Shakur Stevenson eyes lightweight world title

One of boxing’s most talented fighters, Shakur Stevenson, will make another appearance in his hometown when he takes on Japan’s Shuichiro Yoshino, on April 8 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Their 12-round main event, live on ESPN, will see the undefeated Stevenson (19-0, 9 KOs), taking center stage for the 3rd time in his hometown arena. If Stevenson beats Tokyo’s Yoshino (16-0, 12 KOs) he could face the winner of the upcoming bout between 135-pound champion Devin Haney (29-0, 15 KOs) and former multi-division champion Vasiliy Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs) who square off in May.

The card will also include a 10-round lightweight bout between Virginia’s Keyshawn Davis (7-0, 5 KOs), and veteran Emmanuel Tagoe (32-2, 15 KOs).

Plus, unbeaten Ohio heavyweight prospect Jared Anderson, who has shown KO power so far in running a perfect 13-0, with 13 KOs, will also be in action.

Stevenson, considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport, shouldn’t have too much trouble with Yoshino, who is fighting outside of Japan for the first time as a professional. While he does bring power (12 KOs in 16 fights), he is in with a defensive wizard in Stevenson who is very hard to hit with many, if any, clean shots.

The sharp punching, defensively near-perfect Stevenson turned pro as a teenager in 2017 and was a world champion by his 13th fight winning the WBO featherweight title by decisioning Joet Gonzalez in 2019 in Reno, Nevada. Then, 3 fights later in June of 2021, he added the WBO super featherweight title to his collection by beating Jeremia Nakathila by decision in Las Vegas. He made one title defense, 4 months later, stopping Jamel Herring before beating rugged Mexican champion Oscar Valdez in April of 2022 to add the WBC super featherweight title to his collection. 

With some outstanding names at 135 pounds like Devin Haney, Vasiliy Lomachenko,  Isaac Cruz, Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia, the star-studded matchups are limitless for the Brick City star.

But first things first, all things moving forward hinge on a victory over Yoshino.

In a recent interview, Shakur made it clear that his goals are big names, big fights, and his name at the top of the list of boxing’s best.

“By the end of 2023, I think that I’ll be fighting for top three on the pound-for-pound list. I just know I’m going to be one of the best young fighters, which I am, in the sport of boxing”, he said. “But I’m going to take my career to new heights. I’m ready for the big pay-per-view fights, I’m ready to see the big names. I don’t want to come to this division and not fight the people that are supposed to be the people”, he continued. "I’m locked in, I’m going to show everybody why I’m the truth."