“Now Time to Vacate the Title”: Oscar De La Hoya Joins Boxing World in Bidding Shakur Stevenson Farewell After Announcing Retirement

Shakur Stevenson seems to have hit a roadblock lately. He was unable to find any worthy opponent before his fight against Edwin De Los Santos. Even after his fight against Santos, things didn’t look too good for him. A lot of this has to do with his poor performance against Santos. And it seems that the ordeal before and after the fight has started to take its toll on Stevenson. This has led to the American boxer taking a rather drastic step which has shaken the boxing world.

In a groundbreaking development, Shakur Stevenson, aged 26, announced his exit from boxing. Through a statement on X (formerly Twitter), the undefeated pugilist expressed, “I’m officially retiring from the sport of boxing.” So what does the boxing world have to say about the boxer’s decision?

Oscar De La Hoya congratulates Shakur Stevenson while asking him to vacate his titles

Shakur Stevenson’s recent announcement of retirement from boxing has stirred up a whirlwind of reactions. Oscar De La Hoya, the head honcho of Golden Boy Promotions, took the chance to congratulate Stevenson on what he’s achieved while also asking him to move aside. He wrote, “Congratulations on what you accomplished @ShakurStevenson now time to vacate the title. Really enjoyed your career.”

American sportswriter Dan Rafael also chimed in as he pointed out his observation about Stevenson. He stated that Stevenson appeared to be “frustrated by something.” Moreover, he also claimed, “Respectfully, zero chance he’s actually retired just like there was zero chance last year that Teofimo was retired or before that Tyson Fury, etc.”

Meanwhile, Rick Glaser, an IBHOF elector, also shared his disbelief in Stevenson’s decision. He wrote, “I take #ShakurStevenson very seriously as a fighter. I do not take Shakur seriously as a retiree.”

As the boxing community grapples with uncertainty, it remains to be seen whether Stevenson’s retirement is a genuine decision or merely a momentary reaction, or even a gimmick. Here’s the potential reason behind Stevenson hanging his gloves.

The reason behind Stevenson’s discontent

In response to the WBO’s order for a title match between Emanuel Navarrete and Denys Berinchyk, Shakur Stevenson, a three-weight world champion, expressed his discontent on social media, stating, “This is sickening… S**t is Disgusting my n***a!” Minutes before announcing his retirement, he tweeted, “I mines well retire,” prompting mixed reactions from fans.

The burning question is whether this abrupt decision stems from genuine intent or merely serves as a response to the WBO Lightweight title match news. Transitioning to similar cases, last year, Teofimo Lopez briefly retired after securing the WBO light welterweight title, only to reverse his decision upon facing the obligation to vacate the belt.

Read More: Deen The Great Mocks Shakur Stevenson for Announcing His Retirement

The parallels between Lopez’s situation and Stevenson’s raise speculation about the validity of the latter’s retirement. What do you think about the situation? Do you think Stevenson should indeed retire? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Watch This Story: Devin Haney Fires Shots At Shakur Stevenson After Edwin De Los Santos Disappointing Win