Shakur Stevenson claims he’s being “blackballed” by sure folks in boxing to try to freeze him out to forestall him from getting the alternatives for giant fights he deserves.
It’s not conspiracy being executed to “blackball” WBC light-weight champion Shakur. The issue is that fighters and their promoters don’t wish to battle defensive fighters that transfer as a lot as Shakur.
The Unpopular Protection-First Model
Some fighters are prevented within the sport, and defensive fighters, southpaws, switch-hitters, and knockout artists are excessive on the record.
Stevenson doesn’t say who these persons are that don’t need him to get the massive fights, however he says it’s not going to work. He’ll get the matches he desires finally.
This Saturday, Shakur (21-0, 10 KOs) will defend his WBC light-weight title towards Artem Hartuyunyan (13-1, 7 KOs) on the Prudential Heart in Newark, New Jersey. Harutyunyan, 33, isn’t the battle he needed.
Shakur says he needed to battle one among these guys: George Kambosos Jr., Vasily Lomachenko, William Zepeda, or Gervonta Davis.
The Blackballing Fantasy
“I’m not searching for a knockout. If it comes, it comes. That simply feels like somebody who’s scared,” mentioned Shakur Stevenson to the media, reacting to being instructed that Gervonta Davis mentioned he didn’t wish to battle him as a result of he was too defensive.”
Gervonta and plenty of different fighters don’t wish to battle Shakur, not as a result of they’re scared, however moderately as a result of he strikes an excessive amount of and can exit of his approach to not get hit. His final battle made Shakur one of many undesirables.
Shakur isn’t a large enough puncher to go for a knockout towards an skilled Olympian, Harutyunyan, who has been in with larger punchers than him and was by no means stopped.
“Somebody says that I’m defensive and so they don’t wish to get within the ring with you since you acquired nice protection. That feels like anyone that’s terrified of shedding. I acquired Artem in entrance of me, and that’s my focus. On Saturday, I’ll placed on an awesome present,” mentioned Shakur.
How may Shakur be so mistaken? Fighters like Tank don’t wish to battle him as a result of they’ll be compelled to chase him, and he won’t get an opportunity to land greater than two or three photographs per spherical. We noticed that with Shakur’s final opponent, Edwin De Los Santos.
“I’m not going to say no names, however I believe they’re making an attempt to blackball me and purposefully preserve me out to maintain me out of the combination to provide me the chance I deserve,” mentioned Shakur to Deepcuts about his perception that persons are deliberately freezing him out.”
Is Change the Solely Resolution?
If Shakur doesn’t change his preventing model, he’ll proceed to be prevented, however solely as a result of his fighters don’t wish to take care of a man who strikes as a lot as him. It received’t be resulting from a conspiracy to lock him out for an additional cause. If Shakur believes it has nothing to do together with his preventing model, he’s deceiving himself.
“That’s when endurance is available in. When the time is true, every little thing goes to occur the best way it’s imagined to occur. I acquired to place myself in a greater state of affairs. I believe July sixth is a begin, after which so on. All the things ought to fall into play the best way it ought to fall into play,” mentioned Shakur.
Stevenson will in all probability get an opportunity to battle Tank Davis finally, however that is determined by how he performs and whether or not his fan base is rising. The tank can make more cash preventing Ryan Garcia once more than he can battle Shakur.
