In an interview, Promoter Oscar De La Hoya criticized Shakur Stevenson, saying he lacks the self-belief to placed on entertaining performances to promote tickets.
Security-First Combating Fashion
De La Hoya believes Shakur’s safety-first combating fashion stems from a insecurity and one thing he may change if he believed in himself. Oscar needs Shakur to be fan-friendly, however that’s not possible with out breaking him as a fighter.
It’s most likely too late for Shakur to vary how he fights as a result of he appears afraid of taking pictures, and he thinks he can excel on the highest ranges at 135 utilizing his ugly hit-and-run combating fashion.
It labored for Shakur at 130 and 126, however he didn’t combat nice skills in these weight lessons. The most effective guys Shakur fought in these divisions have been shopworn fighters, Oscar Valdez and Jamel Herring, who’d had seen higher days.
Since transferring as much as 135, Shakur has fought thrice and seemed under common in two fights in opposition to Edwin De Los Santos and Artem Harutyunyan. He’s now hounding Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis for a combat in what some view as a blatant cry for a payday.
Stevenson may defend his WBC light-weight title subsequent in opposition to William Zepeda, a fighter promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, at considered one of His Excellency Turki Alalshikh’s occasions.
Shakur’s Cautious Fashion is Ingrained
Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) has at all times fought cautiously since his beginner days, which is why he misplaced within the Olympics in 2016. The judges didn’t recognize his ‘hit-and-not-get-hit; fashion within the Olympic finals match in opposition to Robeisy Ramirez of Cuba.
It’s comprehensible why De La Hoya can be involved with Shakur’s incapability to promote as a result of it will affect a PPV occasion involving Zepeda if that combat occurs subsequent.
“He wants the boldness to combat. He has to imagine in himself to placed on an excellent present and promote seats. That’s the issue he’s having. He’s not promoting seats,” mentioned promoter Oscar De La Hoya to the Membership Shay Shay YouTube channel, speaking about Shakur Stevenson’s incapability to promote tickets and never being a draw.
“He’s an awesome fighter. He’s demanding all this cash, and fights aren’t being made.”
If De La Hoya is relying on Shakur to vary his combating fashion in time for a combat in opposition to William Zepeda (31-0, 27 KOs), he should overlook it as a result of it’s not taking place. Shakur’s combating fashion is ready in stone, and he doesn’t like getting hit.
Shakur might need been damage in sparring episodes and has no confidence to threat his chin in exchanges with highly effective fighters. We noticed Shakur get labored over in a sparring video in opposition to Liam Paro, so it is sensible for him to combat scared as a result of he has restricted offensive capacity.
