age.
Even with that, he knows work still needs to be done and there’s a need for improvement in every single category. This showed in an interview when he just turned 19 and an Olympian in Rio. Most athletes people dream about getting a medal at an Olympic Games, not Stevenson. After receiving his silver medal he became overcome with emotion in an interview and showing he was not satisfied with the silver. This show incredible amounts of confidence Stevenson has in his game. To survive in the game, confidence is necessary.
Whether people look at him as a crybaby or an overly cocky young kid, fact is fact. Stevenson is hands down the best prospect in Boxing and will be the greatest fighter of this generation. I’ll forever stand on this.