Terence Crawford desires to see WBC light-weight champion Shakur Stevenson unify the 135-lb division and silence all of the doubters who view him as a faux, a timid runner afraid to change.
What Crawford desires for Shakur could also be inconceivable for him to do. He’s not proven the expertise to unify at 135, and he’s lucky to not have a loss from final November already.
Stevenson lacks the facility and braveness to swim with the sharks at light-weight, and he wore out his welcome along with his final promoters after being booed out of the T-Cell.
If Shakur follows Crawford’s needs of preventing the very best, he’ll seemingly lose to Gervonta Davis and Vasily Lomachenko. These fighters are ranges above Shakur in offensive capacity, and he received’t beat them if he’s afraid to change.
“I want to see Shakur Stevenson do precisely what he’s doing now. Protecting his identify on the market within the media, persons are speaking about him,” mentioned Terence Crawford to Ariel Helwani’s YouTube channel about wanting WBC light-weight champion Shakur Stevenson to proceed along with his similar profession method, boxing, not getting hit.
Shakur is protecting his identify within the media by posting on X, however his posts principally reply to the many individuals calling him ‘boring,’ which is inconceivable for him to refute. That’s his type.
The judges received’t give Shakur a choice win if he solely throws a punch after which takes off like a rocket to keep away from being hit. That’s his type, and it doesn’t work at 135 towards the proficient fighters within the division. He refuses to remain within the pocket, and that archaic Mayweather-esque type doesn’t match on this period of the game. It’s passe now.
Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) may be capable of show himself by taking up WBA champion Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis in November. Earlier as we speak, Tank Davis’ assistant coach, Kenny Ellis, mentioned that he’s concerned about Shakur being Gervonta’s subsequent opponent now that Vasily Lomachenko has chosen to take the rest of the 12 months off.
The percentages of Tank and Shakur agreeing to phrases for a struggle are slim, as a result of Stevenson views him as on the identical stage as, and he’s not. So, the struggle has little or no probability of getting made until Shakur is determined.
If Stevenson doesn’t take it now, he may by no means get it as a result of he’s proven vulnerability since transferring up, and he may lose. He got here near shedding to Edwin De Los Santos final November and landed nearly nothing within the struggle besides weak jabs.
“I need see him struggle the very best within the [lightweight] division,” Crawford continued about Shakur. “I need see him unify the division and shut these guys up who’re saying, ‘He’s not this nice fighter they suppose he’s’. I need see these guys get within the ring with him.”
If Shakur will get his manner and fights Tank, he’ll seemingly lose badly and be at all-time low of the light-weight division. I’d hate to see Shakur need to claw his manner again to the highest after shedding to Tank by knockout and needing to go to by means of younger killers like Abdullah Mason.
