Lomachenko is returning from the war in his homeland and will be fighting in October against a still-to-be-determined opponent. Shakur will defend his two 130lb belts against Robson Conceição (17-1, 8 KOs) on September 23 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Stevenson (18-0, 9 KOs) wants the former three-division world champion Lomachenko (16-2, 11 KOs) to drop down to 130 to challenge him.
That’s a risky fight for Stevenson because he’s never fought anyone close to Lomachenko’s talent level, and he might not be ready for that step up in class.
Shakur feels that two-time Olympic gold medalist Lomachenko isn’t fighting at his “natural weight” right now, with him campaigning at 135. Lomachenko already lost to Teofimo Lopez in 2020 in a fight in which he was vastly outsized by the New Yorker.
Teofimo, who has always been huge for a lightweight, looked like a 154-pounder after rehydrating the night of the fight.
Of course, some people feel that Shakur Stevenson is a natural lightweight, and he’s only fighting at super featherweight because he has a size advantage over the smaller fighters in that division.