Shakur Stevenson has reversed his retirement, stating that he will be back to fight in June.
The announcement is a quick turnaround after the WBC Lightweight Champion had only confirmed his retirement less than a month ago. Stevenson became frustrated that he could not secure the biggest fights after the WBO ordered Emanuel Navarrete vs Denys Berinchyk for the vacant lightweight title.
In addition, Shakur damaged his chances of making fights with Devin Haney and Gervonta Davis with a below-par performance against Edwin De Los Santos despite winning the fight to claim the WBC belt. His defensive style did not resonate with the audience, as he was booed during the fight. As Shakur walked away, he stated he would return for a big fight. Now, given his decision to make a comeback, something must be in the offing.
“I’ll fight and everybody; this is what I do. See y’all in June #ChasingGreatness. I know, right? I couldn’t keep myself away from it. [And] I Love this s*** too much, lol. I know right I’m wit u but that’s out of my control tho.. I can only handle what’s in my control, so see you in June,” Stevenson said
This naturally begs the question: who could Stevenson face? Well, a unification fight against Tank Davis is out of the question. The WBA Champion has not fought in around a year since he beat Ryan Garcia. Taking a comeback fight against Shakur would be too risky.
Meanwhile, Vasiliy Lomachenko takes on George Kambosos Jr. for the vacant IBF belt on May 12. A fight with either would have made sense, given that they are under Top Rank. But a bout in June cannot occur since they fight in May. Either way, Bob Arum focused on ensuring Shakur had a big fight as he defended his performance against De Los Santos.
“I talked to Prince and Antonio at the fight [Thursday] night. Shakur’s gonna fight in June and we’ve gotta figure out an opponent for him. I think that Shakur had to fight the fight he did because I think he had some injuries, that kinda thing.
“I mean, I know we had him visiting doctors in the weeks before the fight for various ailments. So, I think he therefore fought a very cautious fight. But it was a stinker. It was a snoozer, and particularly after the fight before [a 12-round majority draw between Emanuel Navarrete and Robson Conceicao], which was one of the best fights of the year,” Arum stated
Shakur is focused on becoming undisputed, meaning he must take the belts from Tank Davis, the winner of Loma-Kambosos and Navarrete-Berinchyk. That is a much more difficult proposition than when Devin Haney had all the belts. Shakur rejected the chance to fight Haney when he was offered 25 percent. Looking back, it may have been a fight that got away.
these boxers just be attention seeking lmfao
— (@HimmyCarter_) February 13, 2024
thank god, was so worried that shakur was retiring. I was ignoring my wife and son because I was so traumatised and couldn’t speak, my hair was falling out because of stress, I got back onto pills to cope, was so scared I would never witness the greatness of a shakur fight again.
— medkit (@mysticmedkit) February 13, 2024
Bro is a boring fighter, but very good at putting people to sleep. I'd buy his fight just to get a good night sleep.
— Daytona Sports (@DaytonaSportsLG) February 13, 2024
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