“Fans Will Be Paying Money to See Him Lose”: Former NFL Star Draws Similarity Between Shakur Stevenson and Floyd Mayweather Despite His ‘Bad Performance’ Against Edwin de la Santos

He got the belt. But he also got the boos. Shakur Stevenson has now become a world champion in a third-weight class. Yesterday, he defeated Edwin De Los Santos from the Dominican Republic at the T Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The title victory in the lightweight division could have given him access to a number of promising new opportunities. However, for the time being, Stevenson was perhaps in sync with many of the viewers.

Owning up to his act, the undefeated southpaw, despite a clear victory, opted to wear the apologetic girdle. Notwithstanding his stance, he became a butt of jokes to many. It was a field day for many of his rivals to deride him. On the other hand, there was an uptick in encouragement for Shakur Stevenson. Given his style, one of the most prevalent narratives among voices of support was drawing a link between him and Floyd Mayweather Jr., especially the latter’s ‘The Money Mayweather’ version.

Shakur Stevenson, following a time-honored track laced with derision and mockery

Shannon Sharpe and Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson took up the Stevenson-De Los Santos battle on ‘Nightcap.‘ The former cited Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s example. He explained how many followers assumed that the undefeated former champion received his huge paydays right from the beginning. Whereas, it was far removed from reality. During the initial years, Mayweather Jr. was heavily into early stoppages. However, over a period of time, he underwent a paradigm shift and switched over to a more defensive approach.

That way, he could still win fights without putting himself at risk. But it also meant, Sharpe believes, that increasingly many followers moving in a different direction weren’t too happy about him scoring a victory anymore. Johnson couldn’t have agreed more with the observation. He added that it was a delight to watch Mayweather Jr.’s offensive and defensive tactics. But it became a big turn-off to many, especially when he became ‘The Money Mayweather.’

Hence, Shakur Stevenson felt he could ride the same path. However, like the boxing great before him, most followers might not be able to gauge his skill. So eventually he will also reach the same stage where Mayweather Jr. stood, with more and more people wishing that he lose his bouts.

Chad Johnson said, “I think Shakur is on that same path, so they’re getting to a point where they they’re frustrated and not understanding the skill that’s behind what he’s been able B to do and what he’s done to this point in his career, and he will get to the same point as well, where now people are going to be tuning in to see him lose...”

Besides mentioning the crowd booing, the former wide receiver made it clear that overall he liked the bout and compared it to a game of chess. He said, “…it entails you enjoyed a great chess match; that’s exactly what it was. There were fans in the crowd that were booing, obviously that that don’t understand boxing; it’s about hitting, not getting hit, and it’s it’s a chess match…” He lauded Shakur Stevenson for having come out winning in a seemingly risky fight.

Was there genuinely a need to be sorry?

Sounding dejected, Shakur Stevenson spoke about the poor show from him. He wasn’t feeling great; however, he will live with it. He came to win, and that’s precisely what happened. He said, “I had a bad performance tonight… I wasn’t feeling too good, so I’ll live with it. It’s okay. I came here and got the victory, and that’s all I wanted to do.”

It’s true that Shakur Stevenson might have won just half of his 21 victories through knockouts. However, fans might have noted that during the last two years, excluding the latest bout, he forced two early stoppages out of the five fights he participated in. Hence, as it appears, the young boxer, though a technical wizard, seems to be putting in some effort to gain a name as a knockout artist as well.

Read More: $10 Billion Worth Company Signing Shakur Stevenson and Terence Crawford Leaves Floyd Mayweather’s Protégé and Fans in Awe

Do you think Shakur Stevenson now waits for a mandatory challenger or makes a move of his own? Please share your views with us in the comments below.

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