WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson says he wants a unification fight with IBF champion Vasily Lomachenko next. He says he thinks Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) is afraid to fight him, and will use nicknames for him, calling him “dada-chenko.”
Lomachenko is in talks with Gervonta Davis now, and that's a great fight. There is no money in Loma fighting Shakur, who is coming off a very bad fight against Edwin De Los Santos on November 16 last year.
Shakur Scoffs With Passionate Demand for Recognition?
Shakur (21-0, 10 KOs) is tired of being blocked by top players, so he taunts them to shame them into facing him.
It is questionable whether it will work for Shakur, 27, because he is not popular, and there is no money to fight him to attract Lomachenko, Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney, or Teofimo Lopez.
“Lomachenko looked good [against George Kambosos], but I still think you are afraid to fight me. Stop being afraid, Lomachenko. I'll call you duck-Chenko or scary-Chenko until you fight me, hero,” Shakur Stevenson told the media about wanting to fight IBF lightweight champion Vasily Lomachenko by unification. “I don't want a nickname. I want a nickname after I put his ** in.”
At this point in 36-year-old Lomachenko's career, he's focused on getting high-paying fights against exciting fighters. A fight with Shakur wouldn't make sense for Lomachenko now, and it would be bad if the crowd booed him.
Lomachenko can try to make it fun, but he won't be able to knock Shakur out if he moves as much as he did against De Los Santos and in a few of the toughest fights of his career. Shakur goes a long way against fighters with more power and talent.
“We have to find someone to sign on the dotted line. If I had to choose, it would be Lomachenko, or if they [Gervonta Davis and Loma] go fight each other, I say [William] Zepeda. Why does Zepeda keep calling my name and chasing me but won't fight me? I don't think he should get a pass for that either,” Shakur said
Gaining Weight or Preparing for Smaller Opponents
The only way Shakur can get top players to sign is if his promoter pays them big. That would need to be Shakur's next promoter, who is willing to lose money on his fights. It may not happen.
Promoters don't like to lose money, so Shakur may need to continue to face nameless opposition.
One quick solution would be for Shakur to move up two weight classes to 147, where he would have the likes of Jaron 'Boots' Ennis and Brian Norman Jr. who would be interested in fighting him. Those guys hit so hard that he would break even if Shakur defended himself the way he did against De Los Santos.
Shakur's Focus on “Hit and Don't Hit” Is Worrying
“That would be putting pressure on himself,” Shakur said when asked if he felt he had to perform well Saturday night against Artem Harutyunyan to be offered a good contract with another promoter.
“I kept the pressure on myself. My focus is to go in there, have fun, have fun, put in the kind of sport I want to do, and show the art of boxing. That is my main focus. Hit and don't hit. That's what I want to do Saturday night,” Shakur said.
Stevenson's comments above show that the attitude hasn't changed about focusing on his “hit-and-don-get-hit” style, and that's bad news for the promoter who signs him. It seems that Shakur cannot change and will stubbornly stick to his fighting style until the end of his career.
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