Shakur Stevenson has the opportunity to attain world championship glory when he challenges similarly undefeated counterpart Joet Gonzalez for the vacant WBO featherweight title at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center in Reno, Nevada.
The pair of fighters have a storied history and the personal needle will only serve to heighten the intrigue surrounding the world title showdown on Saturday night; Stevenson is the partner of Gonzalez’s estranged sister, Jajaira. They have exchanged plenty over words on social media throughout recent years, and that translated into equally heated exchanges at the pre-fight press conference.
The Newark hopeful – managed by Andre Ward – has seemingly been groomed for big things and has impressed so far in a relatively short career spanning just twelve fights, knocking out seven of his opponents, and most notably outpointing former super-featherweight world title challenger Christopher Diaz in April.
Gonzalez, meanwhile, is considerably more experienced as a professional; indeed, it’s noteworthy that the Californian has more knockouts than Stevenson has fights. Despite the fact that he is the significant betting underdog, Gonzalez is positively convinced that his experience – among other things – will prove be a decisive factor on fight night.
However, Stevenson – in addition to many commentators – believe that his pedigree and skillset will enable him to impose his will on Gonzalez, as opposed to the other way around, and the New Jersey native will undoubtedly be savouring the prospect of showcasing his skills on the big stage.
Expect the southpaw Stevenson to quickly negate his opponent’s superior size and strength, which his trademark combination punching and hand speed, to win resoundingly on points after twelve rounds.
Article by: Navi Singh
Follow Navi on Twitter at: @DarkMan________