Shakur Stevenson Vents Out About Past As WBC President Brings Up ‘Failure’ That Shaped Floyd Mayweather’s Legacy

Last year in September, Shakur Stevenson made his plans public. Done with the Super Featherweight, he would finally move to the Lightweight at 135 lbs. Lest it gets forgotten, during the weigh-ins for the bout against the Brazilian Robson Conceicao on September 23, he weighed 131.6 lbs. It was 1.6 pounds more than the divisional mandate.

His refusal to go for a scale-down resulted in him parting with the WBC and WBO titles. Thus moving on, his debut fight in the 135 lbs would see him face Shuichiro Yoshino from Japan on April 8 at Newark’s Prudential Center.

The twenty-five-year-old southpaw has come a long way to claim his rightful place. His outstanding inning as an amateur boxer culminated in winning the silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. His meteoric rise has often drawn comparisons with the former five-division champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Mayweather Jr., before embarking on his professional career, left an outstanding legacy as an amateur. But a controversial decision prevented him from winning the gold, and he became a bronze medalist at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. The move, though universally criticized, is often termed the impetus that catapulted Mayweather Jr. to the heights of professional boxing.

Shakur Stevenson shares Mayweather’s Olympic video

However, Stevenson, who also had fallen short of a gold medal, seems to nurse a grudge. Despite being in a similar situation, he faced ridicule, often the butt of jokes for many. Though still far from ‘Money’ Mayweather’s fifty-win record, he remains unbeatable with nineteen wins. But the young prodigy, who many deem the next big name in the sport, finds it annoying at times when his moves or progress doesn’t make headway with a certain section of fans and critics.

So he shared a video of a young Mayweather Jr. crying, unable to speak after being deprived of the gold medal, through his Twitter handle. Stevenson stated, “They clowned me cause I hate losing this much.”

It is safe to say that Stevenson needs to keep the momentum going to crack a shot at the coveted Lightweight title. On the other hand, Devin Haney, the current WBC Lightweight champion, reportedly expects crossing swords with the formidable Ukrainian Vasiliy Lomachenko. However, the division will see what is touted as one of the year’s most significant fights. WBA (Regular) Lightweight champion Gervonta Davis will face top-ranked Ryan Garcia on April 23. Therefore, Shakur Stevenson is entering a galaxy of stars.

Read More: Undefeated World Champion Boxer Shakur Stevenson Snubs Young Dolph, GloRilla, Among Others, to Give Ultimate’ King of Memphis’ Crown to Yo Gotti

What is your take on Stevenson’s tweet? Do share your views and opinions with us in the comments below.

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