Shakur Stevenson predicts big things after Canelo-Berlanga fight

By Moses Ochieng

After watching the lackluster fight between Canelo Alvarez and Edgar Berlanga in Las Vegas last Saturday night, WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson predicted on social media that he would be remembered as “one of the greats” in boxing.

In the main event of the evening, undisputed super middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Álvarez defeated challenger Edgar Berlanga on points to retain his title. In his eighth super middleweight title defense, 34-year-old Álvarez (61-2-2) dominated the fight, using his experience and relentless pressure to wear down the 27-year-old challenger.

“My honest impression from tonight’s fights is that I am so cold about this sport of boxing. [stuff] I'm going to go down in history as one of the greats and the best. I'm at a very, very, very high level and these fighters can't beat me. #ChasingGreatness,” Shakur Stevenson commented on X.

At 27, Shakur Stevenson may not be one of boxing's all-time greats, but after the lackluster Canelo-Berlanga clash, it's easy to see why he thinks so. It was like watching a car crash in slow motion.

After suffering a hand injury that required immediate surgery and forced him to cancel his scheduled title defense against Joe Cordina, his next opponent, William Zepeda, is expected to defeat him in early 2025. And if a rematch does happen, Zepeda could knock him out.

Should that happen, promoter Eddie Hearn will likely part ways with Stevenson. Since moving up to 135 pounds in 2023, Stevenson has struggled with hand issues, suggesting he may not have the physical tools to compete in that weight class. His lack of strength means he needs to throw every punch with full force, but his hands seem too fragile for that approach.

The only solution would be for Shakur to go back down to 130 or 126 pounds. However, he has outgrown both weight classes. He was always considered a weight bully in the featherweight and super featherweight divisions, but now he can't go down to those weights without risking losing weight.