The duel between Vasiliy Lomachenko and Devin Haney only bolstered Terence Crawford’s belief in Shakur Stevenson.
Haney, the undisputed lightweight champion, retained his four 135-pound titles with a spirited effort against Vasiliy Lomachenko last month at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The thoroughly competitive 12-round bout saw Haney, 24, use timely right-hand counters in the early going to stymie the 34-year-old Lomachenko, who nevertheless roared back in the final rounds to make their contest a nail-biter.
In the end, all three judges (116-112, 115-113, 115-113) scored the bout narrowly in favor of Haney.
The results immediately sparked controversy in the sporting public, with many insisting that Lomachenko was cheated of a victory, despite the close margins.
But if the exchanges between Haney and Lomachenko made for friendly TV—their fight was delivered by ESPN Pay-Per-View—it also had the effect of downgrading their abilities in the eyes of one particular observer.
Crawford, the skilled WBO titlist, made it clear that the latest duel between two of the top lightweights only further underscores the brilliance of Stevenson in his mind. Stevenson has long been a close friend and protégé of sorts to Crawford.
“Y’all already know,” Crawford, the WBO welterweight titlist, told a group of reporters. “Nobody beat Shakur. I’m saying Shakur beat everybody. It don’t matter who it is, Shakur beating them. It don’t matter. Shakur over everybody, that’s how it’s going to be.”
Stevenson told ESPN immediately after the fight that he is keen on challenging Haney for his belts, while also adding that he believed Lomachenko had deserved the win.
In attempting to describe what makes Stevenson so difficult to contend with in the ring, Crawford lauded the Newark, New Jersey native’s versatility.
“Man, that boy special, that boy special,” Crawford continued. “Shakur is one a kind, you know what I mean? He adapts to every fighter. And then once he adapt to you it’s a long night. We done seen Shakur go forward, we done seen Shakur stay in the pocket, you know what I mean? We done seen Shakur move, how defensive-minded he being. Shakur is just all around a great fighter.”
Sean Nam is the author of the forthcoming book Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing.