Shakur Stevenson has his sights set on the heights of the lightweight division, and has proven he’ll do whatever it takes to reach the top, even if it means fighting his girlfriend’s older brother.
Shakur Stevenson was set to fight Floyd Schofield on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol 2, but due to illness, faced electrician-turned-boxer Josh Padley instead.
Stevenson added an eleventh knockout to his resume, which sits at a perfect 23-0, and had his eyes on the biggest names in the division next, such as Gervonta Davis who recently fought to a draw with Lamont Roach Jr. Stevenson offered Roach a fight with him if Davis would not take a rematch.
The Newark fighter has been highly touted for his abilities, winning titles in three divisions, but many are unaware of who he had to face to win his first world title.
Shakur Stevenson won world title against girlfriend’s brother
Stevenson won the silver medal at the 2016 Olympics, and it was here that he reportedly began dating Jajaira Gonzalez, who was also an amateur boxer.
The pair dated for years, though Stevenson was never welcomed by Gonzalez’s family, particularly her father and her brother, Joet.
Joet said of Shakur: “I never liked him as an amateur. I just thought he was loud, obnoxious, [and] disrespectful.”
The pair’s dislike for one another would come to a head when, in 2019, they were given the opportunity to face one another for the vacant WBO featherweight title.
Stevenson was 12-0 at the time, and Joet was 24-0, though it would be Stevenson who would come out on top, defeating Joet in a wide unanimous decision victory.
Shakur Stevenson plead with girlfriend’s brother after defeating him
Following his win over Joet, Stevenson was nothing but respectful, claiming his opponent was: “One hell of a fighter”.
Despite his victory, Stevenson dedicated his post-ring interview to asking Jajaira’s father and brother Joet if they would speak to their daughter/sister again, as they had cut ties with her due to her relationship with Stevenson.
He said: “Can y’all please talk to your daughter? That’s all I got to say, please talk to your daughter and your sister, that’s it.”
It seems that even after defeating him in the ring, and showing he had Jajaira’s interests at heart, Stevenson had still not earned Joet’s respect, as he said after the fight:
“I don’t know how he can say he has no hard feelings, no disrespect, but the whole time he was disrespecting my family. It doesn’t go away just like that. Only time will tell.”
Stevenson is no longer dating Jajaira.