"He is the next Floyd Mayweather to me"- Claressa Shields shows love for Shakur Stevenson
Claressa Shields has claimed that Shakur Stevenson will be the next Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Mayweather is widely regarded as one of the best boxers of all time. 'Money' was a World Champion in five weight divisions and finished his career with a perfect record of 50-0. Mayweather's last professional fight was against Conor McGregor in 2017, where he stopped the former UFC champion in the 10th round via TKO.
Watch the full fight replay of Mayweather vs. McGregor below:
Meanwhile, Shakur Stevenson is still in the early stages of his boxing career. At the age of 25, Stevenson has already captured two World Titles, beating opponents such as Joet Gonzalez, Jamel Herring, and Oscar Valdez.
'Fearless' is scheduled to return to the ring on September 23 in Newark against Robson Conceicao. The young talent will defend his WBO and WBC Featherweight Championships.
Here's what Claressa Shields said about the rising pugilist in a recent Instagram live session:
"Shakur Stevenson, I think he's the next Floyd Mayweather."
Watch the full video below:
Floyd Mayweather believes Shakur Stevenson can beat his records
Mayweather is also under the impression that Stevenson can emulate his boxing career and potentially achieve even more.
Here's what Mayweather said in a previous interview:
"I see the next Floyd Mayweather, if anybody can break my records, this young kid right here can do it. I truly believe in him."
It remains to be seen if Stevenson proves Mayweather right and becomes a multi-weight World Champion while staying undefeated. With a record of 18-0, the young American has a long way to go before he can be compared with Mayweather.
Stylistically, Mayweather and Stevenson possess slick boxing styles that focus on the sweet science of the sport. 'Money' prides himself on minimizing the amount of punishment he took during his professional career. So far, Stevenson has shown a similar ability to avoid getting hit.
However, there are a couple of distinct differences between the pair. Stevenson notably fights in a southpaw stance, whereas Mayweather always fought in orthodox. In addition, Mayweather started his career in a slightly heavier weight division than Stevenson, so he is naturally the bigger man.
Watch Mayweather praise Stevenson below: