Comparing Shakur Stevenson To Boxing Legends: Is He Truly In The Top 10 Lightweights Of All Time?

Shakur Stevenson says the only way he would move up to 140 is if he’d conquered the 135-lb division. He believes he won’t grow into the light welterweight division. Stevenson (24-0,11 KOs) states that his goal is to be “one of the best lightweights” in history.

(Credit: Golden Boy Promotions)

Shakur vs. Boxing Legends

It’s highly unlikely Shakur will ever become one of the “best lightweights” of all time in the true sense because he lacks the all-around game. He’s all defense and very little offense.

If you’ve followed the sport of boxing over the years, you’ll know that Stevenson will never be even in the top 10 of the greatest lightweights because he lacks the offense/defense balance to his game. It takes more than defense to make the list of the best lightweights of all time.

The best lightweights of all time

Pernell Whitaker
Henry Armstrong
Joe Gans
Benny Leonard
Carlos Ortiz
Ike Williams
Tony Canzoneri
Julio César Chávez
Roberto Durán
Edwin Rosario
José Luis Ramírez
Héctor Camacho
Oscar De La Hoya
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Manny Pacquiao

Imagine what the lightweight version of De La Hoya would have done to Shakur if he fought in this era. It wouldn’t be pretty. How about Mayweather or Pacquiao? When they were fighting at lightweight, they were blazing fast and had excellent power. You can’t compare Shakur to either of those fighters or the others on the list.

“I don’t see myself getting no bigger to fight at 140 pounds. If I did, it would be, ‘Okay, I did everything at 135. I conquered the division, and now it’s time to move up,’” said Shakur Stevenson to Nightcap. “I want to be one of the best lightweights of all time.”

Stevenson’s Matchmaking Choices

If Shakur wants to be one of the best lightweights, why has he fought William Zepeda, Josh Padley, and Artem Harutyunyan in his last three fights? Those three are nowhere near “the best” in the 135-lb division. Fighting them instead of the talented lightweights suggests that his goal isn’t to become the best in a real way. He’s trying to take the backdoor to becoming the best. You can’t respect that.

The best Current lightweights 

• Andy Cruz – by far the #1 best and on another level than fighters like Shakur. Cruz is also the most avoided.
• Floyd Schofield
• Abdullah Mason
• Jadier Herrera
• Raymond Muratalla
• Gervonta Davis
• Lamont Roach