Connect with us

Boxing

Shakur Stevenson went from Boogeyman to Lifeless Man

Published

on

Image: Shakur Stevenson Has Transitioned From The Boogeyman To The Boring Man

On the evening of July 6 at the Prudential Center in Newark, Recent Jersey, WBC lightweight world champion Shakur Stevenson defended his title by defeating Artem Harutyunyan (12-2, 7 KOs) by unanimous decision.

Stevenson did what many expected him to do, winning by a gigantic margin on the scorecards. Despite winning the fight easily, the boxing community criticized him because they did not appreciate his performance.

In April 2023, Shakur Stevenson, a two-division world champion, made his lightweight debut. His first fight in the novel weight class ended in success, as Stevenson won by technical knockout in the sixth round over Shuichiro Yoshino.

Shakur Stevenson had trouble staying vigorous, as Vasiliy Lomachenko, George Kambosos Jr., Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz and Frank Martin all turned down the opportunity to face Stevenson in the ring.

With other contenders routinely turning down the opportunity to fight Stevenson, fight fans labeled him a bogeyman. Stevenson finally had an opponent to compete with when Edwin De Los Santos took up the challenge.

On November 16, 2023, Shakur Stevenson entered the squared circle to fight Edwin De Los Santos for the vacant WBC lightweight world title. It was a dull fight as Stevenson was hesitant to get involved and De Los Santos had trouble cutting off the ring.

After a 12-round fight, Shakur Stevenson won the fight via unanimous decision. During the post-fight interview, a frustrated De Los Santos spoke about how he came to fight, but Stevenson came for the track and field competition.

Stevenson’s fight with De Los Santos was met with weighty criticism, with many in the boxing community blaming Stevenson for a dull fight. Stevenson admitted he had a destitute performance, and his promoter, Bob Arum, revealed that Shakur was battling a shoulder injury.

Shakur Stevenson would get a chance to redeem himself on the night of July 6, when he defended his title for the first time against Artem Harutyunyan. In the first round, Stevenson and Harutyunyan went through a feel-out process.

The second round didn’t see much action in the ring as Harutyunyan pressed forward and tried to be aggressive but failed to land anything significant. The narrow action continued in the third round as the fans started booing.

Shakur picked up the pace as he had a series of rounds in which he routinely landed piercing single punches and several two-punch combinations. During rounds 6 through 9, Stevenson had a window to go for the knockout, but instead of being more aggressive, he was content to just win rounds.

In the 11th round, some of Shakur’s hometown fans began to boo, while others left the arena. Stevenson was conservative in his attack in the 12th round, winning the round and winning the fight by unanimous decision. Shakur was victorious, but failed to make that proverbial statement.

Shakur Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) is an extremely talented ring technician with all the tools at his disposal, but unfortunately his lack of commitment and killer instinct lead to him being described as a dull fighter.

Shakur Stevenson’s fights are classified as dull because he is a level above his competition and easily uses the hit-but-don’t-get-hit strategy. Shakur will be in some fun fights in the future when he faces an opponent who is at his level.

When Shakur Stevenson faces an opponent of his same ring IQ and skill level, he will have no choice but to fight. We guarantee that Shakur will put on an extremely stimulating fight on the night he faces either Vasiliy Lomachenko or Gervonta “Tank” Davis.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Boxing

The fight between Alexis Rocha and Raul Curiel will take place on December 14 at the Toyota Arena

Published

on

Rocha vs Curiel

In a clash of forces between two world title contenders, NABO welterweight titleholder Alexis “Lex” Rocha (25-2-0, 16 KO) will put his skills to the test against undefeated knockout and NABF welterweight titleholder Raul “El Cugar “. Curiel (15-0, 13 KO).

The 10-round main event will take place on Saturday, December 14, live from the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, and will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN.

“‘The best versus the best’ is Golden Boy’s mantra and that’s what fans will see as Rocha and Curiel take on everything that’s on the table,” said President and CEO Oscar De La Hoya. “Rocha is a veteran whose goal is to win the world title, Curiel is an undefeated blue-chip prospect with huge potential. It’s really a 50/50 fight and I’m looking forward to it.”

Tickets for the Rocha vs. match Curiel will go on sale on Friday, October 11 at 10 a.m. PT and will be priced at $100, $75, $50 and $25, excluding applicable service fees. A confined number of Golden Boy VIP Experience tickets will also be available, including exclusive merchandise and fight night upgrades. Standard and VIP tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com, Toyota-arena.com, Goldenboy.com or at the Toyota Arena box office from Monday to Friday from 12:00 to 16:00

“I’ve seen Raul Curiel all these years and he never once mentioned my name,” Alexis Rocha said. “After my last defeat, he suddenly became interested in fighting me. If he thinks I’ve lost a step or somehow had an simple fight, he’s in for a rude awakening. I can’t wait to make a statement and show the world what I’m capable of.”

Santa Ana, California Rep. Alexis “Lex” Rocha comes from a struggling family. The younger brother of Ronny Rios, he was the youngest fighter to win a gold medal at the Junior Olympics at the age of 14 in 2012 and caught the attention of the boxing world by becoming a six-time national champion during his amateur career. Rocha signed with Golden Boy in January 2016 and made his professional debut in March 2016, defeating Jordan Rosario at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles. Since then, he has amassed an enviable record of powerful knockouts over top contenders and plans to return to world title contention, with his last fight being a victory over undefeated Santiago Dominguez on July 19 last year.

“The fans can expect a war,” said Raul Curiel. “I’m going to prepare well to put on a great show. This will be the most essential fight of my career so far. I know Alexis is a great fighter, a good opponent and will also show up prepared. My focus is on Alexis and if I can beat him, I know it will give me a chance to fight for the world championship.

Continue Reading

Boxing

George Kambosos moves up to 140, adds Eddie Hearn to team

Published

on

George Kambosos beats Teofimo

Former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos approached promoter Eddie Hearn asking for more massive fights.

Kambosos has signed a co-promotional deal with Eddie Hearn, under which the Greek-Australian slugger will continue his association with DiBella Entertainment Inc. and his own company, Ferocious Promotions.

The 21-3 star will move up to the super lightweight division of Matchroom Boxing’s lively division. He aims to become a two-weight world champion in early 2025, and as part of the deal, a title fight is promised as long as he continues to win.

Since his stunning victory over Teofimo Lopez, Kambosos has never shied away from competing against the best. Those three losses on his resume came to Devin Haney [twice] and Vasily Lomachenko, all at home and all for world titles.

The 31-year-old is now set to face compatriot Liam Paro after defending his IBF title against Richardson Hitchins in December in Puerto Rico.

“I am thrilled to be working with Matchroom Boxing. I am excited to have signed a three-way promotional cooperation agreement with my long-time promoter DiBella Entertainment Inc. and Ferocious Promotions,” Kambosos said.

“I made great success and history when I moved up the Matchroom shows by winning my UK elimination fight against Lee Selby. The most noteworthy and unforgettable is my victory against Teofimo at Madison Square Garden in Up-to-date York to become the 135-pound world champion.

“I am officially announcing that I will be moving up to 140 pounds and signing with Matchroom will ensure my continued success and the legacy I want to leave in the sport of boxing.”

Hearn, who adds an experienced campaigner to his stable, added: “I am delighted to welcome George to the team. George’s victory over Teofimo tore up the script and showed that George was the man for the massive time. He has proven to be a huge attraction in Australia and one of the real driving forces behind the rapid growth of boxing Down Under.

“The 140-pound division is full of massive names and massive potential fights. Adding George to the mix only elevates the level, and a possible fight with Liam Paro is a truly appetizing prospect. If Liam manages to win in a great fight against Richardson on December 7th [the fight could be on].

Lou DiBella, who has worked with Kambosos for years, said: “I’m glad I was able to make a deal with my antique buddy Eddie to work with George Kambosos Jr. and Ferocious Promotions.

“Throughout his career, George has been a fighter who has never shied away from a challenge, and now he wants to test himself against top junior welterweights.

Matchroom works with top 140-pounders, including George’s compatriot Liam Paro, and, like DiBella Entertainment, is heavily invested in Australia.

“It’s a natural partnership,” added the Up-to-date Yorker.

Continue Reading

Boxing

Mike Tyson had absolutely no chance of knocking out Jake Paul

Published

on

Mike Tyson comeback black

One of the hottest topics surrounding Mike Tyson’s return at the age of 58 was the possibility of the boxing legend scoring a knockout of Jake Paul.

WBN has weighed in on this topic several times, questioning the validity of five-second training clips that revealed nothing about Tyson’s abilities at this overdue age. One of the most intriguing observations during the preparations was the opinion of UFC commentator Daniel Cormier.

Speaking on his show “Funky and the Champ,” Cormier reflected on Tyson’s social media videos and offered an informed opinion on the meaning of the clips.

“I understand that [he is in amazing shape at 58]and I understand what he is saying [he feels as though he can compete]– Cormier said. “And I agree that when he hits the pads with Rafael Cordeiro, it looks like there’s still something left in him.

“But then I watch Jake Paul fight Mike Perry. I saw Jake Paul get overwhelmed to the point where he started to feel uncomfortable. It looked like Mike Perry had a chance. But Jake has a reserve tank he can go to and benefit from because he’s 28 years ancient. Then he comes back and finally finishes Mike Perry.

“At the beginning of the fight, Mike Perry gets beaten up and dropped. He looks trained and unmatched. This worries me because what if it looks like a 58-year-old man fighting a 28-year-old man while Mike can’t employ the backup tank to stay and compete with this newborn kid? I think it’s a failure for Jake Paul because if you beat Mike Tyson, everyone will love him.

He added: “What if Mike knocks him out? It’s over. Everything is ready. This would be the backfire of all time. If he gets knocked out, nothing like that has ever happened in the history of the sport.”

Unfortunately for Tyson, this revenge backfired spectacularly, as the former heavyweight champion’s return was the only event that bombed. Tyson had nothing left twenty years after he had nothing left in his tank and no desire to box in his mind.

Paul parlayed this into a money-making scheme that would forever be a success for him and his company, but would be poorly received by the die-hard boxing fraternity.

Cormier’s words resonate, especially after what happened in the ring when Mike Tyson struggled to shift into first gear, warning former fighters thinking about returning after 50.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe Us To Receive Our Latest News Directly In Your Inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Trending