Shakur Stevenson appeared to take a covert shot at Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis on social media, saying that he doesn’t need “no tune-ups” or “fights to get comfortable at a weight” to get him ready for a move up to 140 to challenge Teofimo Lopez for his WBO title in early 2026.
(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)
A Shot in ‘Boots’ Direction
The Newark, New Jersey native Stevenson (24-0, 11 KOs) wanted to brag about his bravery to his followers on X, and chose to do it by hinting about the difference between him and ‘Boots’ Ennis. By boasting how he’s fighting WBO 140-lb champion Teofimo in his first fight in the weight class, Stevenson is positioning himself above Ennis in the courage department.
In contrast to Shakur, Ennis didn’t want to jump straight into a risky fight at 154 in his debut in the division, opting to fight the fringe contender Uisma Lima last Saturday.
Ennis blew Lima out of the water, knocking him out in 58 seconds of the first round at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. Going into the fight, ‘Boots’ had received criticism from fans for taking an unknown fighter in what was viewed as a mismatch to get his feet wet in the division before moving on to tougher opponents.
Fans wanted to see Ennis immediately fight Vergil Ortiz Jr., Bakhram Murtazaliev, or Sebastian Fundora in his first fight in the 154-lb weight class instead of hand-picking a soft opponent to take a tune-up.
“I’m gonna beat the man at 140, get the Ring Magazine belt and laugh at all who doubted 🦾 No tune-ups, no fights to get comfortable at the weight, just big balls and big dreams!!” said Shakur Stevenson on X, talking about his fight against Teofimo Lopez in early 2026.
Earlier in 2025, ‘Boots’ was frequently criticized by fans for choosing a cautious approach by turning down fights against Vergil Jr., Teofimo Lopez, and Devin Haney. Those match-ups would have increased his popularity more so than his fight against WBA welterweight champion Eimantas Stanionis earlier this year on April 12.
Shakur, 28, is close friends with Terence Crawford, who is a big brother or mentor for him. He’s patterned much of his fighting style after Crawford, using the movement that the Nebraska native has utilized during his long 17-year career.
Crawford moved up from 147 to 154 and defeated WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov by a narrow 12-round unanimous decision in his first fight in the weight class on May 3, 2024. Granted, the victory was very questionable, but he showed the courage to jump straight into a tough fight. The difference is that Crawford was 36 and couldn’t afford to take the slow approach that Ennis is doing. He’d age out if he took tune-ups.
The Nerve to Lecture ‘Boots’
What Stevenson isn’t saying is that his resume has been padded since he moved to the 135-lb division in 2023. He hasn’t fought the killers in the lightweight division, electing to fight these beatable fighters:
- Josh Padley
- Artem Harutyunyan
- Shuichiro Yoshino
There’s talk of Ennis and Crawford fighting in 2026 if Turki Alalshikh gets involved. It’s the biggest fight available for both fighters, given that Crawford has already turned down a match against David Benavidez.
Shakur, taking a subtle dig at ‘Boots’ Ennis with his “no tune-up’ comment, isn’t going to make the 38-year-old Crawford’s job any easier if he does agree to fight him in 2026. If he can’t handle the young lion, he’s going to get ripped to pieces.
Last Updated on 10/14/2025