NEWARK, NJ – Shakur Stevenson doesn’t take pound-for-pound debates too seriously.
The undefeated Stevenson understands the subjective nature of building such lists. That’s why he hasn’t taken offense to criticism from those who feel he hasn’t accomplished enough to deserve a top 10 spot.
Naturally, Stevenson believes he belongs in the top 10 fighters, pound for pound, in the sport.
“Where would I put myself on a pound-for-pound list?” Stevenson asked during an interview with BoxingScene.com. “I would say like seven, maybe six.”
The group of champions Stevenson thinks should be ranked ahead of him is in line with most media lists.
“The guys that I think are ahead of me are Terence Crawford, Errol Spence, Canelo Alvarez, maybe Inoue, maybe Tyson Fury,” Stevenson said. “That is if we call him pound for pound because he is only in one weight class. I would put him on the pound for pound list because I think he is for the best fighters on the planet. So, I would also say Tyson Fury. And he would also give it to Usyk. That is all.”
The 25-year-old Stevenson (18-0, 9 KOs) won world titles in two weight classes and became a unified champion in the 130-pound division with just 18 fights in his five-year pro career. The former WBO featherweight champion was stripped of his WBC and WBO 130-pound championships Thursday because he arrived 1.6 pounds overweight for his 12-round fight Friday night against Brazilian contender Robson Conceicao (17 -1, 8 KO) at the Prudential Center in Newark. , Stevenson’s hometown.
Stevenson, the 2016 Olympic silver medalist, will move up to the lightweight division for his next fight because he admitted Thursday that he can no longer drop to 130 pounds. He would love to fight undefeated and undisputed 135-pound champion Devin Haney (28-0, 15 KOs), who will take on Australian George Kambosos Jr. (20-1, 10 KOs) in an immediate rematch on October 16 at Rod Laver. Arena in Melbourne, Australia.
Haney has been far more vocal in expressing his displeasure with the pound-for-pound charts, most notably his being omitted from The Ring magazine’s top 10.
“I don’t really care because I agree with what Devin said, that pound-for-pound lists are stubborn, at the end of the day,” Stevenson said. “Everything is someone’s opinion. People got different pound for pound lists. I agree with what he said. It’s opinionated, and some people feel like I’m on the pound-for-pound list. Some people may feel that I did not do enough. So whatever you feel, that’s fine.”
BoxingScene.com ranked Stevenson ninth on its most recent pound-for-pound list (https://www.boxingscene.com/rankings/pound-for-pound). ESPN.com also placed Stevenson at number nine on their list.
Stevenson fell short of the top 10 in The Ring’s most recent ratings.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
