Shuichiro Yoshino’s smile could be seen a mile away. Of course, the 31-year-old Japanese native knew good and well that Shakur Stevenson would be a handful to deal with but was still confident in his ability to take care of business. Fast forward approximately 15 minutes later and there was nothing to smile about.
A boisterous crowd stood on its feet and roared as Stevenson placed the finishing touches on his overmatched foe this past Saturday night. Amongst his adoring fans was a particularly accomplished one in Claressa Shields.
The former three-time undisputed champion snuggled into her ringside seat at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, and grinned widely as Stevenson dismantled Yoshino in his 135-pound debut.
Although there’s little to go by, many have crowned Stevenson, despite making just one appearance, as the division’s leading man. Devin Haney, holder of all four 135-pound titles, along with Gervonta Davis, the knockout artist from Baltimore, Maryland, have rightfully staked their own claims to the lightweight throne.
Ultimately, all parties involved will have the opportunity to prove their worth. Davis, 28, is slated to take on Ryan Garcia on April 22nd. As for Haney, he’ll look to defend his undisputed crown against Vasiliy Lomachenko on May 20th.
In a perfect world, Stevenson’s next ring appearance would be against one of those four.
Shields, immediately after Stevenson outclassed Yoshino, gushed over his talent. In the case of both Davis and Haney, Shields also marvels at their talent. However, anyone who claims that Stevenson plays second fiddle to anyone would be viewed as mendacious from Shields’ point of view. Having watched Stevenson from an adolescent to a full-grown dominant pound-for-pound star, she’s firmly of the belief that he doesn’t have a single flaw in his game.
"Shakur is hard to beat," said Shields to BoxingScene.com. "The dude is a perfect fighter. A perfect hard worker. Got heart, got grit, skills. He’s the hardest person to hit. And he’s a dog in there."
