Shakur Stevenson (16-0, 8 KOs) emerged successful on Saturday, June 12 against Jeremiah Nakathila (21-2, 17 KOs) to get closer to a potential WBO title shot against Jamel Herring. In classic southpaw vs orthodox fashion, it was a battle of who can establish their foot on the outside first. Despite what some boxing fans viewed as uneventful and anticlimactic, Shakur was able to put on a boxing clinic with his smooth offense and defense, all while taking minimal risk. His display of sharp, accurate shots and quick counters were what gave the fight its entertainment quality.
Nakathila didn’t show much of a jab throughout the fight and his defense looked compromised, which allowed Stevenson to land the shots he needed to. Overall, Stevenson dictated the pace of the fight and it never left his control. His defensive style was on full display tonight and his go-to 1-2 followed with a counter was also showcased, as expected given his style. Although he couldn’t knockout Nakathila, despite knocking him down in the fourth round with a right hook, he still put him away in a dominating fashion. All three of the judges were in agreement and scored it 120-107 for Stevenson.
It seems that Stevenson was aware his performance lacked that aggressive feature that fans wanted to see when he released this statement on Instagram, “I apologize to all my fans I didn’t feel good tonight but I did what I had to do to win. Thank you for all the support and I promise better for future fights to come.” Shakur has plenty of room and time to develop his aggressiveness and get more comfortable throwing combinations, but the skills he already possesses are worthy of attention and respect. Next for Stevenson could be a fight against Jamel Herring and then if he’s successful, against Oscar Valdez. According to Stevenson, neither fighter will be a problem for him. In fact, Stevenson has been in the ring with Herring and claims that he is a much better fighter than he is, “He can’t beat me. I’ve been in there with Jamel. He’s not as good as I am. Jamel goes in there in certain fights and he’s losing rounds. I have yet to lose rounds. I feel like I’m the best defensive fighter in boxing and Jamel can’t do nothing with me.”
