Shakur Stevenson Claims ‘Young Black' Fighters Are Judged Differently

Shakur Stevenson has said that young black fighters are held to a different standard than other boxers. 

His comments were made about the criticism he has received towards his boxing style. Shakur’s last two performances have come under heavy criticism. While Stevenson secured the win in those bouts, his style was criticized. Shakur faced Edwin De Los Santos for the vacant WBC Lightweight Title. Stevenson won a unanimous decision, but he was fighting off the back foot using a jab, while De Los Santos failed to cut the ring off.

Shakur was booed during and after the fight. He later disclosed that he had an injury coming into the fight, but it was not enough to appease to the fans. Stevenson’s last bout was against Artem Harutyunyan. Once again, Shakur won a unanimous decision. But he failed to stop Artem, with some fans leaving before the final round. Stevenson is now a free agent following the expiry of his Top Rank contract. However, due to all the criticism, Stevenson felt he was not held to the same standards as other fighters. 

Shakur Reacts

"I don’t hear nobody ever say Lomachenko was being boring when he fought (Jose) Pedraza. I didn’t hear anything about him being boring when he fought (Guillermo) Rigondeaux. He barely even touched Rigondeaux. [And] he barely landed any punches on Rigondeaux, but nobody claims he was boring. He was coming forward and making a fight, but I just feel like it’s a different standard on young black guys. I feel like our people need to like learn how to stand with us, not play against us," Stevensons said 

Alternatively, Stevenson has been told to improve his boxing style to win over the public. Juan Manuel Marquez has told Stevenson to be more aggressive. The problem facing Shakur is that judging prioritises more aggressive fighters than technically sound ones. Meanwhile, fans are looking to get value for money.

Shakur’s Issue

Floyd Mayweather was respected because he built a reputation as an aggressive fighter. During his time as ‘Pretty Boy Floyd,’ Mayweather stopped his opponents before he suffered issues with his hands. When he became ‘Money Mayweather,’ his style became more defensive, but his fanbase stayed loyal due to the massive following he built. Shakur has never been an attacking fighter, unlike Gervonta Davis, who has been praised a lot. Marquez called on Shakur to do the same. 

"People want to see entertaining fights. What happened with Shakur Stevenson?” said Juan Manuel Marquez to the Fight Hub TV YouTube channel, remarking that Shakur Stevenson needed to put on entertaining fights for the fans. “If he doesn’t have a great opponent, he gives us boring fights. Maybe William Zepeda is a good opponent for Shakur Stevenson, and he’ll make a great fight. This is the rule, ‘Hit and don’t get hit’ in the ring, but you need to offer the show. You need to offer entertainment for the people," Marquez said 

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