Shakur Stevenson confirmed that his surgically repaired proper hand was performing at full energy immediately in a bag exercise. He just lately suffered a right-hand damage coaching for his combat in opposition to Joe Cordina., and needed to cancel the match to have surgical procedure.
Shakur’s Hand Issues
It is going to be fascinating to see how lengthy Shakur can go earlier than he comes up lame once more with one other hand damage and wishes one other spherical of surgical procedure. He’s quick changing into a sickbay commando with all his illnesses, and he’s solely 27. Shakur simply isn’t reduce out to be a light-weight.
He can’t make the grade bodily, and he received’t be capable to make a profession out of utilizing novice fencing type in opposition to the highest fighters at 135. To exist at light-weight, you have got really to combat and never run across the ring taking part in tag. That’s doubtless why Shakur is having such a tough time getting the highest names to combat him.
The judges aren’t going to offer Shakur the advantage of the doubt like they did in his combat in opposition to Edwin De Los Santos, which he ought to have misplaced. If the crowds are booing nonstop from the third spherical, the judges aren’t going to maintain giving Shakur wins.
Prime Rank may be thanking their fortunate stars that Shakur selected to not re-up for an additional hitch with their firm and has turn out to be Eddie Hearn’s downside at Matchroom.
Energy Wanted To Battle At 135
Stevenson’s brittle arms have been failing him since he moved as much as light-weight, and it may very well be that his physique can’t deal with preventing on this weight class.
Fighters are anticipated to own energy at 135, and in the event that they weren’t blessed in that division the best way Gervonta Davis, Abdullah Mason, and William Zepeda, they’ve obtained to load up with each ounce of power they’ve. That’s what Shakur has been doing; his arms can’t take it. They’re not constructed for light-weight.
Assuming Shakur doesn’t endure a setback along with his fragile arms, he’s going to should get an opponent for the February twenty second card in Riyadh.
William Zepeda doesn’t seem like fascinated with preventing Shakur, and it’s believed that he’s focusing on a combat in opposition to WBA light-weight champion Tank Davis. That’s the cash combat for Zepeda, so why he’d wish to go in that course as an alternative of preventing Shakur is comprehensible.
Choices for Shakur’s Subsequent Battle
– Edwin De Los Santos
– Andy Cruz
– Raymond Muratalla
– Keyshawn Davis
– Floyd Schofield
Eddie Hearn needs to show Shakur into a world famous person or not less than that’s what he says, but when he matches him in opposition to any of these fighters, it’s going to finish badly.
Even with the judging crew that gave Shakur the victory over De Los Santos final 12 months in November, they received’t be capable to management the booing from the followers. They provide Shakur one other controversial win, however the booing will likely be there greater than ever if he faces a kind of guys.
What’s fascinating is how huge Shakur is trying. He’s placed on weight since his final combat on July sixth in opposition to Artem Harutyunyan and seems to be a filled-out welterweight. He’s going to want to lose an entire bunch of weight if he needs to return to 135.
I don’t know what Shakur has been consuming within the final 5 months to placed on a lot weight, however he must avoid that meals.
Shakur has at all times been big for each weight class he’s fought since turning professional, however he’s huge for the 135-lb division. As huge as he’s, he must be competing at 147 in opposition to fighters like Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis.
Clearly, Shakur, 27, can be at an influence drawback going up in opposition to Boots Ennis, but when he’s pretty much as good as he and his followers consider, he ought to be capable to combat in opposition to guys his personal measurement at welterweight.
Shakur has not carried out nicely in two of the three fights he’s had since transferring as much as 135 in 2023. He struggled in opposition to these two fighters: Edwin De Los Santos and Artem Harutyunyan.
2025 🔜…. 💨 pic.twitter.com/A8jxVEr2yX
— Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) November 23, 2024
