Shakur Stevenson obviously would prefer it if fans attended his next fight.
Since that isn’t possible based on COVID-19 restrictions, Stevenson is focused on the positive aspects of returning to the ring. The unbeaten WBO featherweight champion will be among the first fighters to appear on ESPN when the network starts televising boxing again in June (https://www.boxingscene.com/shakur-stevenson-headline-espn-show-june-9-las-vegas--148856).
The Athletic reported Wednesday that Stevenson will face Rafael Rivera on June 9 at an undetermined MGM property in Las Vegas. An official announcement hasn’t been made, but Stevenson is just anxious to fight again.
“I just wanna get back in the ring,” Stevenson told BoxingScene.com. “My last fight was in October. I feel like I ain’t fought in forever, so I’m ready to get back in there.”
Stevenson (13-0, 7 KOs) out-boxed Joet Gonzalez (23-1, 14 KOs) on his way to winning a 12-round unanimous decision and the WBO 126-pound championship in his last fight, October 26 in Reno, Nevada. The 2016 Olympic silver medalist was supposed to make his first title defense against Colombia’s Miguel Marriaga (29-3, 25 KOs) on March 14 at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater, but that show was canceled March 12 due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Stevenson will compete in a 10-round, non-title fight in June. Whether he meets Mexico’s Rivera (27-4-2, 18 KOs, 1 NC) or one of the other opponents under consideration, Stevenson has prepared himself mentally to box in a setting unlike any other in which he has competed since making his pro debut three years ago.
“I don’t think not having fans will take away anything from the environment when it comes to me,” Stevenson said. “I know that the fans are gonna be tuned in. The whole world is gonna be tuned in to the fights because people wanna see boxing. They can watch it on television, so I don’t think it’s gonna take away from anything. There’s rarely anybody in the gym when I spar, so I’m used to stuff like that already. I’ll just have to treat it like it’s sparring.”
Though the 22-year-old Stevenson doesn’t expect to be affected by boxing in essentially an empty venue, this pandemic has made the Newark, New Jersey, native reassess his approach to life outside the ring.
“It definitely made a big impact on me,” Stevenson said. “I’ve just gotta be smarter on stuff outside the ring. It taught me a lesson. I’m gonna learn from the lesson and move forward. Some of it was financial, but it’s a bunch of different stuff I took out of this. Taking life for granted, that life is short and it all can be taken away at any given moment. So, I guess it just gave me a little lesson.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.