Lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs) announced his shock retirement from boxing last night at the age of 26.
Stevenson took to ‘X‘ to write “I’m officially retiring from the sport of boxing. I’ll be in the gym forever, perfecting my craft and helping the next generation become great and chase [their] dreams. But I ain’t f***ing with this weak boxing game.”
However, most fans seem to think this is just a short lived retirement like others in the past. Tyson Fury and more recently Teofimo Lopez, both retired and later changed their mind! Teofimo’s retirement only lasted 29 days… One person replied to Stevenson’s tweet, “Teo done pulled this tactic, Bro. If you serious may your retirement be blessed. If not, let this be the last time until the real time comes. You better than that.”
In his last fight, southpaw star Shakur didn’t exactly set the world on fire with his UD win against Edwin De Los Santos. Stevenson’s put on a very defensive display which even had some fans in the arena booing. Shakur post fight said he didn’t “feel that good” which could mean any number of things. Another account, replying to the same tweet about him retiring wrote, “How am I supposed to sleep without watching a Shakur fight?!???”
Shakur Stevenson Snubbed in WBO Vacant Title Announcement
The shock announcement seemed to be decided after it was reported that Emanuel Navarrete & Denys Berinchyk would challenge for the vacant WBO lightweight title. The belt was relinquished by Devin Haney following the P4P star’s move to super lightweight. Haney now holds the WBC championship at 140lb’s.
Fans will be hoping that this is just another case of a boxer seeking publicity or trolling. Shakur should be involved in big fights with the likes of Devin Haney, Gervonta Davis or possibly even a fight with the Kambosos v Lomachenko winner in May.
Shakur’s Impressive Short Career
Stevenson’s win over Oscar Valdez back in 2022 was perhaps his biggest with Valdez undefeated before the clash. Shakur won by unanimous decision, becoming the unified super-featherweight champion. At such a young age, boxing needs stars like Shakur to carry the torch. The 26 year old American has won world titles in 3 weight classes, also becoming the lineal champion and unifying the super featherweight division. He is the current WBC lightweight champion and boasts a silver Olympic medal from the 2016 Rio Olympics. Time will tell whether Shakur really does retire, but until he is stripped or relinquishes his WBC crown, not too many will take him seriously.
What’s Next for the Lightweight Division?
First up, as discussed, we have George Kambosos vs Vasily Lomachenko in Australia this May. Gervonta Davis has insisted that he will return to the ring in March but is yet to announce the opponent. Rumours have been circulating that this could take place in the UK but as yet, nothing has been confirmed.
Yorkshire’s Maxi Hughes is also fighting in May against William Zepeda. This will be Maxi’s first fight since his controversial defeat to George Kambosos in which many, including myself, felt that Maxi was robbed.
Ryan Garcia is still struggling to announce his return to the ring following his defeat to Gervonta Davis. After breakdowns in negotiations with Devin Haney and now Rolly Romero, Garcia has stated that it was Floyd Mayweather who initially changed his mind from Haney to Romero. It now looks possible that Ryan’s next fight may be at super lightweight, hopefully against Haney as the pair continue to try and hash out a deal.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
