Heading into his fight against Teofimo Lopez last month, Shakur Stevenson was widely viewed as having a 50–50 chance of winning. But once the opening bell rang, he quickly shattered that narrative. Stevenson went on to secure a dominant, unanimous decision victory, thoroughly outclassing ‘The Takeover’ with a display of elite boxing skills—skills reminiscent of only one other fighter: Floyd Mayweather Jr.

There are striking similarities between the two. Both employ a defense-first approach and endured heartbreak in the Olympic finals, fueling comparisons among fans. While Stevenson may not like the comparisons, he has shown respect for the legend. In fact, weeks after the Lopez bout, Shakur Stevenson offered fans a glimpse into the FaceTime conversation he shared with Floyd Mayweather before stepping into the ring.

Shakur Stevenson reveals what Floyd Mayweather told him

The former WBC lightweight champion recently dropped a video on YouTube, revealing the behind-the-scenes footage from fight week. In the video, Floyd Mayweather FaceTimed Stevenson to praise him and wish him the best of luck for the Lopez fight. During his post-fight interview, Stevenson even revealed what ‘Money’ Mayweather told him during the call. 

“Floyd Mayweather’s my guy,” Stevenson told a sea of reporters. “He called me right before the fight. He always texts me, [and] told me that he was proud of me before the fight happened. So, Floyd is my family. I got a lot of love for Floyd.” Regardless, after Stevenson shared the video on YouTube, DAZN picked it up and shared it with their followers. 

“Floyd Mayweather Jr facetimed Shakur before his fight against Teofimo Lopez on the Ring 6,” they captioned an Instagram post. It’s worth noting that Mayweather has called Stevenson in a similar fashion before several of his fights. Notably, ‘Money’ even wanted to sign Stevenson to his boxing promotion back in 2016 before Stevenson made his pro debut.

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However, Stevenson ultimately chose to sign with Top Rank. Speculations began again when Stevenson’s contract with Top Rank ran out in 2024, but ‘Sugar’ chose to work with Matchroom Boxing instead. Despite that, clearly the 28-year-old holds deep respect for Floyd Mayweather. However, when fans discovered the post from DAZN, they weren’t excited. 

The Teofimo Lopez fight gets branded boring

Although some people were happy to see the bond between Mayweather and Stevenson, most people dismissed it. One user bluntly called the Teofimo Lopez fight boring, questioning the worth of Stevenson’s call with Floyd. “[The] fight was still boring,” the user wrote. While Stevenson’s skills are praised, he is often branded a boring fighter, like Mayweather, for being overly defensive. 

The next user took things a step further. “Runner Hemoroyd facetiming sprinter twyterson,” the user wrote, mocking the moment. Previously, Stevenson came under fire for his fights against Edwin De Los Santos and Artem Harutyunyan. He managed to recover some of his reputation with an aggressive performance against William Zepeda. But things are back to square one. 

Another user dismissed the FaceTime call entirely. “Yeah, nobody gives a s—t,” the user claimed. Yet, the post attracted 3.7K likes on Instagram and 25.1K views on X. 

Meanwhile, the next user mocked Mayweather alone. “Bro had to call Shakur, so he can stay relevant in the boxing world, all of the old boxers do it lol,” the user wrote. Notably, Mayweather is facing multiple lawsuits at the moment over unpaid bills. So, he doesn’t need Stevenson to remain in the headlines. 

Someone else mocked Stevenson for being pretentious. “Hold up, hold up, yo bro record my call with Floyd,” the user wrote. A connection to Floyd Mayweather can boost a fighter’s profile. But Stevenson is already at the point where he doesn’t need to. Not to mention, the video was to document his fight week leading up to the bout, something many other fighters do as well. 

Shakur Stevenson can’t seem to escape his critics. Even in special moments in his life, fans find a way to scrutinize him. But the question is—is it justified?