Shakur Stevenson noticed one thing totally totally different from his ringside seat that the three judges noticed on Saturday night time in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
The undefeated two-division champion later argued that British southpaw Maxi Hughes positively deserved a win over George Kambosos Jr. of their 12-round light-weight bout at FireLake Area. Two judges – Josef Mason (117-111) and Gerald Ritter (115-113) – scored their combat for Australia’s Kambosos, who gained their ESPN primary occasion by majority resolution as a result of decide David Sutherland scored their draw, 114-114.
Stevenson did not mince phrases when the elite light-weight contender was interviewed by ESPN’s Bernardo Osuna at ringside following Kambosos’ controversial win.
“I assumed it was a theft,” Stevenson mentioned. “I assumed Maxi boxed nicely and I assumed he was a greater fighter.”
Kambosos had nice issue coping with Hughes’ motion and avoiding Hughes’ straight left hand. Mason in some way scored 9 of 12 rounds for Kambosos, who gained seven rounds on Ritter’s card.
“I feel judges needs to be held to increased requirements,” Stevenson mentioned. “I feel they need to be as targeted as boxers and I feel they want much more (coaching) to be a decide. So I really feel like they do not watch the fights and so they do not actually pay an excessive amount of consideration to the fights, and I feel that ruins boxing.
Stevenson, 26, expressed his respect for Kambosos’ accomplishments after they spoke as Kambosos and his crew left the ring. Stevenson (20-0, 10 KOs) was additionally trustworthy, nonetheless, and instructed Kambosos he’d “beat the shit” out of him in the event that they needed to combat.
Stevenson beforehand knowledgeable Osuna that he had little curiosity in boxing Kambosos, which like Stevenson is now represented by Bob Arum’s Prime Rank Inc., which co-promotes Kambosos with DiBella Leisure.
“I wish to combat one of the best of one of the best, so proper now Kambosos isn’t on my stage,” Stevenson mentioned. “I wish to combat the Lomachenkos, the Devin Haneys, Gervonta Davis. Them the fights I am on the lookout for. When you see me preventing Kambosos, you all know I will cease him. That is how I really feel about it, so I do not really feel like he is on that stage. But when I’ve no selection and he’s the following step ahead, I’ll beat him too.
Kambosos (21-2, 10 KOs) gained the IBO light-weight title from Hughes (26-6-2, 5 KOs) and secured second place within the IBF rankings by profitable what was additionally a knockout match. The Sydney native might face Argentina’s Gustavo Lemos (28-0, 18 KOs), the primary contender within the IBF, for the vacant IBF light-weight championship in his subsequent combat if Haney provides up his IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO light-weight titles to compete within the 140-pound division.
Stevenson, in the meantime, is completely positioned to combat Vasiliy Lomachenko for what can be an unclaimed WBC championship ought to Haney transfer up in weight.
The 2016 Olympic silver medalist from Newark, New Jersey is the quantity two light-weight within the WBC. Ukrainian Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KOs) is ranked first amongst lightweights by the WBC.
Keith Idec is senior author/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He will be contacted on Twitter @Idecboxing.
