Although he held the WBC super featherweight title in one hand and the WBO in the other, Shakur Stevenson couldn’t stand the thought of making weight.
In just his mid-20s, Stevenson quickly outgrew 130. So, while becoming a unified champion was important, there was no point in sticking around if making weight had become too arduous of a process.
Competing in the lightweight division may have handed his body a reprieve but getting a top-tier name to step into the ring with him has been painstakingly difficult.
But, after quietly putting the pressure on his team to deliver him a big fight, Stevenson was all smiles when the news officially broke.
A few days ago, BoxingScene.com reported that both Stevenson and Frank Martin have agreed to terms for a vacant WBC title fight.
The fight appeared to be inching towards a date near the end of the year – but news broke on Saturday that Martin withdrew from the bout.
Former two division world champion Zab Judah, to a large extent, is an old-school kind of guy. Simply put, you have to fight the fight in the ring, not on paper. With that said, the former undisputed welterweight champ feels confident Stevenson would have come out on top had he met Martin in the ring.
“I’m taking Shakur,” said Judah to MillCity Boxing.
Having given his pick already, Judah could’ve left it at that. Instead, he not only chose a winner but he also revealed in what fashion Stevenson would get it done in a fight with Martin.
Unwilling to simply blurt it out, MillCity Boxing’s host asked Judah a series of questions. He first made mention of a unanimous decision, Judah shook his head from side to side. Maybe a split decision was more apropos? Again, Judah shook his head from left to right. Once a KO victory was brought to the table, Judah nodded his head in agreement.
Choosing a winner and a pathway to victory, however, isn’t discrediting Martin. Judah’s conjecture simply stems from the pattern he’s seen from both fighters.
“He might have more in the bag but he hasn’t shown it to us yet. Shakur has shown everybody that he’s the sh!t. I don’t wanna say that Frank don’t got it but he hasn’t shown the ability that Shakur has shown us.”