Shakur Stevenson Guarantees ‘Vintage Kur’ Performance Against Schofield

WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson says fans should tune in to his February 22 fight against Floyd Schofield in Riyadh to see “Kur vintage.“

What Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) means by his “old” stuff could be translated as code for him being on his bike, using his hit-and-no-hit style to win a points decision.

It would mean something if the “classic” Shakur was an exciting, fighting style that fans could look forward to, but he has NEVER been that type of fighter.

Stevenson has had an old Mayweather-style fossil fighting approach since turning pro after the Olympics. It’s like a musician from the 1940s who went through a time warp into the 21st century.

Can Shakur entertain?

For Stevenson, it’s important that he made it entertaining because this is Turki Alalshikh’s card and there will be a lot of boxing fans binging the contest, which will be broadcast live on DAZN.

If Shakur wants to headline some of the future shows instead of being buried on the card like he is with the Feb. 22 card, he needs to stay in the pocket and trade with the 22-year-old Schofield (18-0, 12 KOs). ). He needs to put his chin on the line to make it entertaining for fans if he wants a higher spot on Turki’s future cards.

You want fighters who entertain fans, and Shakur doesn’t meet those standards, or at least he hasn’t in the past. It’s not too late for Stevenson to turn the page and become a pocket fighter, but I don’t think he can do it. It has too much rabbit inside.

“Kid Austin is 22 years old. Tommy Hearns fought Ray Leonard at 21 (correction: Thomas ‘Hitman’ Hearn fought Sugar Ray Leonard for the first time at 22 years and 10 months on September 16, 1981). I don’t get into that. “Manny Pacquiao was champion at 19 and Floyd Mayweather at 21,” Stephen Edwards told fight when asked if Floyd Schofield is too young at 22 to fight WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson.

“(Mike) Tyson was champion at 20. Muhammad Ali at 22. Salvador Sánchez at 20. The list could go on,” Edwards said. “Óscar De La Hoya and Félix Trinidad. I think he was champion at 20. Even Canelo and Inoue. They are two of the best guys of this era. “They won championships at 20 and 21 years old.”

Stephen is not saying that those fighters were much better than Schofield, and that they looked outstanding before winning their first world titles. They weren’t fighting lower level fighters like Schofield has done. That’s something Edwards glosses over, with his mention of great fighters of the past who won world titles at a young age.

“Is it a tough fight? Yes. Will Shakur be a prohibitive favorite? Yes,” Edwards said of the fight between Stevenson and Schofield on February 22. “Did Kid Austin have problems in his last fight (against René Téllez Girón)? Yes. I still give him (Kid Austin) credit for taking this fight. Sometimes, you want to face these fights at your physical peak.

“Sometimes young people overcome a lot of things and seem confident,” Edwards said of Schofield and his father, Floyd Sr. “Let them fight. I never say that. I never try to stop a guy from wanting to fight. If you think you are good enough, then go in and fight. Do I think he’s going to win?

“In fact, I think Shakur is one of the 10 or 12 best fighters on the planet. Shakur is also a special guy. But athletic, tough guys tend to give tough fights to soft boxers. Shawn Porter gave everyone tough fights, and Kid Austin is the one he reminds me of the most. Tim Bradley is in the Hall of Fame. He was tough, athletic and gave everyone a tough fight,” Edwards said.

Is Shakur overrated?

Stevenson is not one of the best fighters on the planet, not even close. His fighting style is not one of the best in boxing and it is not entertaining to watch. He’s a defensive guy and that’s it. To be one of the best fighters in the sport, you must balance offense and defense.

Shakur is just defensive. It is 95% defense and 5% offense. His close victory over Edwin De Los Santos last year showed that he is not one of the best fighters on the planet because if he was, he would have dominated him instead of being booed outside the T-Mobile Arena that night in Las Vegas. Edwards was wrong.

Schofield’s past chances of winning are to be aggressive, throw powerful punches, and constantly pressure Shakur in every round of the fight. He will have to be good at cutting the ring because Stevenson will be constantly moving, as he always does, trying not to get hit.

February 22 belt 2 ass make sure everyone tunes in Watch me beat Kid Austin like I stole something… Vintage Kur back 🦾

—Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) December 24, 2024