The best young fighter in boxing is arguably Shakur Stevenson. After a successful debut in the lightweight division, the rumor mill was abuzz about Shakur Stevenson taking on the legendary Manny Pacquiao, before promoter Dana White poured cold water on that. Dan Rafael reported that Stevenson is in discussions with Gary Antuane Russell in a super lightweight unification bout. This would be an entertaining, competitive fight.
Boxing needs big fights. Jai Opetaia vs. David Benavidez at cruiserweight is a good start. Naoya Inoue vs. Bam Rodriguez at 122 pounds would be great.
But the biggest fight in boxing would be Shakur Stevenson (25-0, 11 KO) versus unified junior middleweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis (36-0, 32 KO, 1 NC).
Shakur Stevenson and Jaron Ennis are both undefeated, multi-division world champions. Each man has been so dominant that it feels noteworthy when either man loses a round or even gets caught with a clean punch.
The biggest obstacle to an Ennis/Stevenson fight taking place is the weight difference between the two men. Moving up two weight classes to challenge an opponent has been done, though it is not exactly common. If the price was right, Ennis might be amenable to fighting Stevenson at a catchweight below 154 pounds. The fight would be riskier for Stevenson moving up in weight, but Shakur has recently shown he is willing to take risks.
In July, Shakur Stevenson surprised many by signing with the newly formed Zuffa Boxing. Stevenson went in that direction partly because, “With Zuffa Boxing, I’m going to go after the biggest fights in the sport and I will become the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.”
Stevenson just became a world champion at 140 pounds by moving up in weight and outclassing Teofilmo López. Many opponents have been speculated or rumored for Shakur. Besides Pacquiao and Russell, the two most common names linked to Stevenson are Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia. Haney and Garcia are both world champions at welterweight, the weight class between Stevenson and Ennis.
In his last bout, Ennis became a unified champion at 154 pounds with a one-sided thrashing of previously unbeaten Xander Zayas. His challengers at 154 pounds are either Virgil Ortiz or Sebastian Fundora. Both of those men are talented and would make interesting fights against Ennis.
A world where Ennis faces Fundora, then Ortiz, or one of them would be a solid outcome. A scenario where Shakur Stevenson takes on Ryan Garcia before facing Devin Haney would be nice. I would watch and enjoy any of those hypothetical fights.
But what boxing needs is an iconic fight. Shakur versus Boots would be that. Two of the best fighters in the world in their prime, each struggling to find a suitable challenger. Boots Ennis, from Philadelphia, facing Newark native Shakur Stevenson. A mid-Atlantic melee.
The knock on Boots Ennis and Shakur Stevenson is that while they are sublimely talented, they are not massive enough stars for the general public to pay attention. It is a reasonable critique; both men are reserved and let their work in the ring do the talking. For this fight to do numbers on pay-per-view, we would need a hook; something for the casual observer to be interested in this. Enter Terence Crawford.
Crawford is recently retired and embarking on a career as a broadcaster. Stylistically, the active boxer most often compared to Crawford is Boots Ennis. Many would see the comparison as a compliment, but Ennis does not enjoy being in anyone’s shadow. The two men have been linked together in a potential matchup both before and after Crawford’s retirement.
Recently on TNT’s The Fight, where Crawford is on the studio panel, Ennis joined and did not hold his tongue about Crawford. Ennis was asked about calling a potential fight with Crawford easy work on social media, and he doubled down. While Crawford seems content in retirement, part of him would love someone to silence Boots.
Terence Crawford has been a mentor figure to Shakur Stevenson for years in boxing and in life. Stevenson cannot have been happy with what Ennis has been saying about Crawford. Shakur is smart, though; he would not take a fight simply for vengeance. Career-wise, what does Shakur Stevenson gain from taking a risk like this?
Terrence Crawford had an unassailable career. The capstone came in his final fight when he moved up two weight divisions and took down the legendary Canelo Alvarez. Many people questioned Crawford’s decision at the time. But Crawford moved up in weight, showed his skills, and became undisputed champion in yet another weight division.
What better way for Stevenson to accomplish his goal of being the best pound-for-pound fighter than by emulating his mentor? By moving up multiple weight classes and winning a championship against a world-class opponent. The cherry on top would be silencing an opponent who has disrespected your mentor.
Shakur Stevenson has dominated weight classes from featherweight up through 140 pounds. Jaron Ennis dominated the welterweight division before making 154 pounds his new playground. Both men are supremely confident and feel no one can beat them inside a boxing ring. Watching Boots or Shakur fight is always a thrill, but it leaves fans wondering what would happen if they faced someone as skilled as they are. Let’s make Shakur Stevenson vs. Boots Ennis happen.
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