It seems he took an unusually long time. But Shakur Stevenson finally responded. Known for his fast responses in the ring, the WBC lightweight champion is nimble with the keyboard as well. Footage of archrival Rolando Romero taking free swipes at Stevenson and his fighting style has been gaining considerable traction. So it might have perplexed a few, as Stevenson’s response was nowhere to be found.

From what it appears, Rolando Romero has become the new darling of the social media chat shows. Stemming primarily from the drubbing he received at the hands of Isaac Cruz just a few months ago, the Las Vegas native was at the receiving end of incessant criticism. Now, with the win over Ryan Garcia, he seems to have turned a new leaf. Well known for his no-holds-barred sermons, Romero slammed a string of fighters in ‘The Danza Project‘s latest episode. But the most unrestricted jabs were reserved for Stevenson. It was time the Olympian replied.

Shakur Stevenson: Cool as a cucumber

A classic riposte saw Shakur Stevenson attesting that Rolando Romero’s stinging roasts barely bothered him. And to express his feelings, he didn’t choose any word. At times, symbols convey deeper meaning. “😎😎😎,” Stevenson tweeted. He was responding to a post that featured a clip from ‘The Danza Project‘ where Romero lambasted him for prioritizing money over legacy. You see, as the show neared the end, Danza pointed at how Romero stood up to fight the very best. “You seem like you just want to go out; you want to fight the best,” he said. Romero could barely disagree. “I want to fight the best…yeah, I always wanted to just sit down and fight the best,” he said.

To make a compelling argument, he highlighted how others would go around saying, “Oh, I called out this person; I called out that.” And to cite an example, he picked Shakur Stevenson: “Man, I’ll tell you like this, this is the one dude that f**king.” He highlighted the two-year-old incident.

Devin Haney extended an offer to Stevenson, who had moved up a division. But the talks fell apart as the two sides couldn’t agree on the purse split. Against Haney’s 25% offer, Stevenson reportedly wanted a 50% share in the split. So Romero said, “Mother***ker’s like, Oh no, not enough money, but you’re trying to—you’re saying you’re the best; you could beat them, but it’s about f**king money.”

Sparring from a distance

Earlier in the interview, Danza asked him to pick a fight that would make him sleep on a long flight. Unhesitatingly, Romero pointed at Shakur Stevenson. It’s a different fact he had to pick between the recently concluded Devin Haney and Canelo Alvarez fights.

The Stevenson-Romero back-and-forth isn’t a new one either. Romero once termed the Newark-born lightweight the most boring in the history of boxing, who ‘will put anybody to sleep.’ Stevenson returned the favor subsequently. Following Romero’s controversial win over Ismael Barroso, Stevenson called him ‘the biggest conman in boxing.’

With Stevenson aiming to build his legacy at 135 pounds and Romero, as the new WBA (regular) welterweight champion, expressing interest in staying at 147, a showdown between the two seems unlikely. So, fans might as well enjoy the harmless to-and-fro between a star champion and a fighter who just managed to add a few more years to his boxing career.

If Romero and Stevenson were to fight, who would be your pick for the win?