Shakur Stevenson is a three-weight world champion and is eyeing a clash with Gervonta Davis soon.
Shakur Stevenson retained his undefeated record in his latest outing as he defeated electrician-turned-boxer Josh Padley by ninth-round stoppage.
Padley was a late replacement for Floyd Schofield, who withdrew with illness.
Stevenson, the WBC lightweight champion, has done great things in the sport, and in a recent video, spoke on the hero that inspired it all.
Shakur Stevenson FaceTimed his boxing hero after getting him tattooed on his leg
In a video with Mail Sport Boxing, Stevenson broke down the meaning of every tattoo on his body, starting with one on his leg of ‘Sweet Pea’ Pernell Whittaker:
“I started watching a lot of Sweet Pea when I turned pro, and […] I started to understand the professionals a little bit more, and I feel like he kind of helped translate my style from the amateurs to the pros, and just emulating the little things he was doing.”
Stevenson went on to tell the tale of how he met Whittaker once, when his cousin was in a bar with him:
“My cousin had called me one day and she was like in a bar or something and she was like ‘It’s this old man in here claiming that he’s a boxer but he can’t be no boxer he’s broke’ […] It was Sweet Pea when she FaceTimed me, she showed him the phone, I’m like ‘Oh my god it’s Sweet Pea’.”
Stevenson, who beat his girlfriend’s brother for a world title, said his conversation with Whittaker was only short, but he was glad to have met his hero.
Shakur Stevenson reveals the reason behind this animal tattoo
In the same video, Stevenson, who fans want to face Jadier Herrera, points to his tattoo of a lion on his shoulder and says: “The lion is my favorite animal.”
However, his reasoning for the tattoo isn’t as simple as that, as he elaborates: “Lions is the kings of the jungle and I feel as though with me, like with my family and everything I got surrounded I’m like the king of the family, like the guy that’s the provider, the one that’s on top of everything and in control.”
Stevenson said the lion serves as a reminder of how tough he is, and of where he comes from. He hopes to get his shot against Gervonta Davis soon, but it seems Davis, who rocked a kid when he was seven, will first rematch Lamont Roach Jr.