Eric Bottjer

Shakur Stevenson knocked on the cubicle-sized door – quite loudly – ​​and moved inside. He is currently renting a club. A few more performances, like Saturday’s fight against opponents of Teofimo Lopez’s caliber, will make him an owner in this area.

The 2020s are the golden era of boxing. Tyson Fury is an all-time great heavyweight fighter. The man who beat him twice is arguably the greatest cruiserweight of all time (can you imagine Oleksandr Usyk vs. Evander Holyfield in the overdue 1980s?). Japan’s Naoya Inoue is arguably the greatest bantamweight to ever walk the earth. Terence Crawford could compete with any welterweight in history. Canelo Alvarez, even though he was in the red, was in the top 10 middleweight five years ago. Like ever in the top 10.

You can – and should – put these five fighters on any list of the 10 greatest boxers of all time (in their respective weight classes). Shakur isn’t here yet. But if he stays focused and fights against the best competition, it will happen. It’s pure pleasure to watch a 21st century athlete operate 20th century boxing skills. It’s worth watching the “boxer” stay in the pocket and beat the “puncher” to see it happen (pay-per-view money in my case – the weather was too cool for my bones in Florida).

I’m betting on Lopez. Not because I thought he would win (I didn’t), but because the +240 odds for him to win didn’t reflect the talent gap. There was no talent gap, at least physically. Lopez has legitimate power and was certainly the hardest hit Shakur has faced – in his life. Lopez also has world-class speed.

I didn’t ignore the talent gap when it came to boxing IQ. I knew Shakur was taller. I also knew that Shakur had a definite advantage in his camp and corner (head coach). But I couldn’t get past Lopez’s path to victory, which seemed quite uncomplicated to me (though also very challenging to execute): you force Shakur to do what he doesn’t feel comfortable doing. You force him to fight when he doesn’t want to. This is a strategy that a wise coach considers against EVERY opponent.

I imagined Lopez forcing Shakur back and, more importantly, taking away his jab (not literally taking away the punch itself – taking away his advantage in that regard).

Elementary step one: move it back. Lopez tried this at first. He tried it with a jab. Each time, Shakur simply took a step back, each time observing his opponent, each time measuring the distance, and each time measuring any differences in that distance. This is what great warriors do.

A great opponent would see the folly of continuing this failed strategy and recalibrating. You still want to move your man back. You know that when you step forward with one foot, he will take a step back. Therefore, when you take a step forward, you KNOW he will take a step back. You don’t have to throw punches to achieve this. You just take a step, knowing, at least initially, that you’re not in any danger because at that point Shakur isn’t punching when you moved forward earlier. You know you can move him at least a step back without punching or being punched. And you can deceive him with your head, arms, and arm movements. Damn it, your eyes. That’s what great warriors do.

Lopez is not a great fighter, he is just a great talent. He couldn’t make Shakur trade, make him feel uncomfortable, make him feel any danger, because he couldn’t even do the uncomplicated task of moving his man when he wanted to move him. Shakur didn’t need a plan B. Because Lopez didn’t have a plan A.

I won’t go into the instructions Teo heard in the corner. The polite conclusion is that Lopez needs a fresh coach. Instead, let’s be positive and honor Wali Moses, Shakur’s grandfather, who was a high-class cornerback: composed, competent and inspiring confidence in his fighter.

Who will be next for Shakur. Probably Ryan Garcia if Ryan gets rid of Mario Barrios later this month. But FIGHT for Shakur is impossible right now.

Gervonta “Tank” Davis, like Shakur, knocked on the door to greatness, entered (knocking out Ryan Garcia and Rolly Romero and defeating Isaac Cruz), but evicted himself.

Tank life is a wreck. If he were to seek solace in the only place he has control (in the ring), he is still undefeated, even though he is 31 years aged, in great shape and his skills are extraordinary. He also brings a real trainer to the dance and, like Shakur, sells tickets.

Tank Davis vs. Ryan Garcia and Shakur Stevenson vs. Teofimo Lopez are fights worth watching on pay-per-view. Shakur vs. Tank is a great fight. And there is money for it. Let’s hope someone helps Tank outside the ring so that when he returns he can show us the answer everyone is asking right now: Can anyone beat Shakur Stevenson?