(Editor's note: Floyd Schofield fell ill and is out of the fight with Shakur Stevenson. This story was published hours before his withdrawal. Josh Padley has stepped in to replace Schofield.)
No one who understands the science of boxing at even a basic level could dispute Shakur Stevenson's talent, but the lightweight champion stands at a crossroads despite being just 27. It's not because of what he possesses but because of what he's missing.
The boxing ring is his safe place, but as he finishes his eighth full year as a professional, whispers are growing that it's become too safe.
He became a free agent in 2024 and left Top Rank to sign with Matchroom. After hand surgery, he will make his Matchroom debut Saturday on the mega-card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, when he defends the WBC lightweight title against young and unbeaten Floyd Schofield.
He's 22-0 with 10 knockouts and has repeatedly flashed the talent. He has blazing fast hands, quick and agile feet, unerring accuracy, and an innate understanding of how to create his openings. Those are the weapons of a future king. He's not there yet, but masterpieces take time. It took Da Vinci 16 years to complete the Mona Lisa.
Some masterpieces remain unfinished, and that's where Stevenson comes in.
One word now follows Stevenson, the last any potential boxing star ever wants to hear. Google his name.
Boring.
The fans aren't wrong. Boos have rained down for a reason. Stevenson turned prime-time fights against Edwin De Los Santos and Artem Harutyunyan into Ambien in 4K. In May, BoxingNews.com published a piece under the headline, "Is Shakur Stevenson boxing's most boring fighter? Where does he go next?"
BoxingNews showed no mercy. "His commercial value is at an all-time low following his performance against Edwin De Los Santos," it wrote.
An ESPN piece about Stevenson's win over De Los Santos took no prisoners: " ... his stock is down after one of the worst TV main events in recent memory."
Let's be fair: The criticism was deserved. A root canal would have been more entertaining than watching Stevenson against either De Los Santos or Harutyunyan. He had chances to plant his feet, fire off combinations and give the fans a reason to cheer. Instead, he played it safe, stayed on the back foot, jabbing and moving, never taking a risk. He didn't have to become Arturo Gatti, but he needed to do more than run out the clock.
Stevenson hasn’t peaked. He is just entering his prime. Few fighters possess his blend of speed, accuracy, and ring IQ, and that's what makes frustrations grow. To whom much is given, much is expected. The tools are there. The offensive fireworks are not.
Sean Gibbons, a longtime matchmaker, cornerman, and head of MP Promotions, was blunt when asked about Stevenson.
"Just go back and watch some of his fights," said Gibbons, one of boxing's most astute observers. "If he fights Oscar Valdez [who is not a hard hitter], he looks like Mike Tyson. But when he fights a guy who can punch a little bit, he's running for his life. So yeah, I believe he has all the talent and the ability, but he seems to get a little gun shy when guys can punch."
Stevenson's mentor, Terence Crawford, has long been his most vocal advocate. Crawford, arguably the world's No. 1 fighter and one of the best to ever do it, didn’t know Stevenson well until after he turned pro. But the moment he got an up-close look, he saw something special.
"When I watched him, I said, ‘Damn, this little dude can fight!’" Crawford told the Los Angeles Times in 2019. "The skills, his mindset, the overall aspect of his boxing game, like his defense and his competitiveness. You can see his heart in the ring.”
The harshest thing you can say about a fighter is that he lacks heart. It’s a fatal flaw—one that's devastating for marketability. It turns fans away.
And yet, even some of his peers hint that heart may be Stevenson’s missing piece.
Gervonta Davis, the WBA lightweight champion, seemed to echo Gibbons' skepticism. After Davis' eighth-round stoppage of Frank Martin on June 15, he was asked about fighting Stevenson next.
The right side of Davis' face was swollen, bruised from Martin’s punches. He had to take a few to land what he needed to finish the fight.
When asked about facing Stevenson, Davis smirked.
"You know how it would go," Davis said, hinting Stevenson wouldn't engage. "Everybody in this room knows how it would go."
Esther Lin/PBC
Gervonta Davis was critical of Shakur Stevenson after Davis defeated Frank Martin last year in Las Vegas.
We know how this goes. Boxers have massive egos—it's part of survival. Davis could be hyping himself up as much as he's tearing Stevenson down. But dismissing a fight between two of the sport’s top talents as a foregone conclusion? That’s a stretch.
The good news for Stevenson fans: his story isn’t finished. He won’t turn 28 until June 28. Yes, the De Los Santos and Harutyunyan fights were less fun than writing a massive check to the IRS.
Still, few fighters have Stevenson’s skill set, and betting against that kind of talent is risky. Hall of Fame trainer Joe Goossen pointed out that Floyd Mayweather heard the same criticisms early in his career. So did Andre Ward and Pernell Whitaker.
"Floyd had that unbelievable talent, but how far into his career was it before people started to say, 'Yeah, he's the guy'?" Goossen said. "Sometimes, it takes a while."
Goossen believes Stevenson has the kind of talent that can define a trainer’s career.
"You get a guy like that in your gym, and you know you're not going to see many like that in your lifetime," Goossen said. "If you stay around long enough, every 10, 15, 20 years, you’ll see someone like that. He's a very talented kid who can do a lot of things. ... I wouldn’t be too quick to write him off just yet."
Stevenson enters Saturday as a massive -1200 favorite at DraftKings to hand the 22-year-old Schofield his first loss and retain his title. But Schofield doesn’t need to convince himself he can win. He carries himself with the quiet confidence of a man who believes in his own talent.
"He's a diva," Schofield said when asked by Marcos Villegas what he thought of Stevenson. "He's the only one I see gets super emotional over nothing. At the end of the day ... you're going to have people who talk trash [and] people who talk bad about your performances. Like, look at my last fight. I got a unanimous decision win and people can't find one thing I did right. So don't take it to heart. I don't take it to heart.
"I feel like he's the only person who takes it to heart. It gets annoying at some point because it's like, 'Bro, grow up, bro. I swear, he's a seven-year-old. My son is more of a man than him and he's four months. It's crazy. I don't like him as an individual because he's just ignorant."
It's ignorant, of course, to believe that Stevenson is gutless. It takes an enormous amount of heart and courage to step between the ropes to fight anyone, let alone someone who is among the best in the world.
But just as in baseball there are hitters who can be intimidated by 98 mph chin music, there are boxers who want no part of a puncher like Davis, who can end a fight with a single shot.
Stevenson's challenge is to prove he has the cool and the calm to stand his ground to detonate the bomb—not to sprint for cover.
Mikey Williams/Top Rank
Shakur Stevenson (L) was roundly criticized for a boring performance against Edwin De Los Santos (R)>