In a division that became known for the best avoiding the best, Vasyl Lomachenko stands out. Though he suffered losses, the two-time Olympic gold medalist, who announced his retirement this past June, not only faced Teofimo Lopez but also fought Devin Haney. Yet a few still believe the light-footed phenom avoided a matchup altogether. One of them being a fight against Shakur Stevenson. While Loma is the best person who could explain why he never accepted the offer, Stevenson feels their sparring sessions were likely the reason why a fight never materialized.

“I messed myself up. I kind of did this to myself, so I understand why a lot of fighters wouldn’t fight me,” Stevenson said when Joe Rogan asked if talks for a fight with Loma ever took place. “A lot of fighters wouldn’t fight me because I sparred them, and I messed myself up. Like when I was trying to spar with him (Loma) at that time, I never thought it would be a day when me and him would be fighting. Like I didn’t think that far down the line. I really was just thinking he was the best fighter in boxing, number one pound-for-pound.”

“I felt like I was outboxing him,” the WBO and The Ring 140-pound titlist added. “But I also knew the level he was on was like his conditioning. And that’s when it made me be like, okay, I got to be in, like, tip-top conditioning. Cuz the first day we sparred, we did six rounds. I feel like it was like, ‘Okay, I can outbox him.'”

Shakur Stevenson, however, acknowledged Lomachenko caught up with him as the rounds progressed. While fatigued, he never saw himself as a less skillful boxer. Against Lomachenko, he was able to find his range and distance, and he was also much faster. From a conditioning and volume standpoint, however, he felt Loma was getting geared up for an upcoming bout, just as he was.

Later, Stevenson suggested Vasyl Lomachenko may have had little reason to pursue the fight after seeing him grow into a bigger, stronger fighter. From his perspective, the Ukrainian icon might not have wanted that fight.

Roughly 12 months after he defeated George Kambosos Jr. and reclaimed the IBF lightweight title on June 5 last year, Lomachenko announced his retirement from professional boxing.

When Shakur Stevenson coined a new nickname for Vasyl Lomachenko

Long before retirement rumors and the potential matchup with Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson had already started calling out Vasyl Lomachenko. He even gave him a new moniker – “Duck”Chenko – for avoiding him.

“With the Loma fight, I kind of looked up to Lomachenko,” Stevenson told The Ring podcast last year. “I’ll be honest. I had a certain admiration for Lomachenko. He was that guy for me. For him to really be something like a duck, like he doesn’t really want to fight me, it just kind of made me look at him a little bit differently. Truthfully, I still think he had a hell of a career. He was a legend, but I still think he ducked me.”

Times have since changed. With the win over Teofimo Lopez, Shakur Stevenson sits atop the boxing echelon – now a four-division champion. His movement and Gervonta Davis’ uncertain future have left the 135-pound division in limbo.

WBC and WBA have announced fights for the vacant titles. Hopefully the division, now brimming with new talent, does not exhibit the issues that plagued it previously – the best not facing the best.