Shakur Stevenson delivered a unanimous decision win over Edwin De Los Santos to become the new WBC lightweight world champion Thursday night. However, he wasn't happy with his performance.
When asked who he'd like to fight next, Stevenson opted to concentrate on himself for a while.
"Let me take a step back and assess myself," Stevenson told ESPN. "I can't give you no names right now. I felt bad with this performance."
He added: "I gotta go back to the drawing board and work on a lot of things and come back. I gotta take some breaks. I got to stop being in the gym all the time. That's how you cause injuries. That's how your body gets a little fatigued. I got to take a little break and relax a little bit."
Stevenson will certainly have options when the time is right to enter the ring again.
That being said, DAZN takes a look at some possible opponents for the three-division world champ.
Vasiliy Lomachenko
The immediate aftermath of Devin Haney's controversial unanimous decision win over Vasiliy Lomachenko this past May had Stevenson publicly stating that he felt like Loma did enough to have his hand raised in victory for that fight.
In the time that passed, Stevenson decided to openly challenge Lomachenko to show Haney how two champions can deliver on a great fight, though the bout never came to fruition.
Perhaps 2024 can bring Stevenson and Lomachenko together for what would surely be a masterclass chess match of the sweet science between two of the best pure boxers in the game.
Devin Haney
Haney challenges Regis Prograis for the WBC junior welterweight world title December 9, live on DAZN pay-per-view. Regardless of the result, a Stevenson vs. Haney fight would be a huge deal. Stevenson confronted Haney in the ring after the Lomachenko fight and called him out for a bout, criticizing "The Dream" when it never materialized.
With Stevenson now owning the WBC lightweight title and Haney still holding onto the WBA, WBO and IBF 135-pound belts, a potential clash between these two would be for the undisputed crown, a slice of boxing history and the bragging rights that come with it.
Gervonta Davis
What would happen if the fast-twitch boxing skills and knockout power of "Tank" Davis collides with the sweet science mastery and elusiveness of Shakur Stevenson? Simply put: One of the most mouthwatering fights that the sport could book and maybe the biggest bout of them all, period.
The must-see fight would likely decide the best lightweight of this young generation.
Considering Davis has already achieved superstar status, putting a crack in "Tank's" armor would lift Stevenson's career into the stratosphere.