One name that continues to rise in the lighter-weight divisions is that of Shakur Stevenson. As he stands at the brink of his next title defense, fans wait impatiently to see what he has in store. With so many expectations on him, how does the boxer keep himself motivated?

After bagging silver at the 2016 Summer Olympics, ‘Sugar’ turned pro the following year. Since then, he’s shot up in ranks, defeating each opponent he’s faced off against. In his 21-fight record, the southpaw has managed to bag multiple championship titles in three weight divisions. While these achievements only give a face to his dedication as a boxer, his acumen speaks louder. Now, as one of the most promising young talents of this era, he derives his goals from the conduct of Floyd Mayweather.

Towards the GOAT-ness

The interviewer from ESNEWS quizzed the New Jersey native on what keeps him going in boxing. Stevenson humbly noted, “Yeah I thought about it and… it’s amazing but lately I’ve been trying to keep myself motivated and focused and try to tell myself I haven’t done nothing when it comes to boxing.”

While he underplays everything he’s achieved so far, he remains ambitious. He wants to be counted among one of the greats of his era. To meet these expectations, he seeks motivation from a legend, Mayweather himself. He added, “I just wanna put me in the GOAT to be… I heard Floyd Mayweather say like in an interview that there will never be another fighter like him, there will never be nobody better than him.”

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Stevenson underscores the impact ‘Money’ has on him as an athlete. Not just his achievements in the sport but also the wisdom the former welterweight champion boasts of in his interviews. “Anytime I hear him say such stuff, it kinda motivates me. Get up and go run. Just keep me in the straight path so. I appreciate Floyd. And I love watching his interviews when he talks. I think that’s something that motivates me,” he noted.

It is not shocking to see ‘Sugar’ name ‘Pretty Boy’ as a source of inspiration. After all, the 47-year-old legend has been a constant support system in the young fighter’s career. But here’s the thing, Stevenson has been surrounded by many such gifted fighters who are all legendary when it comes to their boxing prowess. For his last fight against Edwin De Los Santos, he was joined by Floyd Mayweather, Terence Crawford, and Andre Ward at the fight venue.

Visuals of that moment went viral instantly. How did he feel about it?

Shakur Stevenson Joined by Legends

While he’d have loved to spend some time with the big names of boxing, he hardly could, though. Still pressed about it, the fighter explained, “I didn’t get the chance to enjoy the moment. I didn’t get the chance to be in the actual just because of the fact that I was fighting and I… so much stuff going on…” 

Through it all, his fondness for Mayweather was evident. He went on to add, “He always show up for me, so I appreciate Floyd. I won’t talk sh*t about Floyd. Floyd is the GOAT to me.” 

‘Sugar’ is all set to defend his WBC lightweight belt on the 6th of July. While his opponent remains undecided, reports strongly suggest that it could be the Hamburg-based fighter, Artem Harutyunyan.

Do you think Shakur Stevenson is a ‘GOAT’ in the making? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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