Stevenson feels ignored and ready to prove the skeptics wrong

Shakur Stevenson said he was “on the defensive” ahead of his Saturday night fight against Artem Harutyunyan in Newark, New Jersey. He wants to silence his critics who view him as boring and lacking courage.

A chip on his shoulder

WBC lightweight champion Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs) is upset because fans no longer see him as “that guy” they thought he was after his last performance against Edwin De Los Santos last November.

Shakur, 27, is out to prove fans wrong about him by putting on a show against Harutyunyan (13-1, 7 KOs) in their ESPN headliner at the Prudential Center in Newark on July 6.

Stevenson initially justified his booed performance against De Los Santos by claiming he was injured, but now says he had to fight that way because he’s a puncher.

He says he fought Oscar Valdez in the pocket, but that’s not true. Shakur was on his bike against him and even more so against Jeremiah Nakathilia.

If Shakur can’t fight punchers in the pocket at least some of the time, he’ll have a hard time establishing himself as a marketable fighter at 135 because there are a lot of powerful fighters in the division.

Motivated to deliver a spectacular show

“I’m over Frank Martin. I think Artem’s a good fighter, but he’s going to have to fight a different beast on July 6,” Shakur Stevenson said on Sean Zittel’s YouTube channel. “I have a grudge against me. Now that I have a grudge against me, he’s going to have to fight someone who’s very motivated. I’m here to put on a show.”

In terms of entertainment, Shakur is well below Frank Martin, but not above. Shakur may be a better fighter than Martin in his own way, but he is not as entertaining as him, and he is far from being among the most exciting contenders in the lightweight division.

“It’s because people are playing games with me, trying to make me out to be someone I say I am,” Stevenson said. “I’ve built up a lot of frustration because I’ve fought so many fights and I’m going up against a tough fighter. I’ve been in a tough spot. A lot of people have thrown me out. ‘He’s not like that.’”

Many boxers view Shakur as a self-deceiving individual. He is the perfect example of a fighter with a huge ego who does not see his own weaknesses and does not make the necessary corrections to adapt. He has no self-awareness and that is the problem.

Stevenson fails to grasp the flaws in his game because of his ego and he cannot change despite the many feedbacks from the fans. Instead of listening to them, Shakur remains true to his own flawed vision and refuses to change. He is his own worst enemy.

“I find it funny. What are they going to say when I start beating people up? They’ll find a reason. They’ll call Artem a pizza delivery guy. They’ll try to take the credit away from me and say I’m not that guy. It’s okay, because one day I’ll have the chance to prove them wrong.”

The challenge of proving commercialization

“I’ve fought so many punchers in my career. That logic wouldn’t even make sense,” Shakur said when asked if he was uncomfortable with the idea of ​​dropping punchers based on his performances against Edwin De Los Santos and Jeremiah Nakathilia.

It will be hard for Shakur to sell himself if he refuses to get to the front lines to trade blows with his opponents. The way Shakur wins fights now, by landing a punch and then backing away, is not entertaining for fans who want to see exciting fights.

It is surprising that Shakur does not understand why fans do not consider him a must-see television star and criticize him. His fighting style is not worth the time spent watching it. In the age of entertainment, with the Internet and cable television with many channels, it is more important than in the past that fighters entertain.

“Sometimes it’s not very smart to stay in the pocket against someone who’s a good hitter. Some hitters let you stay in the pocket. Against Valdez, I sat in the pocket against you,” Stevenson said.