Via Jim Calfa: Shakur Stevenson says Oscar Valdez will have a hard time delivering any of his powerful hits when they play later in the month on April 30 for a featherweight super-union on ESPN.
Valdez vs. Stevenson will participate in this Top Ranked promotion design match at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
2016 Olympic silver medalist Stevenson has been trying to get into the game for the past two years, and he finally got what he asked for.
Now, Shakur has to prove he made the right decision by asking to fight the much more experienced and powerful Valdez early in his career rather than waiting until he has more matches. than.
130-lb WBO champion Stevenson (17-0.9 KOs) feels his defense is “A-1” right now and he has no plans to let the super featherweight champion WBC 31 years old 31 years old Valdez (30 years old) -0.23 KO) to connect with anything that matters.
Stevenson: Valdez had his window
“I feel like his best chance is to catch me 126. I’m 130 now, I’m bigger, stronger and I’m so much better than before. Shakur Stevenson told Fighthype issue a warning to Oscar Valdez.
“I’ve watched some of it and I feel like he’s working hard,” Shakur continued about Valdez, 31. Shakur said: “He’s doing what he’s supposed to do, I can’t take anything away from him.
Stevenson may be overestimating his strength, as he doesn’t appear to have gained any significant power since moving to 130 in 2020. For the most part, Stevenson seems to punch with power. similar to when he competed at the age of 126.
Stevenson would have been better off his shots, but he frequently dropped back when throwing. In Stevenson’s heart, he was always looking for an exit strategy to get out of danger as soon as he fired a shot, and that took away a lot of the power he would otherwise have.
“I know he’s in a fight-ready state, and I have to go into the fight and be ready to fight too. Yeah, sure,” Stevenson said when asked if Valdez had trouble touching him on April 30.
“It doesn’t matter who I go to the ring with. My defense is A-1, I practice it every day, and I make sure I don’t take a lot of punches,” says Shakur. “He is [Valdez] It’s going to be a tough time beating me on April 30th etc for everyone. ”
Shakur wants to be undisputed
“I see number 5 on the pound-for-pound list. I just fought Jamel [Herring], and I’ll be right back to fight Oscar Valdez. I’m taking on tough competition. Oscar is 30-0 with 23 knockdowns,” Stevenson said.
“It was not an easy fight for me, but I am willing to accept the challenge, I like these kinds of challenges. These challenges wake me up every morning.
“Yes, I want to go for the undisputed, I want to fight for the title in the next few matches after this one, but I have to focus on this match first,” Shakur said. “I don’t look past Oscar Valdez. I have to finish the work first.
“I thought it was a surprise,” Stevenson said of boxing fans’ perception that he can’t punch and is primarily a defensive boxer. “I’m great with what they say. I have no power, but they want to put it.
“He will feel on April 30th how strong I am, and he won’t pass me by. I don’t see myself as some of the other boxers,” Shakur said when asked how it affected his morale watching others like Erickson Lubin and Chris Colbert lose. .
“I know I am a special fighter, and I was built to win. I don’t really look at myself and the other fighters. If they lose, I try to measure myself against them. I know what I have to do, and I come in to do the same thing every night and that’s a win,” Stevenson said.
“We have the same team as my coaches, my grandfather, my coach Jack. My coach and my team are very strong. I have the same team, doing the same things as we did.
“No, I feel like everything comes about,” Shakur said when asked if it was harder to get big skirmishes than for him to win them. “We have a war with Valdez. So whatever fight we want is possible,” Stevenson said.
