America's Next Great Boxing Hope - Meeting Shakur Stevenson

Original version of article which appeared in Daily Press sports (front page) on October 15, 2014. To view the link, visit:

http://www.dailypress.com/sports/dp-spt-stevenson-feature-20141014,0,2370904.story

It’s easy to be caught off guard by Shakur Stevenson’s laid-back demeanor. As the senior from Bethel High School gets comfortable on the family living room couch, few people would recognize the young man as possibly America’s best hope for a boxing gold medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

But as Stevenson begins to speak, in a voice brimming with self-confidence and awareness of his unique talents, the 5’7”, 120-pound teenager suddenly appears larger and much older than his 17 years of age.

Perhaps it stems from a toughness that could only be built up in rough-and-tumble cities such as Newark, N.J., where the young boxer spent his first 16 years before relocating, to be with his grandparents in Hampton, last year.

How tough is Stevenson? He started boxing at the age of five, under the direction of his other grandfather, Wali Moses, simply because he loved performing and improving at something. While singing or acting, or really, just about any other sport would have been a less painful pursuit, the decision to box has paid off in huge dividends, namely in the form of gold medals at global competitions.

Stevenson is a perfect 17-0 in international matches, and most recently won the flyweight (52 kg.) division at the Youth Olympic Games, held in Nanjing, China last month. As if the trip halfway around the world wasn’t hard enough, he found one more challenge in the final bout – an opponent with a genuine home advantage – China’s Ping Lyu.

“It was like me against the crowd,”  said Stevenson, bringing to mind the final sequence of scenes in Rocky IV. “But, it hyped me up even more. I was nervous at first, but that went away in a hurry.” The American went on to win all three rounds, making him 9-0 on all judges scorecards for rounds in the tournament.

It’s performances like that which earned Stevenson the AIBA World Junior Fighter of the Year award, making him the first American to earn that distinction.

Surprisingly, his toughest opponent to date is one he has fought twice, with the second bout being the semifinal at the Youth Olympics before matching up against Lyu.

“Yes, Muhammad Ali was my toughest opponent.”

Come again?

Stevenson hesitates for a second, then snickers. “No, not that one! Mohammed Ali from Great Britain.” He starts to spell the first name to show the difference. “Ali gave me a hard fight the first time in Bulgaria; he’s a tough competitor.”

How was the rematch?

“After my first fight in China (the one leading to the Ali bout), his father called me from the stands. “Hey Shakur! I looked up and he flashed his Mohammed Ali shirt, tugging at the bottom for emphasis.”

Asked if the attempt to psych him out worked at all, he laughs a bit. “No, not at all. The second fight was so easy. I didn’t think it would be that easy, but it was.”

Stevenson, who was named for his mother’s favorite rapper Tupac Shakur, is enjoying a rest in Hampton until his training begins in earnest again this November. “I know how to start myself up,” says Stevenson, in a broad understatement. With his regular coaches (Kay Koroma is the other) stationed in Newark, he trains alone in his grandparents’ garage, where a heavy bag hangs from a wooden beam. However, he will go to a gym in Norfolk when he needs to spar.

“Pernell Whitaker is from Norfolk,” notes Stevenson, who studies the history of the sweet science.

So who’s his favorite boxer?

“Sugar Ray Robinson. He’s the best boxer of all time!” He also likes Floyd Mayweather and Andre Ward. Speaking of Ward, Stevenson adds that “he added me on Facebook, and we chat every once in a while.”  Ward also happens to be the last Olympic boxer to win a gold medal, back in 2004.

The tie-in is remarkable. Stevenson’s first goal and current focus is to emulate Ward’s gold medal performance, then move directly to the pro ranks where his plan mirrors Mayweather’s. Asked what division he’d like to compete at, he quickly exclaims “147! That’s where the money’s at.”

It’s also Mayweather’s division, a fact that he is very well aware of.

“He (Mayweather) started in the lower weights, and worked himself up to 147.” For the Rio Games, Stevenson is aiming to compete in the 123-lb. class. To date, he has competed in this division once, at the Ringside World Championships in Missouri, where he won.

“Yeah, but it wasn’t really a world championship. They had some good national level boxers there.”

But the plan for the next two years is quickly taking shape. Next year’s schedule includes the Olympic Trials or a last chance competition to make the U.S. team, and this will begin Stevenson’s Road to Rio, a road which has a predictable ending, at least according to the young boxer seated on his grandparent’s couch.

“I’m going to win.”

  

Stevenson’s honors include:

2014 YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES GOLD MEDALIST
2014 YOUTH WORLD CHAMPION
2013 JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPION 
2013 VICTORY DAY CHAMPION
2012 JUNIOR OLYMPIC NATIONAL CHAMPION
2013 JUNIOR WORLD TEAM OPEN CHAMPION
2012 VELES CUP CHAMPION