Floyd Mayweather Jr. wouldn’t be too pleased if he caught wind of people putting his name in the same sentence as Shakur Stevenson—at least not in a way that suggests Shakur is the better defensive fighter. But hey, it’s 2025, and by now, we’ve seen all kinds of wild matchups and jaw-dropping upsets inside the ring. So, a comparison like this? Not as crazy as it might’ve sounded a few years ago.

When Gervonta “Tank” Davis dropped a casual “Lol” after watching Shakur’s last performance in the Last Crescendo Fight, he probably never imagined that, just a short while later, people would be debating whether Stevenson is a better defensive fighter than Floyd Money Mayweather himself. Yet here we are. Now, let’s talk about that February 22nd fight. If you watched it, you know what I’m talking about—Shakur struggled to land clean shots early on. Seeing him have a hard time against a less-experienced Josh Padley, who only stepped in at the eleventh hour, had a lot of folks raising eyebrows. And let’s be real, this isn’t the first time his skills have been called into question. His fights against Edwin De Los Santos and Artem Harutyunyan? Snoozefests, according to some.

The main criticism? Lack of killer instinct. Even last month, Rolly Romero took a jab at him, saying, “He just likes to touch men over and over again. Boxing is something intimate to him.” A wild comment, but that’s Rolly for you. So how did we suddenly go from questioning Shakur’s performances to comparing him to one of the greatest defensive fighters of all time? Enter Shawn Porter.

Not too long ago, Porter dropped a video on The PorterWay Podcast, where he made a bold, some might say outlandish, claim. He said, “I’ve never seen a fighter with the kind of defense that Shakur Stevenson has. For me, that includes Floyd Mayweather.” Wait, what? Yes, you heard that right. That’s when people started rubbing their temples, trying to figure out if they had misheard him. But why would Porter say this? Well, he believes Floyd fought opponents who were either predictable or past their prime, making it easier for him to dodge their punches. “I felt like he was fighting guys that were a step behind where they used to be,” the Showtime stated.

However, there’s a key detail here—Porter himself admitted he never truly studied “Pretty Boy”. He mostly watched highlights instead of full fights. And that right there might explain his take. Being a two-time welterweight champion, Porter pointed out, “When I watched Shakur fighting, he was making defensive moves and then guys were throwing a punch.” In other words, Porter’s argument boils down to this: Mayweather was a defensive wizard, no doubt, but he had the luxury of facing guys who weren’t at their sharpest. Meanwhile, Shakur is out here making elite-level fighters look clueless in real time.

Of course, not everyone is buying it. And honestly? Porter’s perspective might be a little skewed, given that he didn’t get the full Floyd Mayweather Jr. experience. But, does Shakur’s opponent himself believe he’s on Floyd’s level?

Josh Padley slams Shakur Stevenson’s punches

A few days after the February 22nd fight in Riyadh, Josh Padley sat down in an interview with the Ring Magazine. When pressed about the WBC World Lightweight’s punch power, the 29-year-old Englishman stated, “The headshots weren’t bothering me. It was just the body, the conditioning for the body probably in 4 days’ notice.” 

Given the fact that Shakur Stevenson had been initially preparing to fight Floyd Schofield Jr., the part-time electrician didn’t even get a week to prepare for the fight. Because he was replaced on short notice, right? So he believed that it was only his body conditioning that led to the fight result in a 9th-round TKO. And that Shakur Stevenson’s punches were not enough to bother him. Had he the time to train, the result would have been something else.

Moreover, a few days ago, when he was approached by Fight Hub TV, he explained what the 27-year-old’s punch really felt like. “They’re on the button every time, and he doesn’t waste anything. So even though it’s not the hardest I’ve ever been hit. It’s banging the solar plexus every time, or it’s banging behind the ribs every time, or it’s banging the temple always,” he decoded.

But hey, let’s not forget—Shakur had to go under the knife last October to fix tears in his sagittal band and collateral ligament. That’s no minor injury, especially for a boxer. And yet, despite that setback, he still managed to close the show with a ninth-round knockout. Right now, he’s standing firm at 23-0,11 KO, and who knows? Maybe he keeps that “0” just like Floyd did.

So, do you see where Shawn Porter is coming from? Or do you think he’s reaching a little too far with this comparison?