{"id":522453,"date":"2026-03-08T11:53:29","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T11:53:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/522453\/"},"modified":"2026-03-08T11:53:29","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T11:53:29","slug":"shakur-stevenson-says-sparring-with-lomachenko-explained-why-they-never-fought","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/522453\/","title":{"rendered":"Shakur Stevenson Says Sparring With Lomachenko Explained Why They Never Fought"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The unbeaten three-division champion said the experience left him believing the Ukrainian star saw enough during those rounds to think twice about facing him later.<\/p>\n

\u201cSkillfully, I feel like I was the better fighter. My range, my distance, and my speed was kind of better than his,\u201d Stevenson said on The Joe Rogan Experience while recalling the rounds they shared during training camp early in his professional career.<\/p>\n

Shakur added that Lomachenko\u2019s conditioning and punch output were advantages at the time because the Ukrainian was preparing for a fight during the camp.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom a standpoint of being in shape and throwing more punches, I feel like he was kind of better,\u201d Shakur said. \u201cHe was getting ready for his fight, and I was getting ready for my fight too.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sessions took place in 2017, while Lomachenko was preparing for his fight with Guillermo Rigondeaux. Stevenson, then a young southpaw coming off his Olympic silver medal, was brought into camp as a sparring partner.<\/p>\n

Lomachenko entered the professional ranks after one of the most accomplished amateur careers in boxing history. Unlike Stevenson, who won an Olympic silver medal, Lomachenko captured two Olympic gold medals and compiled a record widely reported as 396 wins and one loss.<\/p>\n

That lone defeat came against Russia\u2019s Albert Selimov in the final of the 2007 World Amateur Championships at featherweight. Lomachenko later avenged the loss twice during his amateur career, including a victory over Selimov at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.<\/p>\n

Shakur said the experience stuck with him because he felt he was able to hold his own against one of the sport\u2019s most respected technicians at the time.<\/p>\n

Looking back now, Stevenson said he believes Lomachenko may have viewed the situation differently once he saw how Stevenson performed during those rounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I\u2019m Lomachenko, and I know he was 126 pounds at the time. He was a kid, pushing 30,\u201d Stevenson said. \u201cNow I see him all grown up, bigger and stronger, and I see what he was doing as a kid. I probably would test the water with him. I really wouldn\u2019t want to see that guy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two fighters never faced each other in the professional ranks despite competing in nearby divisions during parts of their careers.<\/p>\n

The two-time Olympic gold medalist Loma went on to win world titles in multiple divisions and build a reputation as one of boxing\u2019s most technically skilled fighters. Shakur has since followed his own path, winning titles in three divisions and establishing himself as one of the sport\u2019s most defensively skilled fighters.<\/p>\n

Although the sparring sessions remain part of boxing history, Stevenson suggested the experience may help explain why a fight between the two never came together once both fighters reached championship level.<\/p>\n

\"YouTube<\/p>\n

Ken Woods has been a senior writer at Boxing News 24 since 2013, covering the sport from every angle. With years of ringside reporting, he delivers fight news, results, and analysis that cut through the noise. Ken\u2019s work consistently spotlights champions, contenders, and rising prospects, giving fans a sharp, knowledgeable view of the global boxing scene.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The unbeaten three-division champion said the experience left him believing the Ukrainian star saw enough during those rounds…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":522454,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[447],"tags":[703,49,48,82],"class_list":["post-522453","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-boxing","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522453","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=522453"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522453\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/522454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=522453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=522453"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=522453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}