Shakur Stevenson dared Oscar Valdez to crack the code of his sweet science skills. Valdez didn't come close.
In a career expected to reach astronomical heights, Stevenson recorded his biggest victory yet Saturday night as he produced a masterclass of a unanimous decision over Valdez to be crowned junior lightweight unified champion of the world.
Judges at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas scored it 118-109, 118-109 and 117-110 all in favor of Stevenson, who added the WBC title to his own WBO hardware.
"This victory means everything," a victorious Stevenson (18-0, 9 knockouts) told ESPN during his post-fight interview in the ring.
When asked about the next step in his dazzling career, Stevenson had just the right move in mind. The 24-year-old Newark, New Jersey product dropped to one knee and proposed to his girlfriend, recording artist Lyric.
"I love you and will you marry me?" Stevenson asked.
The proposal capped a stellar night for Stevenson who once again flashed his pure boxing skills and proved that there are levels to boxing in his latest brilliant performance. From the opening round, Stevenson asserted his jab, which later became the springboard weapon for him to piece together numerous three-punch combinations.
When Valdez pressed forward, Stevenson timed the attack and countered shrewdly, connecting with a right hook followed by a right uppercut in the sixth round for a knockdown.
When Stevenson wasn't picking Valdez (30-1, 23 KOs) apart with clean, efficient boxing and counterpunching, he was eluding attempts of significant damage from the Mexican fighter who suffered the first loss of his pro career on a frustrating night where his warrior grit was stifled by the better boxer.
Following his victory, Stevenson expressed that he'd like to collect the other two belts in the division for a shot at becoming the undisputed king at 130 pounds. Those titles are currently held by IBF champion Kenichi Ogawa and WBA titleholder Roger Gutierrez.
"I deserve to be a superstar," Stevenson declared, "so this is what I got to do."
That being said, Stevenson acknowledged WBC lightweight world champion Devin Haney in attendance, saying: "Devin is definitely a huge fight for me. Devin is a hell of a fighter. I got nothing but respect and love for Devin but we could line it up in the future, too."
Here's how the entire Stevenson vs. Valdez main card went.