Archie Sharp wants smoke with Shakur Stevenson!
The hunter, at some point, becomes the hunted! This is currently what is happening with former WBO Featherweight champion Shakur “Fearless” Stevenson (15-0, 8KOs). Stevenson is now the number one ranked and mandatory challenger in the WBO as a junior lightweight. While he seeks out bouts with WBO champion Jamel Herring and WBC champion Oscar Valdez, there is a highly ranked contender who is eager to get in the ring with him.
Unbeaten number four ranked WBO junior lightweight contender Archie “Sharpshooter” Sharp (19-0, 9KOs) made it clear on his Twitter account that Stevenson is the man he wants to face in the near future! The Newark, New Jersey native responded back asking Sharp who he was. The two would proceed to go back and forth.
In an interview with iFL TV, Sharp would expand on his Twitter war of words with Stevenson.
“Yeah, he’s a fool, I don’t know what he means by I’m out of my mind. At the end of the day, you can’t base my career on one performance or the last couple of performances. You know me Umar, I don’t make any excuses. It is what it is. But I’m in a very good place now, and these are the big fights that I want and I do believe I’m the man who beats Shakur Stevenson.”
WHO IS ARCHIE SHARP??
Fans, like Stevenson, would likely ask the same thing when it comes to Archie Sharp. What we know about him is he is unbeaten in his 19 fights, ranked number four in the WBO rankings, and is currently the WBO European Junior Lightweight champion. We also know he has not fought much top opposition, similar to Stevenson. However, the eye test shows us that the former WBO Featherweight champion is the real deal with tremendous upside.
It is still refreshing to see someone wanting to get in the ring with Stevenson as much as he wants to get in the ring with the champions at 130. This fight is certainly a possibility. Herring could be stripped of his title if he elects to face Valdez in a would-be unification bout instead of Stevenson, who is his mandatory. With Frampton losing and retiring, Sharp should move up one spot to number three behind the number two ranked guy Jeremiah Nakathila, who is likely to face Stevenson.
Only time will tell if Sharp gets his wish and faces off with the rising southpaw former champion.
By: Jerrell Fletcher
