Bob Arum, the well-known boxing promoter, thinks only one fighter might have a shot at beating Shakur Stevenson. That fighter is Vasiliy Lomachenko.
Stevenson, a 27-year-old from Newark, has made a big splash in boxing. He's won titles in three different weight classes and currently holds the WBC Lightweight World Title. What's really impressive is how hard he is to hit. CompuBox stats show he's one of the toughest fighters to land a punch on.
Recently, Stevenson made some big moves in his career. He left Top Rank, Arum's promotion company, and signed a three-fight deal with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom. He was supposed to fight Joe Cordina, but that bout got called off because of a hand injury. Now, he's getting ready to face William Zepeda in February. Zepeda is ranked number one by all four sanctioning bodies.
In an interview with Fight Hub TV, Arum shared his thoughts on Stevenson's upcoming fight and his potential in the lightweight division.
"I don't think Zepeda is anywhere near as good as Shakur."
Arum didn't stop there. He thinks Stevenson is pretty much unbeatable at 135 pounds.
"I think Shakur beats everybody at 135 that's been mentioned. Maybe if Lomachenko keeps fighting, Loma could make a tremendous match-up with him, but other than that I don't see anybody with the skills to face and beat Shakur."
It's worth noting that Lomachenko, a three-weight champion, is promoted by Arum. He was talking about fighting Gervonta 'Tank' Davis, but those plans fell through. Now, Lomachenko is taking a break for the rest of the year. Some people think he might retire, but Arum believes he'll be back in the ring in 2025.
Interestingly, Arum didn't mention Gervonta Davis as a big threat to Stevenson. This shows just how highly he rates Stevenson's skills in the ring.
For now, all eyes will be on Stevenson's upcoming fight with Zepeda. If Arum's predictions are right, we might see a Stevenson vs Lomachenko showdown in the future. That could be a fight fans won't want to miss.
