Two-division world champion Shakur Stevenson has named the one man who stands out as the most underrated fighter of all-time.
Stevenson will take on Edwin De Los Santos on November 19 as he aims to claim the recently vacated WBC Lightweight title and reign supreme in a third weight-class at just 26-years-old.
Already, fans have placed massive expectations onto the shoulders of the Newark-born sensation and there has been little or no signs that those beliefs have been misplaced.
He’s aiming, in his own words, to be the greatest ever, but will he get the credit? In an interview with Bootleg Kev, Stevenson pointed out a mentor of his who didn’t get the plaudits he deserved after a phenomenal career.
“Most underrated fighter ever is Andre Ward, for sure. There’s no question about that. [He is an] underrated fighter, Andre Ward, I don’t think that he got all of the props that he deserved in the sport of boxing.
I think that’s got a lot to do with social media and all that kind of stuff being important in our world, honestly I think that Andre Ward was one of the best fighters that I have seen lace up the gloves.”
Ward retired with an undefeated record after thirty-two contests, holding world titles at both super-middleweight and light-heavyweight during his career.
The ‘Son of God’ defeated the likes of Carl Froch, Mikkel Kessler and Arthur Abraham in what was a booming 168lbs division at the time, before retiring from the sport aged just 33-years-old.
Despite what many would call a premature retirement, Ward’s performances earnt him a spot in the International Boxing Hall of Fame, to which he was inducted into in 2021.