Shakur Stevenson used to like the comparisons to Floyd Mayweather, especially in terms of defense. Mayweather seemed to be untouchable most of the time, a once-in-a-generation quality Stevenson tries to emulate.
The 22-year-old featherweight champ is growing tired of the comments, however. He wants to be Shakur Stevenson, not the new Floyd Mayweather.
Stevenson will be the first star to fight in the U.S. amid the coronavirus pandemic when he faces Felix Caraballo in a junior lightweight bout Tuesday in Las Vegas. The card, which will have no live audience, will be televised on ESPN.
“I see [the comparisons] everywhere,” Stevenson told Boxing Junkie. “I’m me. I didn’t steal stuff just from Floyd. I stole stuff from Andre Ward, from Pernell Whitaker, from Terence Crawford.
“I understand the comparisons, definitely with defense. Floyd is one of the best defensive fighters of all time and I show flashes of some of that too. But I’m me.”
Of course, there is one aspect of Mayweather’s remarkable career that Stevenson wouldn’t mind copying outright: His ability to earn a lot of money. Mayweather made around a billion dollars in purses.
One key move Mayweather made to boost his earning power? He became the fighter fans loved to hate.
“Floyd became a villain,” Stevenson said. “I would have to find a way to pick up on that, to become that type of star. I’d have to find a way to become a villain. You know I could do that, to be honest.
“I don’t think Floyd really hated anyone. I think I’d have to really dislike you for me to be that way. I might take some acting classes or something.”
Stevenson (13-0, 7 KOs) has earned high grades in his boxing classes. He won a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics, losing 2-1 to Cuban Robeisy Ramirez in the gold medal match, turned pro eight months later and hasn’t looked back.
He easily outpointed Joet Gonzalez to win a vacant 126-pound world title in October at only 22.
From there, he was supposed to defend against Miguel Marriaga on March 14 after a two-month training camp only to learn two days before the fight that it would have to canceled because of the pandemic.
Stevenson was devastated.
“The Marriaga cancellation was horrible because I trained for eight weeks,” he said. “I did a whole training camp only to find out I wasn’t going to get paid, wasn’t going to be able to perform. I was excited about that fight because Marriaga was a solid name. And I was planning to beat him up.”
Instead, Stevenson got the longest rest of his career. The self-described gym rat took some time off but then got right back at it, figuring whenever boxing resumed he would be near the front of the line.
Now he has the distinction of being the first major player to get back to action. And that’s exciting.
No, Caraballo (13-1-2, 9 KOs) isn’t the type of big-name opponent he wanted to face but that doesn’t matter much, he said. One, the fight will give him an opportunity to see how he feels at 130 pounds, which could be his home soon. And, two, he knows how excited fans will be that the sport is up and running again.
“I’m definitely more excited than I would normally be because I’m the first fighter back,” he said. “I think I deserve that after my fight was canceled during the week of the fight. I think that’s why I’m back so early.
“And, yes, all eyes will be on me. I’m happy about that.”
What about fighting in an empty arena? Not an issue.
“To be honest, I’m not like some other guys,” he said. “I probably feed off the crowd a little bit but I really try to block out the crowd, to tune everybody out. All I see is my opponent.”
Stevenson sees a number of big-name opponents in his immediate future, which is what he craves. He’s only had 13 pro fights yet he’s ready to take on the world, including the best in and around his weight class.
He covets a showdown with Vasiliy Lomachenko — No. 1 on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list — at 130 or one with Leo Santa Cruz, fighters against whom he believes he will demonstrate what he already knows about himself – that he’s a special fighter. And fights like those certainly are on the horizon.
PHOTOS
A look back on featherweight titleholder Shakur Stevenson’s rapid rise.
Stevenson is co-managed by Ward, who is more conservative, more methodical when it comes to his prize client’s career. Stevenson is young. Ward wants to take a step-by-step approach to build Stevenson into a pound-for-pound star.
Stevenson gets it but he’s champing at the bit.
“If it were up to me, I would go into the biggest fight right now,” he said. “I have a good team, though. And they do things the right way. I feel I’m ready. I’ve been like that since I turned pro. I was begging for a world title [shot] at 4-0, 5-0. Lomachenko? I would fight him tomorrow. The same with Santa Cruz. And I feel I would beat both of them. That’s just how I feel.
“… I want to become one of the best boxers ever, to go down as a great in the sport. That’s what Floyd was. And I want to be like that.”
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Shakur Stevenson set to face Puerto Rican Felix Caraballo on June 9