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With boxing on the verge of returning following the shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, ESPN held a roundtable show State of Boxing where a few of its analysts breakdown what they’re looking forward to. For former world champion Tim Bradley, he’s hyped up to see Shakur Stevenson’s return to action.
“I’m actually looking forward to Shakur Stevenson,” Bradley would say during the show. “He could be Mayweather’s successor. Why? He’s 13-0, okay, he’s a world champion, and he’s one of those guys that’s so hard to hit. He’s a master at distance, reminding me of Mayweather Jr.
“And I have to say this, if I was in my prime today and if I had to fight this young man, it would be horrible because I couldn’t get close to hit this young man. He’s one of those guys that’s just so hard to hit and he’s fantastic to watch.”
Mark Kriegel would also double down on Bradley’s assessment of Stevenson:
“The only two guys that were younger than Shakur (to medal in the Olympics) — De La Hoya and the aforementioned Mayweather. The difference is, at this juncture in their careers, Shakur is actually more difficult to hit then Mayweather.”
Now I won’t pretend that these opinions aren’t colored by the fact that this was an ESPN broadcast and Stevenson is obviously an ESPN fighter, signed with Top Rank, but Stevenson is truly an extremely talented young fighter at the tender age of 22. He clearly has a great foundation in the sport and is supported an extremely experienced team, so now we just have to see if Stevenson will fulfill all of his promise.
Stevenson is currently scheduled to be back in action on June 9 where he’ll headline a Top Rank show, going against Felix Caraballo in a closed-door event.