Isaac Cruz is just about tired of hearing the nonstop praise of Shakur Stevenson. The Olympic silver medal and multiple world titles are all impressive but the perpetual fawning of Stevenson has simply been excessive according to Cruz.
“He’s a great fighter but maybe a little bit overvalued,” Cruz told BoxingScene.com during a recent interview.
Stevenson, largely, has been ballyhooed as the sport’s next big thing. At 126 pounds, his transient push resulted in a championship reign. One division higher, Stevenson was given the chance to put together a more dominant run.
Following title stamps against some of the division’s best at 130 pounds, Stevenson (20-0, 10 KOs) was thought to have a legitimate chance at becoming the top dog in charge. An ever-growing Stevenson, however, couldn’t continue to make weight, forcing him to move up.
A change in divisional scenery hasn’t altered Stevenson’s fighting style one bit. Just a few short months ago, the former Olympic star officially made his lightweight debut.
Yoshino Shuichiro did his best against Stevenson in early April but was dominated and eventually stopped. It was a good win according to Cruz, nothing more, nothing less.
Stevenson now believes that his victory, coupled with the work he once put in at 130 pounds, should be enough for him to get a crack at Devin Haney, the division’s undisputed champion. Cruz though, doesn’t understand what all the hype is about.
The Mexican contender won’t sit here and lie. Stevenson is good, very good, great even. But he also senses a level of entitlement coming from Stevenson. No matter how great he’s performed in previous weight classes, and despite being viewed as one of the very best, Cruz merely believes that Stevenson is being given certain privileges that he hasn’t quite earned just yet.
“He wants to stroll into this division as if he’s accomplished everything but in reality, he’s got to earn his diligence.”