Shakur Stevenson Ready To Dominate The 135 Lb Division-‘Remember Who I Am’

On April 8th, 2023, Shakur Stevenson will be fighting Shuichiro Yoshino after moving up from super featherweight to lightweight, marking his debut in the 135 lb division.

If he succeeds against Yoshino, he will establish himself as one of the leading contenders given that the Japanese fighter is undefeated.

Naturally, that will lead to calls for a fight with the other big names, including Devin Haney, Gervonta Davis and Vasiliy Lomachenko.

And that appears to be on his mind, as the American is already targeting a bout with the winner of either Davis vs Garcia or Haney vs Lomachenko.

Getting those fights made, however, may not be as easy as first thought. Haney is in his final fight with Top Rank, while Davis’ loyalty to Showtime may be an issue. And on top of that, Garcia plies his trade with Golden Boy Promotions.

The immediate fight, therefore, would be a bout with Lomachenko since he and Stevenson are both with Top Rank.

But depending on the outcome of the Haney-Lomachenko fight, those plans could change. And there is the question of the weight class too.

Haney has seemingly struggled to make 135 lbs, looking depleted on the scales, while Garcia’s last fight was at 140 lb.

Regardless of what the case may be, Stevenson is prepared for whatever may come his way.

In his comments to FightHype, he said: “It’s torn between the two. I would fight him. I’d fight the winner out of either one of those fights.

“I would love to fight the winner out of both of those fights because one, it’s going to be undisputed [Haney-Lomachenko winner], and one, it’s going to probably be the biggest star in boxing [Tank-Ryan]. So, I would love to fight either one.”

Despite being undefeated with a record of 19-0, Stevenson’s lack of knockout power is often used against him.

His exceptional boxing ability has often been called out in comparison to the raw power that his peers, primarily Davis, possess.

While he has triumphed in the featherweight and super featherweight divisions, he desires to begin anew in the lightweight category and become a champion.

“I ain’t too mad about it, I really don’t care. Actually, nah, I’m lying. I do care. I care, and since I do care, I’ve got to wake them up. I gotta make them remember who I am.”