Shakur Stevenson, the 27-year-old WBC World Lightweight Champion, wants Vasiliy Lomachenko to hang up his gloves. The three-weight world champion says he's lost respect for the Ukrainian fighter.
Stevenson's career has been on fire. He's racked up 22 wins with no losses, beating big names like Jamel Herring, Oscar Valdez, and Robson Conceicao. His defensive skills make him one of the hardest fighters to hit in the ring.
Recently, Stevenson picked up the vacant WBC belt by beating Edwin De Los Santos and defended it successfully against Artem Harutyunyan. But now he's sidelined with a hand injury. He's got his sights set on a comeback fight with William Zepeda, the number one contender, in February 2025.
Stevenson's been vocal about wanting to fight the best. He's called out Gervonta Davis and Lomachenko, saying they're avoiding him. He thinks he'll eventually face Davis, but he's given up on a fight with Lomachenko.
Lomachenko, 36, recently beat George Kambosos Jr. for the vacant IBF belt. But he pulled out of a big fight with Gervonta Davis, saying he wasn't motivated. His promoter, Bob Arum, first said Lomachenko wasn't retiring, but now admits it's possible.
Stevenson took to social media to call for Lomachenko's retirement.
"Retire. He's not trying to be in no big fights, so why be in the sport?"
In an interview with Boxing News, Stevenson didn't hold back:
"I'm kinda over it. I think he's soft. At that last fight he pushed up on me and was talking kinda reckless but then he don't want to get in a boxing ring and square off. I have respect for him for what he done in the sport of boxing, but lately I lost a lot of respect for him. I don't even see the point of him boxing if he's not gonna fight me or Tank. What's the point? What are you doing?"
Lomachenko's got a stellar background. He's a three-division champ in the pros and one of the most successful amateurs ever. Many consider him one of the most skillful fighters in history. Right now, he's in Ukraine, helping out with the efforts against the Russian invasion.
