It’s hard to imagine, but for all his record, skills, and talent, if there was one thing Shakur Stevenson lacked, it was a nickname! In his seven-year-old boxing career, the lightweight champion has dabbled through a range of monikers. But surprisingly, few stuck. Unlike many of his contemporaries, such as Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney, and Ryan Garcia, Stevenson hasn’t had a consistent ring name. With the successful defense of his title last month, the New Jersey-born Southpaw is stepping into a new chapter of his career. So it was high time Stevenson had some pity on the ring announcers, who might have had to sift through endless Google pages searching for his nickname.

Fortunately, help arrived on time for the Olympic silver medalist. The assistance came from none other than His Excellency Turki Alalshikh. Deeply impressed by the young boxer’s achievements, the Riyadh Season head, who met Stevenson personally at the Terence Crawford–Ismail Madrimov card in Los Angeles, took it upon himself to bestow a new nickname on the champion.

Shakur Stevenson: A new badge of honor

“Just met with my brother, @ShakurStevenson. I have given him the nickname Shakur “Outlaw” Stevenson…” wrote HE Turki Alalshikh. Though subsequently, he expressed an interest in knowing if the fans and followers felt that he was ‘bad for boxing’, a possible dig at Canelo Alvarez.

Sometimes later, Shakur Stevenson joined. Expressing strong support for HE Alalshikh’s comments, he replied with the flexed biceps emoji. Stevenson, who reportedly received his name after late rap legend Tupac Shakur, has gone through a range of nicknames. Early in his career, fans called him ‘Fearless’, which subsequently changed to ‘Sugar’. Given his pursuit of greatness in boxing, ‘Sugar’ was a fitting name, drawing on the legacy of legends like ‘Sugar’ Ray Robinson and ‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard.

Early this year, despite some trolling, Shakur Stevenson introduced fans to a new persona, ‘Killer Kur’. Time will tell whether ‘Outlaw’ resonates with supporters. On the boxing front, for a boxer who had hinted at retirement, things are looking positive. Stevenson defeated Artem Harutyunyan by a unanimous decision to defend his title in the career third division.

In the hunt for a legacy

Thus, roads are open for him to step over to the bigger league. A title unification between Shakur Stevenson and Gervonta Davis remains one of the most-anticipated matchups. With Vasyl Lomachenko now out of the picture for some time, a clash between the two makes for a blockbuster. Per available reports, both camps appear positive about making the fight.

But the latest developments indicate that Shakur Stevenson might also be lined up to face William Zepeda. At the Michelob Ultra Arena for the Vergil Ortiz Jr. versus Serhii Bohachuk card, Oscar De La Hoya suggested that if Ortiz Jr. won, then the next fight could be with Terence Crawford. HE Alalshikh promptly added, “Yes, I will give Crawford a big offer to do this, and let’s see, and not only this, we want to see Shakur and Zepeda.” Earlier, Oscar De La Hoya, who promotes Zepeda, mentioned a condition: Stevenson might have to join the Golden Boy if the fight had to be made.

“William Zepeda against Shakur Stevenson on the same card; let’s do it,” The Golden Boy agreed. The ‘Camaron’ is the number one challenge across all four sanctioning bodies in the lightweight division. Hence, the chances of a fight with Stevenson remain quite high. Since ‘styles make fights’, his aggressive fighting could provide an interesting contrast to Stevenson’s technical and defensive mastery. Fans are eagerly waiting to see Shakur ‘Outlaw’ Stevenson back in the ring, possibly later this year. 

What is your take on the Zepeda match? Would you prefer Shakur Stevenson clash with ‘Tank’ Davis for title unification first?