Stevenson Looking to Expand Fan Base
When WBO world featherweight champion “Fearless” Shakur Stevenson (13-0, 7 KO’s) steps in the ring on June 9, he will do so with zero fans in the house. Some fighters have balked at the notion of fighting in a venue only populated by the requisite staff needed to air the event. Boxers like Amir Khan have said they’d rather wait until the fans return to mix it up in the ring.
This is far from the case with Shakur Stevenson. Not only does he not have a problem competing under the brand new circumstances, he feels that it will present him a two-fold opportunity for success.
“I don’t think it’s going to bother me. Like, I think I’m in the gym without the fans in there, I can hear the coaches clearly, all that type of stuff. So I don’t think it’s going to be a problem. I think it’s going to be cool for me, a different experience.”
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Outside of foreseeing enjoying greater communication with his corner, Fearless also believes this will be a great time to increase his fanbase. Under normal circumstances, boxing telecasts are almost constantly aired with competition from other sporting events. This will not be the case on June 9.
So not only are boxing fans, and American sports fans in general, aching for a fix, the Top Rank fight card will be the only sports on the air waves. This has Fearless eagerly approaching this very unique occasion.
“I’m hoping that I get a lot more fans from this, from having a studio fight and nobody got anything else to watch and a lot of people spending time at home. I am hoping it will help my fan base grow a lot more than what I think.”
Yet, while he is happy to have this exclusive stage, Stevenson is still upset that a fight he had scheduled to take place in Madison Square Garden was scrapped as a result of the COVID-19 shutdown.
“I’m focused on my fight really Saturday, but I am still a little salty at the fact that I did a whole training camp and I spent a lot of money on training camp to make sure I am straight. And I didn’t get none of that money back, I missed out on the biggest payday of my career. Like I said, I am still a little salty because of that.”
By: Bakari Simpson
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