Shakur Says Loma Is Being Kept Away From Him – ‘Loma Can’t Do Nothing, I Promise You’
Shakur Stevenson claims that Vasiliy Lomachenko is being kept away from him.
Shakur’s comments were in response to Loma’s 11th-round TKO win over George Kambosos Jr. He dropped the Australian twice to win the vacant IBF Lightweight Title. The victory sets up a possible unification with Shakur, who holds the WBC belt. Shakur has one fight left on his Top Rank deal, as he will box Artem Harutyunyan on July 6.
That will likely see Shakur leave Top Rank, making a fight with Loma less possible. During their time at Top Rank, they were linked with a fight last year. Following Loma’s loss to Devin Haney, he was the next-highest-ranked contender to face Shakur for the vacant WBC belt. But Lomachenko took the rest of 2023 off, leaving Shakur to face Edwin De Los Santos. That created the narrative that Lomachenko was not being matched with Shakur. Stevenson doubled down on those comments.
Shakur Reacts
“Loma can’t do nothing with me, I promise you that. That’s why they will never let me punch on him. The same way they saved Pacman from Bud.
“I respect yo fighting style I respect that you are a legend what I don’t respect is your willingness to not fight me.. People from the Ukraine is build wit Bravery within don’t hide behind Top Rank because that’s is not brave on your end,” Stevenson
Nevertheless, Arum has outlined three possible opponents for Loma. One of those includes Shakur. The other two mentioned were Gervonta Davis and Emanuel Navarrete. These fights set up big unifications. A fight with Davis will generate a big pay and the chance to win the WBA Lightweight Title. A fight with Navarrete could be for the WBO Lightweight Title, as he will box Denys Berinchyk on May 18 for the vacant belt. Since Lomachenko is 36, he knows he is at the latter end of his career. The Ukrainian has suggested that retirement is on his mind. Following the Kambosos win, he said he would take some time off before deciding what to do next. Arum has the biggest fights possible lined up.
Loma’s Future
“The idea here in the sport is to win the belts, to win all four belts. So you can take an inventory. Tank Davis is fighting Frank Martin, and it’s a good fight, and we’ll see who wins that fight. Navarrete fights next Saturday in San Diego, which is going to be on ESPN for a [WBO] lightweight championship. He [Navarrete] was the 130-lb champion and now he’s going up to 135. So, he’s a possibility. Shakur Stevenson is fighting in July in Newark, defending his WBC. So, he’s a possibility. There are probably others,” Arum stated
Lomachenko would be taking a risk by taking these fights in the late stage of his career. He is no longer the same fighter who was once considered the best pound-for-pound fighter. While he can still pull off wins on any given day, facing Davis or Shakur in their prime is another challenge.
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