Shakur Stevenson: record, next fight and profile →
Immediately following his silver medal finish in the 2016 Olympic Games, Shakur Stevenson refused to take on innocuous competition as a pro. Thus far, his need to face off against the best fighters in the world has ushered him into the pugilistic spotlight.
Opposing business interests could prevent Shakur Stevenson and Isaac Cruz from fighting at any point in the near future. Those two lightweight contenders are represented by competing promoters and appear on different networks, but that didn’t stop the WBC from ordering a final elimination match Wednesday between Stevenson and Cruz. Mauricio Sulaiman, president of the WBC, announced during the sanctioning organization’s convention in Acapulco, Mexico that Stevenson and Cruz must fight next if they want a chance to become the WBC’s mandatory challenger in the 135-pound division.
Shakur Stevenson has dodged a bullet. Takeoff – a member of the popular rap group Migos – was shot and killed Tuesday shortly after 2:30 a.m. at the 810 Billiards & Bowling in Houston.
Vasiliy Lomachenko’s successful return to the ring garnered nothing more than a ho-hum response from Shakur Stevenson. After lending a helping hand to his native land of Ukraine in the ongoing Russian invasion, the 34-year-old squared off against current top contender, Jamaine Ortiz.
The 135-pound picture is packed with star talent featuring the likes of undisputed champion Devin Haney and top-flight contenders and former champions like Vasiliy Lomachenko, Shakur Stevenson, Gervonta Davis, Isaac Cruz, and Ryan Garcia.
Having spent nearly one full year out of the ring while aiding his native land of Ukraine in the ongoing Russian invasion, Vasiliy Lomachenko is excited to make his return to the ring. Officially, the 34-year-old will attempt to re-establish his dominance when he takes on Jamaine Ortiz this Saturday night in Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater.
The undisputed title dreams of Vasiliy Lomachenko appeared to be his for the taking. Yet, with the former two-time Olympic gold medalist lending a helping hand to his native country of Ukraine amid the Russian invasion, he opted to place his career on hold. Now, after spending approximately a year near the heart of the war, Lomachenko (16-2, 11 KOs) is set to return to the ring on October 29th, against Jamaine Ortiz.
Shakur Stevenson became a two-weight world champion at just 24 years of age and only 17 fights into his professional career. Stevenson considers Keyshawn Davis capable of accomplishing comparable things very early in his own promising career.
Although Shakur Stevenson is only 25 years of age, the former Olympic silver medalist has continued to leave an indelible mark in the pugilistic sport.
Shakur Stevenson wants to fight Devin Haney or Vasiliy Lomachenko next. The two-division champion recognizes, of course, that it is much more likely that Haney and Lomachenko will fight each other if they win their upcoming bouts. If Haney beats George Kambosos Jr. again in their immediate rematch October 16 and Lomachenko gets past Jamaine Ortiz on October 29, Lomanchenko will want the opportunity to fight for Haney’s four lightweight titles sometime within the first half of 2023.