Oscar De La Hoya has named a current world champion, known for his silky skills and remarkable judgement of distance, as the ‘greatest fighter’ he’s ever seen.
Of all the pound-for-pound stars parading this sport today, Oleksandr Usyk and Naoya Inoue have undoubtedly cemented themselves as two of the very best.
But Usyk, in particular, is now widely regarded as the world’s leading boxer, especially after the recent announcement of Terence Crawford’s retirement.
Having become a three-time undisputed champion across two weight divisions, the Ukrainian has left himself with very little to prove, but is seemingly still eager to enhance his glittering legacy.
With two victories over Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois, respectively, Usyk has also shown that an ambitious move to heavyweight was never beyond his capabilities.
As for Inoue, the two-division undisputed king is, like Usyk, a masterful technician, but also possesses enough power to knock out any fighter in the lower weight classes.
And yet, while these two are rightfully considered the flagship competitors of the sport, De La Hoya seems to believe that Shakur Stevenson, the WBC lightweight champion, is ultimately the very best.
The three-weight world champion has hardly even lost a round as a pro, triumphing over the likes of Oscar Valdez, Jamel Herring and William Zepeda in mostly one-sided fights.
And now, with him gearing up to face WBO world super-lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez on January 31, Stevenson has been presented with an opportunity to claim his most notable win.
But it was over a year ago, in fact, that De La Hoya, while speaking with Club Shay Shay, praised the American for his ‘beautiful style’ and ‘great technique’.
“[Stevenson is] the greatest fighter I’ve ever seen. Beautiful style, great technique, has the punching power, has the chin… but he needs the confidence to fight.
“he has to believe in himself to put on a good show and sell [tickets]. That’s the problem he’s having – he’s not selling seats.”