Terence Crawford wants Shakur Stevenson, WBC lightweight champion, to continue fighting the way he does without worrying about the “backlash” he receives from fans and the media for his non-entertaining fighting style.
Crawford’s advice to Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) could prove poison if he listens to it because he will be avoided by the fighters he wants to face.
If Shakur, 27, is chosen by WBA lightweight champion Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis this November, his chances of winning are slim because he isn’t engaging. He’s not going to beat Tank Davis, and he can forget about being a controversial decision like in his match against Edwin De Los Santos.
Crawford states that Shakur should continue fighting the way he does, as long as he’s “winning in a fashion where there’s no confusion about who the winner is, then you’re doing something right.”
Shakur probably can’t change his fighting style to become entertaining without breaking him as a fighter. If Shakur fights without moving, Crawford must know that he’ll get knocked out and lose repeatedly.
Crawford uses some of the same moves as Shakur, circling, pulling back, and holding a lot, so it’s not surprising that he compliments him.
“Shakur is one of the best pure boxers in the game, if not the best. I tell Shakur – just continue to do what you’re doing,” said Crawford about his advice. “Don’t worry about the backlash that you’re getting for beating the guy convincingly.”
Stevenson hasn’t beaten any good opposition at 135, and he’s pretty clear that his career will start heading downhill once he loses to Gervonta Davis unless he’s protected by whoever signs on the free-agent market.
If Eddie Hearn signs Shakur, he will want to match him against fighters at 140, and he’s too weak to fight in that division. He can’t punch at 135, and it’ll be worse at 140
The problem is Shakur isn’t winning where there’s no confusion. Many fans thought he deserved a loss against Edwin De Los Santos last November. He didn’t look much better in his fight against Artem Harutyunyan on July 6th.
It’s a problem that Shakur only drew 8,000+ fans in his hometown of Newark, and fans leaving early is a signal that there’s a problem with his fighting style. If Crawford were in the same boat, he would be worried and would think, ‘How can I fix this problem?’
Crawford’s fights were boring throughout his career, with him fighting on the outside, switching stances needlessly, counter-punching, and not pleasing fans. As he’s gotten older, he’s scored more knockouts, but he’s mostly fought lackluster opposition apart from his match against Errol Spence Jr.
