Who's the best in boxing now that Terence Crawford has stepped away? That's the million-dollar question, and WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson has a strong opinion! After consistently praising his friend Terence Crawford, Stevenson has now put forward another name as the top dog in the sport, excluding himself, of course.
Stevenson, with his undefeated record and world titles across three weight divisions, is quickly climbing the ranks and could soon be in the top five pound-for-pound fighters. He's even eyeing a challenge against Teofimo Lopez to add a title in a fourth weight class!
Currently, many boxing fans see either Oleksandr Usyk or Naoya Inoue as the best, both of whom have become undisputed champions in multiple weight classes while remaining undefeated. But here's where it gets interesting...
In an interview with The Breakfast Club, Stevenson surprised many by naming unified light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol as the best in boxing, praising his traditional style.
"I think that Bivol is one of the hardest fighters to beat because he’s so basic and he mastered the fundamentals of boxing. He keeps his hands up, he keeps his one-two going and he got great footwork," Stevenson explained. "He doesn’t just stand there in front of guys all night, he is moving all around and to me, besides myself, I think that he is the best [active] boxer.”
But here's a thought-provoking point: Bivol has been out of action for 11 months since avenging his only career defeat and defeating Artur Beterbiev to become the undisputed 175lb champion. However, it's anticipated that Bivol will return to the ring to face IBF mandatory challenger Michael Eifert this spring.
What do you think? Do you agree with Stevenson's assessment of Bivol? Or do you have another fighter in mind? Let's discuss in the comments!
