Floyd Mayweather and Shakur Stevenson have some noteworthy things in common.
The legendary Mayweather and Stevenson both were U.S. Olympians who signed with promoter Bob Arum and manager James Prince. They also won world titles when they were in their early 20s – Mayweather at 21, Stevenson at 22.
Stevenson realizes he has much, much more to accomplish, of course, before the unbeaten WBO featherweight champion can compare his legacy to one of the best boxers in the sport’s storied history.
The ambitious Stevenson doesn’t just want to approach what Mayweather accomplished, though. The 2016 Olympic silver medalist wants to surpass what the Grand Rapids, Michigan, native achieved.
Those obviously are aspirations that won’t be easily met. Mayweather retired undefeated (50-0, 27 KOs), won world titles in five weight classes and earned more money than any boxer by a significant amount, reportedly in excess of $700 million over the course of his 20-year pro career.
Stevenson expressed to host Dan Rafael how he views Mayweather comparisons during the newest episode of Impact Network’s “Stars and Champions.” The half-hour episode featuring Stevenson will premiere Friday night at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT.
“It make me feel good, being compared to Floyd because Floyd is like somebody I came up looking after a lot as a kid and as an amateur,” Stevenson said. “I looked up [to him] as one of my favorite fighters. So, it make me feel good. But at the end of the day, I’m still me, so I’ve gotta create my own path and my own destiny. So, I appreciate all the comparisons. But I’m really the first Shakur Stevenson. And I think that I’m gonna take over and surpass Floyd and be better than what Floyd was. And I’m trying to make as much money as or [even] more money as Floyd did, and all that type of stuff. So, my vision is like I’m looking past that stuff.”
The 22-year-old Stevenson (13-0, 7 KOs) will return to the ring Tuesday night in Las Vegas. The Newark, New Jersey, native will oppose Puerto Rico’s Felix Caraballo (13-1-2, 9 KOs) in a 10-round main event ESPN will televise from MGM Grand’s Conference Center.
Stevenson and Caraballo will meet in a non-title fight at the junior lightweight limit of 130 pounds.
The left-handed Stevenson was supposed to make the first defense of his WBO 126-pound crown March 14 in New York. That fight against Colombia’s Miguel Marriaga (29-3, 25 KOs), which was set to headline an ESPN telecast from Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater, was canceled the night of March 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
