Shakur Stevenson has always shown patience in the ring. His ability to stand directly in front of his opponents while a million hard shots are whizzing by his unprotected chin is a gift. During those heated moments, Stevenson doesn’t throw much in return, instead, that patience we discussed earlier is used again, waiting for the perfect time to catch his man in between shots.
Inside the ring, his patience has become a part of his DNA. Outside of the ring, however, it’s running thin. The former Olympic silver medalist and two-division champ was under the impression that he would have an easy time facing some of the top names in the sport of boxing once he moved up in weight. Those thoughts, at least for now, have been erroneous.
Up until this point, Stevenson’s call-outs of Devin Haney, Isaac Cruz, and Vasiliy Lomachenko haven’t been given the response he would like. But, with some of the division’s top dogs going in other directions, he has a certain hotshot contender breathing down his neck, anxious, hoping, and praying that the two face off.
Edwin De Los Santos, 23, has been banging on Stevenson’s door for quite some time now. For the smooth contender out of the Dominican Republic, he knows how good the former champion is. With that said, if the two were to meet up, he likes his chances.
After his hype train somewhat derailed at the hands of William Foster in 2022, De Los Santos (16-1, 14 KOs) has racked up three consecutive victories, including a one-sided beating against Joseph Adorno just a few months ago.
But, despite making his feelings known, Stevenson (20-0, 10 KOs) is looking to reel in a bigger fish. Just recently, the WBC sanctioning body ordered both Stevenson and undefeated 28-year-old contender, Frank Martin, to immure themselves in the negotiations room. If, for whatever reason, talks between them break down, Stevenson will be out of a dance partner yet again. Luckily for him, De Los Santos is willing to help out.
“Shakur Stevenson, I hear you don’t have no opponent,” said De Los Santos on his social media account. “I want all the smoke.”