WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson says fans should tune in to his February 22 fight against Floyd Schofield in Riyadh to see “Vintage Kool.“

The “old school” stuff Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) refers to can be translated as code for him riding a bike, utilizing his hit-not-hit style to win points decisions.

If “retro” Shakur was an exciting, brawling style that fans could look forward to, that would mean something, but he’s never been that type of fighter.

Since turning pro from the Olympics, Stevenson has maintained the old Mayweather style of fighting. He is like a musician from the 1940s who traveled through time and space into the 21st century.

Can Shakur be entertained?

It’s important for Stevenson to make the fight interesting because it’s Turki Arasheh’s card and there will be a lot of boxing fans ordering this fight, which will be broadcast live on DAZN.

If Shakur wants to headline some future shows and not be buried on the undercard like the Feb. 22 card, he needs to stay in the pocket and trade for the 22-year-old Schofield (18- 0,12 KO)). If he wants to take a higher position in Turki’s future, he’ll need to put his chin on the line and make things interesting for the fans.

He expects fighters to bring joy to fans, and Shakur doesn’t live up to those standards, or at least he hasn’t in the past. It’s not too late for Stevenson to clean up his act and become a pocket fighter, but I don’t think he can. He smelled too much of rabbit.

“Kid Austin is 22. Tommy Hearns fought Ray Leonard when he was 21 (Correction: Thomas ‘Hitman’ Hearn in 1981 Manny Pacquiao (who first fought Sugar Ray Leonard on September 16, 2011 when he was 22 years and 10 months old). Pacquiao won the championship when he was 19 and Floyd Mayweather won the championship when he was 21,” said Stephen Edwards. fight hype When asked if 22-year-old Floyd Schofield is too young to face WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson.

“(Mike) Tyson was a champion at 20 years old. Muhammad Ali was 22 years old. Salvador Sanchez was 20 years old. I could go on and on on the list,” Edwards said. “Oscar De La Hoya and Felix Trinidad. I think he was already a champion when he was 20. Even Canelo and Inoue. They are two of the best of this era. They were at 20 He won the championship at the age of 21.”

Stephen is not saying these fighters are much better than Schofield and they looked good before winning their first world title. They didn’t fight lower level fighters like Schofield did. Edwards glossed over this by mentioning great boxers from the past who won world titles at a young age.

“Is it a tough fight? Yes. Is Shakur going to be a prohibitive favorite? Yes,” Edwards said during Stevenson’s Feb. 22 fight with Schofield. “Did Kid Austin struggle in the last game (against Rene Tellez Giron)? Yes. I still believe he (Kid Austin) came into this fights. Sometimes you want to go into these fights when your body is at its best.

“Sometimes young guys overcome a lot of things and they look confident,” Edwards said of Schofield and his father, Floyd Sr. “Let them fight.” I never say that. I never try to stop a guy from wanting to fight. If you think you’re good enough, go in and fight. Do I think he will win?

“I actually think Shakur is one of the 10 to 12 best fighters in the world. Shakur is a special guy, too. But the rough, athletic guys tend to give smooth fighters a hard time The fight. Shawn Porter gave everyone a tough fight, and Kid Austin reminds me the most of Tim Bradley with his rugged personality and athleticism. , giving everyone an uphill battle,” Edwards said.

Is Shakur overrated?

Stevenson is not one of the best boxers on the planet, not even close. His fighting style isn’t one of the best in boxing, and his performances aren’t entertaining to watch. He’s a defensive player and that’s it. To become one of the best fighters in the sport, you have to balance offense and defense.

Shakur was just defensive. His defensive rating is 95% and his offensive rating is 5%. His narrow victory over Edwin de los Santos last year showed that he’s not one of the best boxers on the planet, because if he was, he would be dominating him, not that night in Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena was booed. Edwards was mistaken.

Schofield’s chances of winning in the past have been achieved by being aggressive, hitting hard shots and applying constant pressure on Shakur in every round. He’ll have to be good at cutting off the ring because Stevenson will be constantly moving and trying not to get hit, as usual.

February 22nd, Belt 2 Ass, make sure you tune in to see me beat Kid Austin like he stole it… Vintage Kur is back 🦾

— Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) December 24, 2024