Just weeks before his next big fight, WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson has found himself in a storm of criticism—not from an opponent, but from one of boxing’s newest powerbrokers: Turki Alalshikh.
The Saudi Royal, who has rapidly turned Riyadh Season into boxing’s epicenter of spectacle, made it clear he’s no longer interested in fighters who emphasize movement over mayhem. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), he declared: “From this point on, I don’t want to see any more Tom and Jerry-type boxing matches where one fighter is running around the ring and the other is chasing him. We can [no] longer support these kind of fights with Riyadh Season and The Ring. We want to support fighters who leave it all in the ring and fight with heart and pride!”
But while that message lit up the boxing world, Shakur Stevenson—perhaps the most directly affected fighter—had his own moment of spotlight. On June 28, just hours after turning 28, the slick southpaw took to X with a tongue-in-cheek post:
“Somebody send me 100k asap it’s my birthday yall got it ”
Somebody send me 100k asap it’s my birthday yall got it
— Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) June 28, 2025
The tweet, while clearly playful, drew plenty of attention. Coming days before his July 12 fight against Mexican power puncher William Zepeda at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, it was an effortless reminder that Stevenson remains one of the sport’s most talked-about names—even when he’s not throwing punches.
And yet, behind the humor lies pressure. During a recent roundtable hosted by Ring Magazine (featuring Mike Coppinger, Rick Reeno, and Ish Hinson), Turki was asked if he had a favorite fight on the card. Without hesitation, he responded: “I expect great performance from Shakur [Stevenson]. I will try to do for him big fights more and more.”
The backlash gamer: Shakur Stevenson
The birthday tweet may have been cheeky, but the conversation surrounding Stevenson is anything but light. Just days earlier, the undefeated American clapped back at Turki’s “Tom and Jerry” jab in an interview with Brian Campbell. “I think it’s out of place to use that line with any fighter… If some guys want to move and use movement, I think that’s part of boxing,” he said. “Guys like [Muhammad] Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard, they got to be disappointed hearing some of that s**… I just don’t agree with that.”
Stevenson—currently 23-0 with 11 KOs—firmly believes that movement has always been part of boxing’s DNA. And in his view, fighters like Ali and Leonard didn’t just use the ring—they redefined how it should be used. But his critics argue that times have changed. With modern fans having endless entertainment options—from UFC to TikTok—fighters must now do more than just win. They have to engage.
This, they argue, is where Stevenson falls short. Many believe his hit-and-don’t-get-hit style, while technically brilliant, doesn’t sell. It’s even been cited as the reason he’s been demoted to undercards instead of headlining events. According to some analysts, Shakur isn’t adapting to today’s demand for action-first boxing—and if he doesn’t, he risks fading out of the top-tier spotlight.
Turki, too, has learned from recent backlash. At his Times Square event last May, fans booed what they saw as uneventful performances from stars like Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez. For someone investing millions into making boxing a global showstopper, dull fights aren’t just disappointing—they’re bad business.
As July 12 looms, the pressure on Shakur Stevenson is immense. He’ll need more than elite defense and a birthday tweet to silence critics. In this era of adapt-or-fade, even flawless records aren’t bulletproof.
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