Shakur Stevenson found himself riled up with Teofimo Lopez over a repost by unbeaten WBC contender Jadier Herrera, who called him out after defeating Jose Macias Enriquez in Liverpool on Saturday night.
### Shakur’s Proposal for 140
Shakur decided to up the ante, suggesting to Teofimo (21-1, 13 KOs) that he is willing to step up to 140 pounds to challenge him for his WBO light welterweight title. This would be a bold move to capture a fourth-division world championship.
“How about you fight me next, Teo?” Shakur suggested on X. “We both work with the same team. I’ll move to 140 for this, on God.”
However, Teofimo seems to have other plans, considering his growing array of challenges. Many argue Shakur’s traditional fighting style, reminiscent of the Mayweather era, doesn’t mesh well with today’s boxing fans who crave exciting matchups and dynamic fights.
Teofimo found it quite entertaining how Jadier boldly called out Shakur over the weekend, suggesting that if Herrera got his chance, it might spell trouble for Shakur. It’s likely because of this potential threat that promoter Eddie Hearn opted for a safer opponent for Shakur with Josh Padley last month, especially after Floyd Schofield withdrew from their anticipated February 22nd match.
### Herrera’s Bold Challenge
Cuban knockout powerhouse Herrera (17-0, 15 KOs) left no room for ambiguity when he dared Shakur to “send me a contract,” promising, “I will kill you.”
This fierce statement may have been fueled by Shakur’s dismissal of the young Herrera, implying he wasn’t interested in fights that didn’t involve big names. On the flip side, fans on social media weren’t convinced by Shakur’s rationale, pointing out that his latest opponent, Josh Padley, wasn’t exactly a top-tier contender, and highlighted that Shakur has yet to face a top name since his rise to 135 in 2023.
To date, Shakur’s opponents at 135 have included:
– Josh Padley
– Artem Harutyunyan
– Edwin De Los Santos
– Shuichiro Yoshino
Jadier Herrera, still hot from his seventh-round knockout over Enriquez, passionately called out Shakur via Boxing News, repeating, “I’m not playing. Send me a contract. I will kill you. Don’t play with me.”
In response to all the buzz, Shakur tweeted, “World Champion in 4 different weight classes by age 28? I’m down… Tell dude to step up or stop mentioning my name!”
Shakur seems more eager than ever to prove his capabilities by moving up the ranks and challenging his rivals head-on. The question now is, will these potential fights come to fruition, or will they fizzle out amidst the chatter and callouts?
