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NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 09: Shakur Stevenson celebrates his TKO win against Oscar Mendoza in their Featherweight bout at Madison Square Garden on December 9, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
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NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 09: Shakur Stevenson celebrates his TKO win against Oscar Mendoza in their Featherweight bout at Madison Square Garden on December 9, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
Following a sensational KO win against Felix Caraballo in June, Shakur Stevenson will return to boxing action against Toka Kahn Clary at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas on December 12.
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The unbeaten featherweight will appear in a 10-round main-event fight. The event will compete with Joshua vs Pulev on the PPV shares. However, both events will have their unique features.
Being two of the prime featherweights- Stevenson and Kahn Clary’s fight will determine the possible future of the division.
‘Fearless’ Shakur Stevenson will try to defend his clean record, while Toka Kahn Clary will be aiming to land a major upset. Although Stevenson is still the favorite, Kahn Clary has all the chances of beating him.
‘T-Nice’ has an alluring pro record of 28 wins and 2 losses;, Stevenson has a 14-0record. So, Toka Kahn Clary clearly has more experience and he will try to use it on the fight night.
Here’s how the upcoming featherweight headliner can look like.
Shakur Stevenson vs Toka Kahn Clary- The featherweight attention-seeker
It will be a battle between two southpaws, who are also efficient knockout punchers. One punch is all they need to seal the day and both will seemingly look to register one this weekend.
However, several other factors can determine the outcome. Stevenson has a reach of 68″ (as per Box Rec) and Toka Kahn has a 4.5″ reach advantage.
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MASHANTUCKET, CT – May 17: Toka Kahn Clary (black gloves) battles Carlos Manuel Reyes (red gloves) during their super featherweight bout on May 17, 2019 at the Fox Theater in Mashantucket, Connecticut. (Photo by Williams Paul/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The latter can hit and connect from a distance, as Stevenson will attempt to close the gap. That said, ‘T-Nice’ might not hesitate in taking the fight deep with a ‘hit and move’ strategy.
Considering Shakur Stevenson’s intense jabs, it will be a safe move for Kahn Clary to secure the win via decision. But, if Stevenson catches him flush, it will be a nightmare for the 28-year-old.
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COLORADO SPRINGS, CO – May 25: Team USA boxer Shakur Stevenson hits the bag during a demonstration at the U.S. Olympic Training Center May 25, 2016. Stevenson had sensors in his gloves that contained 3-d accelerometers and 3-d gyroscopes that measured frequency, force and effort exerted. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, closing the gap and landing prominent shots throughout is another potential option for ‘Fearless’ to bag the win on the judge’s scorecard. Apart from being a knockout puncher, Stevenson is also technically sound. So, he might be comfortable in going the distance.
Amid all the speculations, it will be an intense battle and there’s no way hardcore fight fans can miss out on all the action.
Prediction: Shakur Stevenson beats Toka Kahn Clary via knockout (6 round)
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