Shakur never revealed what Ward told him, leaving the advice open to interpretation. His comments, however, sound like they are coming from a fighter who has done it all. Shakur has called himself “the best,” but he hasn’t beaten enough top fighters to make that case.
William Zepeda last year was arguably the closest Stevenson has come to facing one of the elite fighters in his division. Shakur won, but it was hardly a performance that separated him from the field at lightweight. Zepeda connected repeatedly to the body, outworked him for long stretches and forced Stevenson into a difficult fight.
Moving to li
