Though every weight class has its personal stage of status, the boxing panorama has a number of glamor divisions. Amongst them, 135 has protruded close to the highest. With fighters comparable to Devin Haney, Vasiliy Lomachenko, Gervonta Davis, and Ryan Garcia making a reputation for themselves, mouthwatering showdowns between them have continued to dominate the headlines.
But, as Shakur Stevenson prepares himself each mentally and bodily to embark on his personal championship run at 135 kilos, the previous Olympic silver medalist is ho-hum on the light-weight division as an entire. On the skin trying in, Stevenson (19-0, 9 KOs) acknowledges that his new weight class incorporates a ton of star energy. Nevertheless, their unwillingness to face every has turn into really obtrusive to Stevenson.
“I feel 135 is an overrated division,” mentioned Stevenson to FightHype.com. “Actually talking, all these dudes been on the identical weight for all this time and no person actually fought no person. The one individual that actually fought those that I can provide credit score for is Teofimo (Lopez) when he fought Lomachenko when Lomachenko was on prime and Devin when he fought (George) Kambosos.”
As Stevenson alludes to, Lopez, in 2020, openly challenged the Ukrainian native for his unified throne. Although many seen Lopez’s transfer as silly, the loquacious 25-year-old proved his doubters flawed, profitable an in depth however clear unanimous determination.
Finally, Kambosos ended Lopez’s quarter-hour of fame, scoring an upset victory over his man only one 12 months later. In flip, Haney, the division’s newly minted undisputed champion, made back-to-back treks to Melbourne, Australia, toppling Kambosos in consecutive bouts.
From Stevenson’s viewpoint, the dearth of mega fights between the division’s largest names is extremely problematic. In 2023, nonetheless, Stevenson’s needs may very nicely be placated.
In keeping with each Garcia and Davis, the pair have agreed to all phrases and are formally set to sq. off within the first half of the brand new 12 months. In any occasion, till the division’s hotshots transfer ahead and proceed to problem themselves in opposition to each other, Stevenson is unwilling to position the 135-pound weight class amongst boxing’s greatest.
“We don’t understand how good they’re in opposition to anyone else like themselves. So I can not sit there and act like there’s some killers within the division. I really feel prefer it’s an overrated division. I don’t have a look at it the identical approach all people else appears to be like at it.”