“From Kobe to Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Everybody Has”: After Facing Months of Criticism for Edwin de la Santos Fight, Shakur Stevenson Hits Back, Leaving a Message for Young Fighters

It’s been over two months since Shakur Stevenson fought and defeated Edwin De Los Santos. However, the three-division champion is still facing the repercussions of his lackluster victory. Responding to the critics regarding the same, ‘Sugar’ Stevenson lashed out on a live stream while attempting to teach an important lesson to young fighters.

On 16 November last year, the WBC lightweight champion moved up a weight class to fight Santos for the vacant title. However, the fight saw one of the lowest amount of punches thrown by a fighter and an overall lack of engagement. The entire 12 rounds of the fight were surrounded by “boos” as some fans were spotted leaving the arena. However, after facing months of backlash, Shakur finally had it as he unloaded on his fans in a recent Twitch livestream. 

Shakur Stevenson isn’t happy about being taken off the P4P list

After Shakur’s livestream yesterday, Pinpoint Boxing took up the story, sharing it on X (formerly Twitter). The Newark native claimed, “I see people took me off of the pound-for-pound list. They took me off of every list possible.” ‘Sugar’ even suggested that he has seen numerous interviews, claiming to have been forgotten by the populace. According to Shakur, everyone is saying, “He is not this, and he is not that.” 

However, he claimed not so long ago, people held him as “every bit of the best fighter in the world.” Hence, he wanted “the young fighters and the young kids to take notes.” Stevenson claims as an athlete who has delivered good performance time and time again, one bad night should not define his career. He said, “All the greats have off nights, from Koby to Michael Jordan [and] Tom Brady, everybody has off nights.” However, this comes after his initial apology after the fight had concluded. 

‘Sugar’ Stevenson holds himself accountable

After the fight had ended with great disappointment in T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, the 26-year-old fighter seemed unimpressed with his own performance. He went as far as to apologize to all the boxing greats present ringside to watch the fight. Stevenson appeared in an interview with Fight Hub TV, addressing Andre Ward, Floyd Mayweather, and Terence Crawford.

“I appreciate Floyd Mayweather, I apologize to him, I apologize to Andre Ward, and I apologize to Terence Crawford. They’re all my idols, and they came out to see a great performance, but I put on a bad one,” Stevenson said. It’s also worth mentioning that Stevenson entered the fight with hopes of catching attention from the likes of  Gervonta Davis and Devin Haney, but it would take him a stellar performance next to make such a fight happen.

Also Read: “Y’all Can’t Break Me and…”: Following Disappointing Win, Shakur Stevenson Pens Stern Message to His Haters

With just over two months after his sad showing against Santos, Shakur has finally had it with all the backlash. Moreover, criticism is unlikely to stop until he gets back in the ring to prove what he is really made of. Do you think it was a bad night for Shakur? Who do you think he should fight next?

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