Recently, former NFL star-turned podcaster Shannon Sharpe was the latest to take a public shot at Stevenson following his win over Lopez.
“Look, Shakur is a great fighter, but I wouldn’t pay my hard-earned money — $1,000 to $3,000 — to go see him fight again,” Sharpe said. “I want to see some fighting. If you go back and look at Floyd [Mayweather] at 130, 135, 140 pounds, Floyd was getting people out of there. Sugar Ray, Tommy Hearns, Pernell Whitaker — all great fighters at those weights — they were getting people out of there. I just don’t think his style is going to get him the big payday he’s looking for.”
Sharpe’s co-host, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, pushed back by reminding him that “the point of boxing is to hit and not get hit.” Sharpe responded by arguing that Stevenson doesn’t take enough risks, saying, “You have to put yourself in harm’s way to knock someone out.”
Stevenson didn’t mince words when asked about the criticism during an appearance on Cigar Talk.
“He’s sick. Guys like him, I just try to ignore them,” Stevenson said. “At the end of the day, I could really get on his ass for his business and talk about what he’s doing, which is dumb as a motherf—ker…. But I’m going to take the high road because you’re just too ignorant to understand what’s going on.”
“Just because I make it look easy, that’s when it’s boring,” he added. “I’m in there hitting the guy, and he’s not hitting me back. It’s not entertaining because he didn’t fall down, he’s not hurt, but he’s not touching me either. It’s too easy.”
Stevenson doubled down, insisting that his boxing IQ separates him from everyone else.
“There’s nobody who can deal with my brain as a boxer. I live this shit every single day,” he said. “The only way you can even try to compete with me is to live the way I live — and nobody is disciplined enough to do that. I’m not worried anymore.”
Love him or hate him, Stevenson remains undefeated and continues to dominate elite competition without showing a single crack in his armor.
As for what’s next, Stevenson teased a potential showdown with Conor Benn on fight night but in that same interview, revealed interest in a clash with Devin Haney.
“I think Devin is a tremendous fighter,” Stevenson said. “Do I think Devin Haney can beat me? Hell no.”
