Shakur Stevenson says he’s the “new version’ of his fighting style will be even better than the one he had before. Fans want to see Shakur unveil the new him in his title defense against the prospect Floyd Schofield on February 22nd in Riyadh.
Style Shift
Is it possible for Stevenson to change his style? He’s been using the same hit-and-not-get-hit style since he was in the amateurs, and he’s about to turn 28. Normally, a fighter is set in their ways by the time they are near their 30s.
Shakur needs to change his style on the double because he’s going to be in the spotlight against Schofield on Turki Alalshikh’s card. If he puts in another boring performance, it’s doubtful that Turki will want to use him for any of his other cards unless he’s buried at the bottom.
WBC lightweight champion Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) claims he doesn’t fear power because he stood in the pocket in his last fight against Artem Harutyunyan on July 6th without moving. That guy was coming off a year layoff and a loss to Frank Martin.
Harutyunyan is a weak puncher, so it was not a show of courage on Shakur’s part that he didn’t move like he did in his fight against Edwin De Los Santos on November 16th last year. Artem is nowhere near the puncher level of De Los Santos or Jeremiah Nakathilia. Stevenson was booed out of the ring for his running against the two.
The New Shakur
If Stevenson can stay in the pocket against Schofield, 22, that would be saying something because he’s a big puncher with explosive power and could dent his chin if he connects with some of his shots.
It’s important that Shakur, 27, change his fighting style soon because the guys that Turki Alalshikh favors are the ones that bring it. Tyson Fury is a rare exception, but he makes up for it by being a clown outside of the ring and roughing up his opposition inside it. Some people like the junk.
