Shakur Stevenson thinks it would be a shame for his career to end without having had a go at one of the top boxers in the world today.
Stevenson, the WBO and WBC 130-pound titlist from Newark, New Jersey, also realizes that a fight with the three-division titlist from Ukraine should be relatively easy to make, given that both fighters share the same promoter in Top Rank Inc.
In a recent interview, Stevenson, who held a title in the 126-pound division, was asked which fighter he wants to face the most under the Top Rank banner and the ace southpaw did not hesitate to name the Ukrainian.
“Lomachenko,” Stevenson told Brian Custer on The Last Stand Podcast. “I feel like me and Lomachenko are great fighters with great boxing IQ. I’mma give him his praise, too. He’s a great fighter, too. He’s got great footwork.”
“I feel like that’s a fight that needs to happen.”
Stevenson, however, understands that there are many variables at play in order for the fight to actually happen. Most notable among them is the fact that Lomachenko is currently stationed in his native Ukraine defending his country from the Russian invasion. Lomachenko put his boxing career on pause earlier this spring in order to enlist in his homeland’s territorial defense force. Moreover, Stevenson currently fights in a division below Lomachenko.
“I don’t know what’s going on with him and Ukraine with the war situation, but I feel like me and him need to fight,” Stevenson said. “I feel like we are two of the best technical fighters in the sport of boxing right now. Like technique and skills, I feel like me and him are on that kind of level. So I feel like that’s a fight that needs to happen someday.”
Stevenson, 25, is coming off a career-best win over Oscar Valdez in April to unify the WBO and WBC 130-pound belts. Stevenson (18-0, 9 KOs) is projected to face Robson Conceicao of Brazil in his hometown of Newark on Sept. 23. Conceicao lost a controversial decision to Valdez last September.
Lomachenko (16-2, 11 KOs) has not fought since December, when he outpointed Richard Commey over 12 rounds at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Lomachenko has been reported as a potential opponent for the winner of the undisputed lightweight rematch between Devin Haney and George Kambosos, potentially to be held in the fall. Kambosos recently stated that he had activated his rematch clause. Haney defeated Kambosos handily on points last month in Melbourne to win the WBO, WBA, WBC, and IBF 135-pound titles.