Boxing analyst Tim Bradley believes Shakur Stevenson is deliberately adopting a villain function to create synthetic curiosity in his profession by combating the media and the followers on social media.
The Mayweather Playbook
What the WBC light-weight champion Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) lacks in leisure worth to create in his boring fights, which contain primarily protection and security first Mayweather-esque fashion reincarnated, he makes up by excessively boastful.
Followers tune in to look at Shakur’s fights, not as a result of they count on to be entertained however to hope he’ll lose and get knocked off his excessive horse. However given the weak opposition he’s fought, he can’t get overwhelmed.
That mentioned, Shakur arguably deserved a loss final 12 months in opposition to Edwin De Los Santos, however the judges bailed him out in that battle. He was uncovered in that battle, however being the A-side helped him dodge loads he would have taken if he was an everyday fighter.
Excessive Scores, Low PPV Potential:
“We’re speaking about nobody needs to see him, but the child has the very best rankings on ESPN [in 2024 for a boxing event] out of any fighter,” mentioned Tim Bradley to Fighthype about Shakur Stevenson. “We are saying no person needs to see him, however all people has their eyes on him [for a fight on a regular non-PPV event on ESPN].”
What Bradley isn’t saying is whether or not those self same followers would have tuned in if Shakur’s battle final weekend in opposition to Artem Harutyunyan had been on ESPN PPV. I’d say that’s an enormous NO. Individuals wouldn’t have been keen to buy Shakur’s battle on PPV, however that’s a distinct story when it’s on free TV on ESPN. If Shakur’s villain function works, he’ll battle on PPV, not free tv.
“They’re fascinated with him, they usually wish to see what all people is speaking about. Even in his subsequent battle, folks will watch him simply to criticize,” mentioned Bradley about Shakur.
Can a Villain Conquer the Light-weight Division?
Being a villain solely carries a fighter to this point. Their hustle will run its course if they’ll’t beat the top-rung opposition. Shakur isn’t going to beat Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis combating the way in which he does, and he’d possible lose simply as badly in opposition to Abdullah Mason and William Zepeda.
Bradley notes that Shakur’s protection was so good that he wasn’t getting hit, even whereas standing in entrance of Harutyunyan. He’s fallacious. Shakur was getting hit by Harutyunyan and fairly a bit with clear proper fingers.
If Tank had been the one touchdown these pictures, Shakur wouldn’t have made it by way of the battle with out getting knocked out. Harutyunyan was head-hunting the whole battle, which made life simpler for Shakur as a result of it enabled him to face in entrance of him and lean away to keep away from his punches.
If Harutyunyan had the sense to focus on his physique, he would have discovered him a simple goal. A fighter like William Zepeda can be a nightmare for Shakur if he tried to battle him in a stationary method as he did in opposition to Harutyunyan as a result of he would throw his physique and cease him early like he did his final two opponents.
“I believe this new approach of Shakur lashing out and going on the media from celebrities on; he’s attempting to create a villain function now, and he’s attempting to make use of it not just for gasoline however to get extra eyeballs watching him, create extra hate and placing himself in a state of affairs the place many individuals will imagine he’ll lose and he finally ends up profitable,” mentioned Bradley.
The villain function labored for Mayweather as a result of he fastidiously chosen his opposition late in his profession, swerving fighters like a younger Errol Spence, Keith Thurman, Tim Bradley, and even Manny Pacquiao.
Mayweather didn’t battle Pacquiao till he was on the fallacious facet of 30 and had not too long ago misplaced to Juan Manuel Marquez and Bradley. Shakur can’t do the identical as a result of he hasn’t established himself as a PPV attraction and wishes Tank Davis and Vasily Lomachenko.
The Challenges of a Villain
“He’ll seem like the hero. Like this has all the time been his plan to create this narrative simply so folks can battle him, and he’ll have the ability to pay good dividends if he pulls it off,” mentioned Bradley. “If he beats a man like Tank, if Tank will get within the ring and fights him, that’s validation proper there as a result of all people is aware of what Tank brings.”
If Shakur beat Tank Davis, after all, he would seem like a hero, however that’s not reasonable given his combating fashion. The judges aren’t going to present Shakur a call utilizing his three-feet step-back fashion of combating, and he can’t stand within the pocket in opposition to Tank with out getting exterminated shortly.
“Tank proper now, for those who put a ballot up, he’s the #1 man at 135, in line with the boxing world, in line with the folks, he’s the #1 man. Shakur in all probability is available in second. So if he beats Tank, he’s the person. So perhaps this is part of his [Shakur] plan,” mentioned Bradley.
