Latest news with #ShakurStevenson
The Independent
a day ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Shakur Stevenson proves he's boxing's new Floyd Mayweather
Headed into the fight, there were many questions surrounding Stevenson's ability to handle a fighter with Zepeda's output – but the Newark native proved beyond any doubt that he can adapt to any style and win 'whatever it takes'. While it may seem early to make comparisons to a legend like Mayweather, the similarities are hard to ignore. Mayweather was heavily criticised towards the end of his career for his defensive boxing style. Shutting his opponents out made for less interesting fights for the spectators. Eddie Hearn openly spoke against Mayweather before his 2014 clash with Marcos Maidana for avoiding the big fights and taking on subpar opposition. Hearn said: 'When the big fights don't happen, the public loses faith. That is happening with Floyd Mayweather.' He continued: 'He is the king of the ring and the king of making money. But fight week seems particularly flat, and I'm hearing from my people in America that there is not the buzz or even much interest in his fight with Marcos Maidana.' This is something Stevenson has also been accused of – not being a fan-friendly fighter and winning his world titles against opposition who never really posed a threat. Long-serving commentator and Hall of Famer Jim Lampley said of Stevenson: 'So far Shakur Stevenson is choosing to win, and so far in choosing to win, he's getting less entertaining. But for both men, a time came when they had to prove to the world that they could stand and fight with the best. Stevenson vs Zepeda (2025) For Stevenson, Zepeda was the perfect opportunity to show his grit against a fighter whose power and volume punching made him a ferocious competitor who has more knockouts than Stevenson does fights. Stevenson showed incredible composure and counterpunching ability to tame the fire of Zepeda and dominate their exchanges, landing eye-catching counter shots and combinations. Just like we saw from Mayweather during his best years, Stevenson boxed from behind a Philly shell when he was forced to the ropes. He was not only effective on the back foot, however, the WBC champion surprised onlookers when he was happy to go toe-to-toe with the fierce Mexican puncher, absorbing or avoiding the best he had to throw and responding with precision and power. The only flaw in an otherwise commanding performance was a well-timed right hand from Zepeda that briefly unbalanced Stevenson, but the American did not waver and quickly returned to dominating the fight. Zepeda showed true spirit to continue his assault despite not landing any meaningful work for the majority of the fight. But the more he threw, the more obvious it became he was outmatched by the American, who could answer him from anywhere – on the inside, at range, on the backfoot or even off the ropes. After the fight Shakur sent a message to the world and said he is more than just a boxer, he is a fighter too. Stevenson said: 'Whatever it takes to get the job done. I got dog in me, I'm not no puppy, I'm not no poodle, I'm a tough guy.' He continued: 'He pushed me to another level.' Mayweather vs Cotto (2012) Mayweather had announced his retirement from boxing after brutally stopping Ricky Hatton in 2007, but came back to the ring in 2009 to fight Juan Manuel Marquez. He put together an impressive couple of victories over Marquez and Shane Mosley, followed by a controversial knockout of Victor Ortiz, which saw him under heavy fire from the boxing public. As well as the controversial ending to the fight, many thought Mayweather was boxing too negatively in his comeback and not providing fans with the entertainment they had paid for. Mayweather's moment of vindication came against Miguel Cotto in one of the toughest challenges of his career. Cotto was, similar to Zepeda, a hard-hitting machine with an unrelenting come-forward style that Mayweather had struggled with in the past against the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Jose Luis Castillo and Carlos Hernandez. But on the night, Mayweather proved that the days of the destructive 'Pretty Boy Floyd' were not past him but had just morphed into and become a part of his new 'Money' Mayweather persona. Cotto barrelled forward at Mayweather, head low and unloading heavy barrages of hooks, which initially looked to trouble the American. But his signature Philly shell defence took the sting out of most of the punches Cotto was throwing. The five-weight world champion, although he could have, chose not to rely so heavily on his defensive brilliance to beat Cotto and instead took the fight to the Puerto Rican on the inside using the upper cut as an effective weapon. These tactics, as we also saw with Stevenson, created an insurmountable advantage for Mayweather. Cotto could not be effective on the inside and was simply getting picked off at range, which led to a wide unanimous decision for Mayweather against another Hall of Fame opponent. After the fight, Larry Merchant, who had been a critic of Mayweather, asked him how he felt after being in a war with Miguel Cotto after so many years of avoiding punishment. Mayweather said: 'When it's pay per view and the fans are paying and the fans are coming to see you. You want to give the fans excitement." Merchant interrupted and reminded Mayweather that we had not seen him in a fight this tough in some time. Mayweather responded: 'It's about giving the fans excitement. That comes with the territory. Sometimes we have to suck it up and fight hard.' The ability of Mayweather to muzzle an aggressive opponent with inch-perfect defence and lashing counter punches is something we hadn't seen replicated so masterfully until Stevenson. With victory over Zepeda. The boxing world has seen the true potential of Stevenson. He is a fighter who continues to evolve and rise to the challenges as they are thrown at him, just as we saw Mayweather do throughout his career. As a three-weight world champion at just 28 years old, the lightweight champion's achievements at such a young age are undeniable, but the Newark fighter's toughest challenges lie ahead of him.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Sport
- Forbes
Fighters React To Controversial Manny Pacquiao-Mario Barrios Decision
Manny Pacquiao, left, fights Mario Barrios in a welterweight title boxing match Saturday, July 19, ... More 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher) Manny Pacquiao and Mario Barrios fought to a surprising, but fitting, majority draw on Saturday night at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. While I scored the fight 115-113 for Pacquiao, two official judges saw it as a 114-114 draw and the other gave it to Barrios by a round. Former world champions and several notable fighters took to social media to give their take, and many of them felt Pacquiao was robbed. Former world champion George Kambosos Jr. said he thought Pacquiao won but still gave the 46-year-old legend his props for the effort. Reigning WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson said the decision "was crazy." Another former world champion, Shawn Porter, said, "Yeah, I knew the BS was comin'. I'm sick." Former champions Danny "Swift" Garcia and Stephen Fulton both said they felt Pacquiao won. According to the broadcast team on-site (Brian Campbell, Abner Mares and Bernardo Osuna), Pacquiao appeared to control much of the early action with his hand speed and combinations. This could have swayed people on social media, but that doesn't normally impact fighter's opinions. Despite Barrios coming on late, the consensus online leaned toward Pacquiao doing enough to win. The controversy sparked instant debate that will undoubtedly rage for weeks. As noteworthy as the questions about the fairness of the decision may be, we should also be talking about Pacquiao's effort. No matter the decision, he deserves tons of credit for putting together such a strong performance at 46, especially after having been out of the professional ring for four years. Through the first nine rounds, he was the quicker man, and at one point, I had him up 88-83. He did slow down in the final quarter of the fight, and it seems to have cost him a world title and one of the biggest upset victories in boxing history. According to CompuBox stats, Pacquiao actually out-landed Barrios in power punches, but the latter had the advantage in total punches and jabs. Pacquiao's ability to push the pace in the early rounds was surprising, but Barrios also deserves some blame. Barrios showed Pacquiao far too much respect. His work rate was way too low. At 30 years old, he did not fight like a man who was 16 years younger than his opponent. Instead, he fought like a fighter who had been brought in to spar with a legend and didn't want to go too hard or irritate or injure someone he looked up to and hoped to work with again. Even when Barrios did have success—particularly with his jab and counters—he rarely followed up with sustained pressure. Barrios' corner told him to stop touching gloves as they could see their fighter was falling into a respect trap, but he didn't listen or couldn't break the habit. That likely reinforced his overly cautious approach and it nearly cost him his title. Was Pacquiao robbed? No, that word gets thrown around far too easily when it comes to the judges' decision in combat sports. However, had Pacquiao gotten the nod, Barrios would have deserved the disappointing loss he was handed. In case you're wondering, Pacquiao said, 'God willing, I'll fight again.' He expressed an interest in a rematch with Barrios and the latter agreed. Seems like we'll see this again later this year or early in 2026.
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Boxing world left fuming over robbery after Manny Pacquiao fight
The boxing world has been left seething after Manny Pacquiao's return to the ring ended in a majority draw. The 46-year-old earned a shot against 30-year-old WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios thanks to his protected ranking. While many believed the champ would have proved too strong for the hall of famer, it was the elder statesman who showed he still has what it takes at the top level. Pacquaio had his opponent scurrying around the ring as his nimble punches came in bunches over the majority of the 12 rounds. As the final bell rang, the boxing world held its breath as the judges submitted their cards. It was when they were read out that outrage took over. One judge scored the bout 115-113 to Barrios while the remaining two judges had it 114-114 with the fight ending in a majority draw. It means Barrios retains his WBC title. Boxing fans watching on believed it was Pacquiao who should have had his hand raised and it wasn't long before social media was flooded with anger. Shakur Stevenson wrote: 'Decision was crazy.' Journalist Dan Rafael wrote: 'A draw. Barrios retains the WBC welterweight title. That's just absolutely awful. Beyond awful. Complete f***eration.' DAZN' s Steven Muehlhausen wrote: 'This is where these commissions need to make the judges available to speak after fights. Scores likes this are inexcusable when the fight was fairly easy to score.' Another on X wrote: 'Get f***ed that's a disgusting scorecard Manny Pacquiao has just been f***ing robbed he won that fight 115-113 get lost.' Speaking after the fight, Pacquaio said he will be stepping back into the ring with Barrios agreeing the duo should run it back. Earlier on the card, there was huge drama in Tim Tszyu's rematch with Sebastian Fundora. The Aussie was knocked to the ground in the opening round of the word title rematch and never recovered despite landing some savage blows of his own. The 30-year-old confirmed after the chaotic scenes in the ring that the decision for him to quit on his stool had been made by the whole team. 'I tried to give it everything but I just couldn't do it,' Tszyu said after the fight.
Forbes
4 days ago
- Sport
- Forbes
Oleksandr Usyk Vs. Daniel Dubois 2 Results, KO Highlight and Reaction
Oleksandr Usyk (right) lands a punch on Daniel Dubois during their IBF, IBO, WBC and WBO World ... More heavyweight bout at Wembley Stadium, London. Picture date: Saturday July 19, 2025. (Photo by Bradley Collyer/PA Images via Getty Images) PA Images via Getty Images Oleksandr Usyk left no doubt in his rematch with Daniel Dubois on Saturday night at Wembley Stadium in London. Usyk re-captured the undisputed heavyweight crown with the fifth-round KO. In case you missed it, here's a look at the KO. Fans and analysts were impressed, but Usyk's peers and the fighter fraternity took to social media to share their admiration for the all-time great. WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson, forever the student of the game, shared his glowing respect for Usyk. Former undisputed lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr. called Usyk an all-time great. Former world champion and DAZN analyst Sergio Mora call him 'an incredible all time great fighter.' Former 140-pound champion Devin Haney called Usyk 'a BAD MF!' Former 154-pound champion, Julian 'J-Rock' Williams had an interesting take on the Usyk-Dubois situation. In case you missed the results from the event, here's how all of the fights on the DAZN card ended. Usyk vs. Dubois 2 - Main Event Heavyweight - Oleksandr Usyk def. Daniel Dubois via fifth-round KO for Usyk's WBA (Super), WBC, WBO, IBO and The Ring Heavyweight titles and Dubois' IBF Heavyweight belt Usyk vs. Dubois 2 - Main Card Heavyweight - Lawrence Okolie def. Kevin Lerena via unanimous decision for Okolie's WBC Silver Heavyweight title Light Heavyweight - Daniel Lapin def. Lewis Edmondson via majority decision for Lapin's IBF Intercontinental and WBA Continental Light Heavyweight titles Heavyweight: Solomon Dacres def. Vladyslav Sirenko via unanimous decision Uskyk vs. Dubois - Undercard Junior Welterweight - Aadam Hamed def. Ezequiel Gregores via unanimous decision Junior Welterweight - Lasha Guruli def. James Francis via unanimous decision What's Next For Usyk? After the fight, Usyk said he wanted to rest. If there is anyone who has earned it, it's him. A third fight with Tyson Fury is looming. He also mentioned a potential meeting with Dereck Chisora or Anthony Joshua. It sounds like Usyk is looking for the fights that will carry the largest payday. Who can blame him? If you need any more proof, check this moment out following the fight. Could Jake Paul face Oleksandr Usyk in the former's long-awaited Professional Fighters League debut? That event would be quite the shot in the arm for the PFL. It would also be a significant boost to Usyk's wallet. What's Next for Dubois? That was a tough and devastating KO loss. I'd expect to see Dubois in the ring again some time in the first quarter of 2026. He could get a get-right opponent or he could step in with one of the fighters trying to climb the ladder to get a title shot like Agit Kabayel or Joseph Parker. If I were running his career, I'd put him in with a less dangerous opponent. He needs to get his confidence back up. He's only 27 years old which is a baby in the heavyweight division. His career must be handled appropriately from here. He'll be OK, but the wrong matchmaking could compound the issue Usyk created for him.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Conor Benn reveals Chris Eubank Jr. rematch could be off
Conor Benn is next up in-studio alongside Shakur Stevenson, and the two trade verbal blows while setting the terms for a future matchup. After Shakur leaves, Benn discusses issues with rebooking the fight against Eubank Jr. and more.
