Bob Arum: “To Surpass Mayweather’s Career Takes A lot, I Think Shakur Has The

Before officially inking his name on the dotted line with his promotional company, Bob Arum knew there was something intrinsically special about Shakur Stevenson.

Five years later, three world titles, and a sparkling undefeated record – and Arum was ostensibly proven right. Having watched the former Olympic silver medalist up close and personal on countless occasions, Arum begins to gush over Stevenson’s otherworldly skillset.

“Talent-wise, he’s magnificent,” said Arum to BoxingScene.com.

Ultimately, while Stevenson’s career has been lauded and celebrated, he recently found himself underneath a perpetual amount of scrutiny. Heading into his showdown against Robson Conceicao on September 23rd, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, Stevenson was castigated for his inability to make the 130-pound weight limit.

As a result, Stevenson was forced to relinquish both his WBC and WBO world titles. But, in any event, despite forking over his championship trinkets, the 25-year-old pitched a near shutout against his man. Immediately following the win, Stevenson declared that he would no longer compete in the super featherweight division and would instead take his talents to 135-pounds.

As Arum continues to observe Stevenson dominate his competition, he can’t help but notice similarities between him and a former all-time great he once promoted in Floyd Mayweather. Although the 90-year-old promoter wouldn’t go as far as to say that Stevenson will undoubtedly surpass his achievements, Arum did acknowledge that it isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

“That’s a long step,” continued Arum. “You have to give Floyd credit. He had a tremendous career. To surpass Mayweather’s career takes a lot. Now, I think Shakur has the ability. Whether he wants to work as hard as Floyd did, both marketing himself and fighting, is up to Shakur.”

Mayweather, of course, captivated the boxing world during his near 25-year career. In addition to grasping world titles in five separate weight classes, Mayweather’s defensive acumen and all-around talent allowed him to register a spotless record, on his way to a first-ballot Hall of Fame induction.

With Arum continuing to juxtapose both fighters, he believes that despite Stevenson needing to have sustained success over the next decade-plus, the comparisons between Stevenson and Mayweather are well warranted.

“Great, great technicians. They can sit down and fight if they have to but their boxing skills are enormous. Both of them. Obviously, Floyd with his long career but Shakur is demonstrating this fantastic boxing ability that very few fighters are blessed with.”