By: Sean Cross
“I feel like at the end of the day we’re warriors,” Shakur Stevenson said in a social media live stream. The 19-0 fighter, who was clearly frustrated by his lack of serious opposition, called out big names like Isaac Cruz and William Zepeda. “Sugar Ray Leonard and all the dudes were fighting each other for 25, 24,” Stevenson said. “If I’m willing to let these fights happen and these guys aren’t, you better call me a duck.” Then Stevenson differs from his critics. “I don’t smoke,” he said. “No, I won’t say, I won’t say.”
The 25-year-old spent some time zeroing in on Cruz. “Show me you’re a killer,” he said, referring to Cruise’s notorious reputation. “Pitbull” I want to see how deadly you are. William Zepeda could not escape Stevenson’s wrath. “Zepeda, like a motherfucker, is slow,” Stevenson said. I don’t know why you think it’s a killer. During the nearly half-hour live stream, Stevenson made a point to mention how seriously he takes his sport, spending a lot of time in the gym and studying the history of the sweet science.
“They’re not going to like this version of me,” Stevenson said of the stream, which he can watch and listen to. He then gave advice to fighters new to the game. “Young fighters, don’t believe everything on social media,” he said. “Don’t let these other boxers influence you all… stay in the gym, be ready, be in shape all year round. You should always be in shape. Stevenson pointed out the type of behavior that young fighters should avoid. “A lot of these dudes start making money and the only time you see them in the gym is fight day,” he said.
“Make boxing your life,” he advised. “If you believe in yourself and your abilities, this gray hair can change your life forever. All you have to do is apply yourself.” Stevenson then pointed out that what young fighters see famous fighters doing on Instagram should be taken with a grain of salt. “This shit is not real life,” he said. Stevenson has won world titles in two weight divisions and now moves up to lightweight, one of the hottest divisions on the modern boxing scene.
