Stevenson defeats Nakathila on points

Shakur Stevenson vs Jeremiah Nakathila
Shakur Stevenson vs Jeremiah Nakathila

In a rather boring fight, Shakur Stevenson (16-0, 8 KOs) scored a one-sided unanimous decision over Jeremia Nakathila (21-2, 17 KOs) in the main event of the evening in Las Vegas. Thus, the American got the interim WBO featherweight title.

The duel from the very beginning went with an advantage to Stevenson, who was ahead of the opponent with his punches. In the fourth round, Nakathila found himself on the floor, but the fight quickly continued.

After twelve rounds, all judges counted 120-107 in favor of the American, who is now the mandatory challenger for Jamel Herring. Stevenson also became the champion in his second weight category.

"To be honest, I didn't really like my performance," Stevenson said after the fight. "I felt that I could have performed much better, but he is a very awkward fighter. He is a awkward fighter who throws hard punches and knows how to clinch and dodge. That's all. I tried to {pull him out} for a bit, but I started to miss accurate punches. I don’t really like it, but next time I’ll work on working my head better.”

“If I had a choice, I would have faced Oscar Valdez, but if I had to beat Jamel {Herring} to get to him, I would have done it too. Jamel can't beat me. He knows it,” Stevenson said.