Jamaine Ortiz Is Confident That He Would Beat Shakur Stevenson
Jamaine Ortiz has put Shakur Stevenson on notice following the latter’s poor performance against Edwin De Los Santos.
Stevenson became a three-division champion by beating his opponent via a unanimous decision to pick up the WBC lightweight title. However, the performance resulted in numerous boos throughout the fight. Stevenson remained on the defensive and stayed behind his jab, while De Los Santos did try on occasion to press the action.
It turned out in the aftermath that Stevenson had injured his shoulder coming into the fight, as per Bob Arum. And as he was booed out of the ring, Stevenson’s stock had fallen. Potential fights against Gervonta Davis and Devin Haney seem far away, with question marks over Stevenson’s ability to sell out venues. And with an extremely defensive style, the boxer may not appeal to the wider fanbase. In response, Ortiz was ready to step in and take on Stevenson, given what he had seen.
Ortiz On Shakur
“I’m not, I’m not [impressed by Stevenson’s performance]. Put him in the ring with me. I’ll crack him. I don’t think Shakur would be a hard fight for me. I’m a whoop his ass,” Ortiz said
Ortiz’s own stock has risen following his recent performance against Vasiliy Lomachenko. The former had been a sparring partner for Loma, which had shown during the fight, as he was more than a match for the Ukrainian during the first half of the fight.
Thereafter, the three-division champion pulled away, but Ortiz did manage to make it to the final bell as he lost out via a unanimous decision. In the aftermath, Ortiz followed that up with a win against Antonio Moran via a unanimous decision in September. And looking ahead to the future, the boxer was targeting a world title, given his previous comments.
Ortiz On A World Title
“I would love to get a fight with Shakur,. I don’t know if Devin Haney’s gonna stay around [at 135 pounds]. I would love to get a fight with Devin Haney. You know, I just wanna fight the top guys. I want a world title, any fighter that’s gonna get me a world title, and I believe Shakur Stevenson, that [fight] could be for a world title. Obviously, Devin Haney could be for a world title. I think it would be an easy fight to make. I wanna fight him. I’m pretty sure he’s willing to fight me,” Ortiz stated
Nevertheless, it is too early to write off Stevenson based on one performance. The injury, coupled with his own admission to come back stronger, may be just the catalyst the boxer needs to avoid being complacent. And with tougher opponents out there in the form of Davis and Haney, Stevenson is aware that his performance would have to improve. And given the talent at his disposal, Shakur can bounce back.
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