Shakur Stevenson remains undefeated in 18 fights of his career since he turned pro in 2017. The Newark native groomed by his grandfather started to develop a passion for boxing at a tender age, training his hands, building his muscle power, and psychology. Today, Stevenson is a world champion in 2 weight classes- WBO junior lightweight (2021) and WBO featherweight (2019-2020).
Billed as the next “Floyd Mayweather” in style and technic, he won a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics in the bantamweight category. On 30th April, he defeated Mexican boxer Oscar Valdez in a bout that determined his “superstar” status in the boxing arena, adding the WBC title to his collection.
Brief Background Of Shakur Stevenson
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It was on 28th June 1997, that he was born in Newark, New Jersey to his mother Malikah Stevenson, and his father who has Puerto Rican roots. Unfortunately, his biological father was not involved in his life at any point. Thus, he was raised by his stepfather Shahid Guyton.
The 28 year-old is the oldest of his mother’s 9 children. In all 9 of them, only 2 are girls. They all look to him as an inspiration.
You Probably Didn’t Know These Intriguing Details About The New Jersey-born Boxing Champion
1. He Was Introduced To Boxing By His Grandfather At A Tender Age
When he was young, he always spends time with his grandfather, Wali Moses, while his mother worked. It was in this process that the two built a bond, occasioned by watching reruns of boxing fights on TV during the week.
Surprisingly, he started practicing what he had been seeing on TV. He woke up one morning and started throwing punches into the air when he was just 2. Some months later, his grandfather did a little experiment by placing a baseball bat and boxing gloves at different angles in the living room, Stevenson moved towards the gloves.
By the time he was 5, everyone around noticed that wherever he goes, he was always shadowboxing.
2. Stevenson Rose Through The Amateur Ranks
Since it became clear that he wanted to become a boxer, his grandfather including the Newark community started making sure he was disciplined and never going out of line. His rise through the ranks of amateur boxing was fashioned out by his grandfather.
The method was to make him participate in tournaments outside the US, which many top American boxing hopefuls dodged. So, he and his grandfather looked for opportunities for him to fight the best wherever they went to.
His fight outside the US was in Russia when he was 14. He fought there and won the Veles cup. Afterward, he relocated to Virginia at 16 to train with Koroma and went to win the AIBA Youth World Championships and the Summer Youth Olympics in 2014.
3. The Boxing Champion Won A Silver Medal At Rio When He Was 19
Before the 2016 Rio Olympics, he went for the US Olympic trials in 2015. He won at the trials, earning qualification to the US boxing team at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, Brazil. Sadly, he was not able to get the gold after losing in a split decision to Cuba’s Robeisy Ramirez in the gold medal match. Therefore, he settled for a silver medal.
The fight was regarded as a close one because both were using slick southpaw styles. Stevenson was emotional about failing to win the gold for the US.
4. He Created A GoFund Me Account To Raise Funds To Enable His Family Travel To Brazil For Rio Olympics In 2016
The 2021 WBO junior lightweight champion raised almost $10,000 so his family could travel to Brazil for the 2016 Rio Olympics. According to him, the funds would cover air travel and accommodation. He said his family has been part of his journey and he would love them to be there as fights to bring the gold home.
His family did make it to Rio, and they were among those that consoled him when he lost to Cuban boxer Robeisy Ramirez in the gold match.
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5. He Turned Pro At 20
A year after what turned out to be the first and the last of the Newark native’s amateur loss on the international stage, he turned pro in 2017. Interestingly, the southpaw knew he would turn after the Olympics even before representing the US there.
At the time, boxing promoter and former boxing heavyweight, Floyd Mayweather was in Brazil, hoping to recruit him to pen with his Mayweather Promotions. Instead, the Olympic silver medalist signed with Top Rank.
6. The Southpaw Was Arrested In July 2018 After An Altercation In A Parking Garage
The Newark native and a fellow boxer David Grayton were arrested on 1st July 2018 following a fray inside a Miami parking garage. The incident took place a few hours after the southpaw marked his 21st birthday on South Beach.
Stevenson and Grayton reportedly made inappropriate remarks to a group of people in the garage, including 2 women. What they said to women sparked the brawl. Moreover, video footage shows the pair throwing punches at a man in the said group.
He was given one year of probation, including 50 hours of community service. He regretted the incident and learned a lesson from it.
7. He Is Not Related To Tupac
At the mention of Shakur, everyone remembers the late rap icon, Tupac Amaru Shakur. So most people thought the boxer might be related to the rapper. However, he doesn’t share any blood ties with Tupac, he was only named after the Changes singer.
In fact, he was born 9 months after Tupac’s died from his gunshot wounds on 13th September 1996. His mother gave him the name with the hope that he would grow into a strong, proud, and respected man just like 2pac.
8. The 28 Year-Old Is A Proud Father
Shakur Stevenson gifted his mother the gift of a grandchild when his girlfriend and rapper Lyric welcomed a daughter, Leilani Asha Stevenson on 6ht December 2021. Although, it is not clear when the boxer and his lover met, they seem to be so much in love with each other. They often share images of each other on each other’s Instagram pages, accompanied by romantic captions and messages.
Immediately after his fight against Oscar Valdez, he proposed to her.
9. How Rich Is He?
His net worth is estimated at nearly $1 million, making a decent fortune from his boxing career. His net worth is expected to go up as the days roll by.
The money he makes is channeled toward taking care of his family who has gone through the rough road with him.
10. His Height Is Above Average
Stevenson who currently has 18 wins out of 18 bouts is 5ft 7inches (1.70m) tall. His well-built athletic body weighs 68kg (150lbs).
At 130 pounds, the boxer clinched the No. 1 spot on ESPN with about 9 knockouts. He considers himself to be a great undefeated boxer and although he admits that there are other good boxers, he still remains the best.
Shakur Stevenson is billed to have his next fight on September 23, 2022. The match is scheduled to take place in his native town of Newark, New Jersey. His contender for the match is 57kg heavy Robson Conceicao who stands at a height of 5 feet and 10 inches.
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