Stevenson Could Benefit in an Edwin De Los Santos Rematch
While WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson (22-0, 10 KO’s) continues to trade verbal barbs with all-comers on social media, he has yet to pen his next fight. Duels with desired opponents such as fellow champions Vasyl Lomachenko (IBF) and Gervonta “Tank” Davis (WBA) remain frustratingly out of reach. This has led many to wonder why Stevenson won’t simply rematch #4 (WBC), #4 (WBA), #6 (WBO) and #10 (IBF) ranked Edwin De Los Santos (16-2, 14 KO’s).
It was in their November 16, 2023 prizefight where many in the boxing public first began diminishing his overall worth in the sport. The criticism came as a result of what was deemed as his excessive running and lack of offensive engagement. Stevenson would go on to say he entered the bout injured and, under normal circumstances, would have trounced De Los Santos with ease.
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There is no doubt that Stevenson is one of the more gifted athletes in the sport. His ability to counterpunch, figure out his opponents and fight in the pocket while avoiding damage is rather remarkable. At the same time however, the WBC champion has displayed, on several occasions, a serious aversion to engaging well-known power punchers. This has largely resulted in his current reputation as a runner and overall boring fighter.
His dogged dedication to verbally battling tit-for-tat with boxers, media and the fans alike is doing his reputation no favors, either. This is a huge reason for why facing off with De Los Santos could do him a world of good. Presently, his Dominican rival is without an opponent as well. Going a step further, De Los Santos is still highly ranked, highly respected and carries serious pop in his punch. It is also a fight that the Dominican is probably itching to get again.
Provided Stevenson makes good on his promise to make De Los Santos look like easy work, that’d go a long way to restore a great deal of luster to his name. It would certainly look a lot better than gabbing away day and night on his social media accounts. Yet, given his talking points ever since the De Los Santos prizefight, it is sadly a fight that Stevenson is not likely to pursue.
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