It takes a lot to impress Shakur Stevenson. Being a strong puncher or an all-out brawler isn't enough to get his attention. Stevenson loves an all-around fighter, one who can do it all, kind of like himself.
When he isn’t busy putting in the work, Stevenson enjoys watching some of his peers. As of late, Brian Mendoza has stuck out to him. With three consecutive wins underneath his belt, Stevenson officially declared him as one of the best fighters around.
“He’s a great fighter,” Stevenson told MillCity Boxing. “I like him.”
Mendoza spends a ton of time in the gym but nowadays, he practically lives there.
The biggest win of his career netted him another huge opportunity. The moment Sebastian Fundora’s head bounced unconsciously off the canvas, Tim Tszyu took notice. The Aussie native now wants a piece of Mendoza.
Formally, the pair will swap fists on October 15th, in Australia. Despite his win streak, oddsmakers are expecting Tszyu to have his hand raised in victory. From Stevenson’s point of view, he doesn’t understand why Tszyu has been receiving so much love. In just a few more weeks, the former Olympic silver medalist is expecting the hype train surrounding him to crash and burn.
“I think he beats Tim Tszyu. I’m not a big Tim Tszyu fan. I really ain’t see nothing too special about Tim Tszyu.”
This isn’t the first time that Stevenson felt underwhelmed with Tszyu. Heading into his showdown against Tony Harrison, Stevenson was convinced that the former junior middleweight champ would box circles around his man. That thought, nevertheless, was erroneous.
Harrison had nothing for Tszyu. Immediately after, Stevenson was forced to eat his words. The beating the 28-year-old put on Harrison is something that Stevenson will never forget. So while he still believes that Mendoza has more than enough to get it done, Stevenson acknowledges that Tszyu isn’t the sort of fighter that anyone should be sleeping on.
“He kinda proved me wrong with Tony Harrison so maybe he’s a little bit better than what I think.”
