Mike Tyson isn’t just the former baddest man on the planet – he’s long been an astute boxing analyst when given the chance.
The Hall of Fame inductee said he really liked what he saw as Shakur Stevenson successfully defended his WBC lightweight title against William Zepeda this past Saturday.
“In my opinion, Shakur Stevenson looked the best he ever looked in his last fight,” Tyson posted on X. “Those masterful combinations and head movements. He’s still young and doing that, and he looked superb.”
It was the kind of performance many wanted to see from Stevenson.
Nobody has ever questioned the tremendous talent and intelligence that the unbeaten three-division titlist has shown in the ring. However, he also found himself in back-to-back contests sorely lacking in entertainment value, notably a desultory victory over Edwin De Los Santos in November 2023.
His subsequent bout, a win over Artem Harutyunyan in July 2024, had far more punches landed but still didn’t appease all of Stevenson’s critics.
The win over Zepeda, 33-1 (27 KOs) went a long way towards silencing those who still questioned his heart and mettle.
“Everybody wants him to show people he can take a punch, but the art is hit and not get hit,” Tyson wrote. “That’s boxing, and that [Zepeda] was the best fighter he ever fought. The fight was tough, and he beat him with no problem.”
Despite the praise, Tyson wants to see Stevenson put himself in less danger the next time out, rather than remain in the trenches.
“In the middle of the ring, he was beautiful,” Tyson wrote. “I just don’t like when he gets on the ropes for too long.”
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
