STEVE’S SOAPBOX
Ring Magazine pound-for-pound list has seen Stevenson jump all the way from No. 7 to No. 3. It’s clear that he made an impression on the ratings panel.
The new rankings look like this: 1) Oleksandr Usyk, 2) Naoya Inoue, 3) Stevenson, 4) Jesse Rodriguez, 5) Dmitry Bivol, 6) Artur Beterbiev, 7) Junto Nakatani, 8) David Benavidez, 9) Devin Haney, 10) Oscar Collazo. Before Terence Crawford’s retirement, there was the belief that he, Usyk and Inoue had clearly separated themselves into an exclusive club, with “Bam” Rodriguez making a strong case for inclusion with his cadre of championship belts and recent unification conquests. But now Stevenson finds himself in rarefied air. There will be some disagreement on Stevenson getting such a bump, but in light of Nakatani’s struggle back in December versus Sebastian Hernandez and the recent inactivity of Bivol and Beterbiev (who have not fought since they faced one another in their rematch last February), you can see the logic there. Now, some will have an issue with him being placed above Rodriguez – a case could be made that Edwin De Los Santos should’ve had his hands raised in victory when he faced Stevenson a couple of years ago. But ask yourself this: As was noted above, just how many guys do you think would actually beat Stevenson? Again, this is not about entertainment value (that’s a whole ’nother subject) but effectiveness inside the ring. He is not everyone’s cup of tea, admittedly. You don’t have to like his style, and I know some of you reading this probably don’t. I get it. But it says here that he’s as difficult an out as there is in boxing. You want to make some easy money in the future, just keep putting money down on “Stevenson by decision” and cash in your ticket. Forget about him losing fights – we may not see Stevenson lose very many rounds in the next several years.
For Stevenson’s true believers, the Lopez victory was validation.
in facing Stevenson and whose professional future is in doubt, given the former WBA titleholder’s latest domestic violence-related charge and probation violation. Stevenson already defeated hard-charging contender William Zepeda, and the talented Abdullah Mason, who just captured the WBO belt, seems way too green to truly trouble him at the moment. The consensus is that IBF titleholder Raymond Muratalla is solid but simply too methodical to give Stevenson problems. Up-and-comer Floyd Schofield was a few days from his shot last year in Saudi Arabia but ended up in the emergency room with a mystery illness (perhaps caused by the mere thought of having to face Stevenson). Stevenson just took apart the reigning Ring Magazine junior welterweight champion in Lopez, and he would be favored over 140-pound beltholders Richardson Hitchins (IBF), Dalton Smith (WBC) and Gary Antuanne Russell (WBA). Keyshawn Davis, who impressively stopped Jamaine Ortiz on the Lopez-Stevenson undercard, would present some real issues with his speed, power and technical skills. But the problem is that Stevenson and Davis have often stated that given their close friendship, a clash between them is a nonstarter.
Simon Brown and Maurice Blocker they aren’t. As for welterweight, well, it’s not like Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, Donald Curry or Felix Trinidad are walking through those doors. At the moment, your four beltholders are Devin Haney (WBO), Mario Barrios (WBC) – who was scheduled to defend against Ryan Garcia on February 21 at the time of writing – Rolly Romero (WBA) and Lewis Crocker (IBF). OK, from that quartet, you’d have to say that Haney presents the most difficult challenge. But against the other three, I’d take Stevenson in a heartbeat if they fought next. This isn’t just my opinion. In the days after Stevenson’s victory, I asked this same question to some well-known trainers, matchmakers and analysts – individuals you all know of and have seen numerous times on television – and they happen to agree with me. They aren’t even sure if anyone would be particularly competitive against him. But it’s not just boxing insiders who are impressed by Stevenson. Those who cover the sport also hold him in very high regard. The most recent update to the
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