Shakur Stevenson Slams Ryan Garcia’s ‘Shakira Twitterson’ Jibe – ‘Ostarine Garcia, Stop Cheating’
Ryan Garcia had a pop at Shakur Stevenson’s victory over Artem Harutyunyan.
Stevenson secured a comfortable unanimous decision win to retain his WBC Lightweight Title. However, it was the second consecutive fight where his performance was criticized for being too ‘boring.’ Shakur was never in trouble, but Artem stayed out of harm’s way to make it to the final bell. There were some jeers from the crowd. Shakur directed that towards Artem’s refusal to engage in a fight.
Some fans left the arena before the last round, indicating their unhappiness at the fight. The performance will hamper his commercial value since Shakur was fighting in his hometown of Newark, Jersey. He is now a free agent, having left Top Rank, meaning he can speak to other promoters. Oscar De La Hoya has indicated his interest in speaking to Shakur for a potential fight with William Zepeda. Meanwhile, Eddie has previously stated that he is willing to discuss the possibility of signing with DAZN.
Shakur’s Future
“If Shakur wants to pledge his future, you make a significant investment. If it’s a two, three-fight deal, he’s going to be getting a lot of money, and it’s got to work for you as well. I think Shakur, pound-for-pound, is one of the best fighters in the world. He may be unbeatable. He’s that good, but I think he’s been promoted terribly.
“I think some of that is because when Bob [Arum] knows a fighter is looking to leave, he’s out. For the revenue he creates for the show, he’s earned a lot of money, but he hasn’t been pushed to make him a commercial success. I like him. I think he’s a great fighter and would be an incredible addition to the Matchroom team. If he’s available, we’ll definitely be having a conversation; whether it works for both of us, we’ll have to see,” Hearn said
Shakur stated he rejected $15 million from Top Rank to sign for five fights, leaving him as a free agent. However, Garcia’s following comments suggest that Shakur will struggle to make the big fights. Shakur hit back at Garcia, too.
Shakur vs. Garcia
“Everyone knows you are terrified in the ring. You fight like a scared man,” Garcia
“Ryan Ostarine Garcia stop cheating your way thru life, Your on a 1 year vacation be happy the higher powers didn’t punish u for longer cause u deserve a 5 year suspension. And on my life if I was Dev or Bill you’ll be lucky to still be breathing intentionally cheating in a dangerous as sport like that white boy,” Stevenson stated
Garcia and Shakur had agreed to fight verbally before Garcia’s fight with Devin Haney. Garcia revealed he would fight Shakur if the Gervonta Davis rematch broke down. Garcia’s current one-year ban after testing positive for Ostarine means that his next fight cannot happen until April 2025 or after. That also depends on Garcia keeping himself in good shape.
Tank Davis’ team have ruled out a Garcia rematch following King Ry’s controversial posts on X. Garcia made a series of comments hitting out at various groups such as African Americans, Muslims and Christians with derogatory language. The WBC responded by banning Garcia, leaving his career at a crossroads. That means a Shakur-Garcia fight is even less likely.
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