Shakur Stevenson is quickly shaping up to be The Matrix of boxing, mastering the art and mantra of “hit and don’t get hit.”
Stevenson (15-0, 8 KO) scored a shutout unanimous decision victory over Toka Kahn Clary (28-3, 19 KO), and he did so dominantly by outlanding Kahn Clary 151 to 48 in total punches.
Kahn Clary landed just a meager 9% of his total punches, and so far through his three-year career, Stevenson has connected with 1,249 punches on his opponents and been caught with 351.
“[Kahn Clary] ran and held on for his life,” Stevenson said on Twitter in a series of tweets following the fight. “These boxers and real boxing fans know what they are watching, Skillfully I'm on another planet dude. I’m going to say it since nobody else is … not too many special fighters out there. I promise I’m one of them … Give me the big names next please so I can show y’all that it’s no different. I love and live this sport. My focus is insane. I am the future of boxing.”
One of the biggest possible names out there for the 2016 Olympics silver medalist Stevenson is Vasiliy Lomachenko, who’s planning to step back down from the lightweight division following his upset loss to Teofimo Lopez earlier in the autumn.
“I feel like if me and Lomachenko fight, I think I’d beat him worse than Teofimo. And not saying anything against Teofimo, he put in a dominant performance. I just feel like I’d win every round. It’d be hard for him to win any rounds,” Stevenson told Brian Campbell on the CBS Sports show “Morning Kombat.”
“It made me more motivated than anything. I’m actually a friend of Teofimo and I was proud of him. He dared to be great at such a young age, and that kind of motivated me and made me want to do more. I’m ready to get in big fights and show the world I can do what he just did.”
The former WBO featherweight champion Stevenson just stepped up to a new division — the fight against Kahn Clary was only his second fight at 130 pounds this year. The Newark native is already eyeing his next few foes in the weight class.
Stevenson is the mandatory challenger for the winner between current WBO super featherweight champion Jamel Herring and Carl Frampton.
He also wants to take on 130-pound WBC champion Miguel Berchelt, but Berchelt is next slated to face Oscar Valdez. All four of the aforementioned fighters — including Lomachenko — are signed under the Top Rank banner. Stevenson should have exceptional options in the pool for matchmakers Bruce Trampler and Brad Goodman to choose from for potential fights in 2021.
“I wish I was at 135, that’s where all the smoke is at, and I wish I was there with some of the other young fighters, but 130 is my weight class. I’ve gotta take over the 130 weight class, and there’s definitely some big names there, too.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com
