Shakur Stevenson’s last fight crowned him the new WBO junior lightweight world champion in impressive fashion.
A masterclass against WBC titleholder Oscar Valdez at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday night and the arguable best pure boxer in the fight game could garner unified champion status. And possibly much more.
Entering one of the most anticipated fights of the year, Stevenson believes he’s on the verge of something else — the launch pad toward pay-per-view superstar status.
“Most definitely,” Stevenson said to DAZN News confidently during a Zoom conference with the media Monday, all while keeping his megawatt smile in check.
“I feel like this is a big fight. I’m taking a big risk fighting someone 30-0 who’s also a champion.
“I feel like depending on how I perform, the world’s gonna love me,” he disclosed further.
“I definitely can become a pay-per-view superstar. And I will become a pay-per-view superstar.”
Stevenson certainly has the tools to make good on that vow. The Newark, New Jersey product has been growing with each fight and experience especially as of late.
When critics complained of a lack of action in Stevenson’s unanimous decision over Jeremiah Nakathila in June, the 24-year-old came back with a rousing 10-round TKO of Jamel Herring at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta to claim the WBO title in October.
The bout had Stevenson (17-0, 9 KOs) assert the jab from the opening round, soon piecing together sharp combinations off it. Within a few rounds, he was simply overwhelming Herring, dispelling any thought that the veteran would be able to use his savvy or believed power advantage.
With 1:36 left in the 10 round, Stevenson peppered Herring with a right jab, ripped a left hook to the head to swivel the veteran’s head the other way. Then came a right hook around Herring’s guard and a piercing straight right hand through it and the referee literally had to stop Stevenson from pouncing on his prey anymore.
It was an eye-opening performance.
Stevenson soundly hasn't quite showed glimpses of vulnerability to his fight game the way other young boxing stars such as Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia, Gervonta Davis and Teofimo Lopez have.
For as much as Stevenson fields questions and comparisons to Floyd Mayweather Jr. because of his smooth sweet science skills, the Herring fight also showed how much that growing power is being folded into his game as well.
“I don’t know how strong he was,” said Stevenson, trying to compare his current power to the power a younger Mayweather — “Pretty Boy” not “Money” — possessed. “That depends on who was looking at it.
“But I definitely got some power,” he added, “and I’m definitely a great fighter who could get these guys out of here.”
Getting Valdez, 31, out of here would entail breaking down his steely grit, which was used to dismantle Miguel Berchelt last February.
If Stevenson manages to do just that with another dominating, firework-filled performance, a pay-per-view run as boxing’s new king might not be far behind.