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WBC and WBO world super featherweight champion Shakur Stevenson recently spoke about his career journey and why he chose not to sign with Floyd Mayweather. Stevenson wanted to do things his own way with his own people, rather than conforming to the Mayweather way of doing business.
Shakur Stevenson has a promising young career — up to this point, he has successfully defeated all challengers in the ring. A decorated amateur, Stevenson was expected to have a lot of success in the professional game.
In the amateur ranks, Stevenson won silver at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. As such, the demand for Stevenson among various promoters was high. To the surprise of many Stevenson decided not to go with Mayweather Promotions, instead signing with Top Rank Boxing.
Stevenson explained his decision and said:
“A lot of people look at that situation and say, ‘Yeah, you should have went with Floyd,’ but I’m going to say what it is. It’s just certain things that I tolerate and don’t tolerate. I got around certain people and they were [helping me out] with my career. Floyd didn’t want to be involved in that, and didn’t want to accept the real part."
"He wanted me to go through it. I’m not going to say he wanted me to go through blind, but he wanted me to do it his way, and I didn’t want to do it his way. So, it ended up that I did it my way, and I went with team that I felt was the better team for me. I feel like right now it’s paid off.”
Stevenson is currently the No.1-ranked super featherweight according to BoxRec, so he seems to be correct in his assumption that his choice to sign with Top Rank is paying off.
Listen to Stevenson's full comments below:
Shakur Stevenson wants to move up to lightweight
Shakur Stevenson doesn't hold all the belts at super featherweight, but most believe he is the best fighter at the weight class. For his next career move, he wants to move up and conquer the lightweight division.
First, Stevenson must defend his belts against Robson Conceicao. If the American's comments are any indication, that could likely be his last fight at the weight.
At lightweight, Stevenson has a multitude of options. George Kambosos Jr. and Vasily Lomachenko are both signed with Top Rank, making a bout against either quite the straightforward business endeavor.
The undisputed four-belt champion at the weight, Devin Haney, is also signed with Top Rank. Outside of his own promotional team, eye-watering bouts with Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis are also possible.
Watch Shakur Stevenson call out several names at lightweight, including Devin Haney and Gervonta Davis:
