Shakur Stevenson made his first defense of the WBC lightweight title and beat Artem Harutyunyan in the main event of Top Rank’s card from Newark, New Jersey by a unanimous decision on July 7.
Although Stevenson, a three-division world champion, having held titles at featherweight and junior lightweight before moving up to 135 pounds won the fight, his hometown fans were raining boos at certain points in the contest because of the lack of action.
Stevenson has been accused of being a talented but “boring” fighter and many attribute his defensive style to his unengaging boxing matches. Shakur doesn’t lose, but critics of the boxer often refer to his performances as “sluggish” and “unentertaining.”
Cam’ron and Ma$e Rip Shakur Stevenson Boxing Performance
Cam’ron and Ma$e always have an opinion on the world of music, sports and culture. Oftentimes, it isn’t filtered and not always favorable to the subject.
Stevenson, who became a lightweight champion last November when he outpointed Edwin De Los Santos in a what has been called an “historically sluggish” affair to claim the vacant WBC belt, didn’t impress the former Dip Set member and his former Bad Boy partner.
Speaking on their sports show “It Is What It Is” on Monday, July 8, both Cam and Ma$e went in on Shakur.
“I don’t want to see Shakur fight, I’m just going to be honest,” Cam said. “No disrespect to Newark, but I don’t want to see Shakur fight nobody. For him to be hanging out with Terence Crawford and Andre Ward, there is absolutely no way that he’s fighting the way he’s fighting.”
He continued: “He just needs to accept he’s a defensive fighter. He’s not an offensive fighter — and there’s nothing wrong with that […] He’s gotta get some offense and he’s gotta get some strength in his hands.”
Ma$e went on to call Stevenson a “cocky fighter” and claimed he would get “obliviated” if he were to fight Gervonta Davis.
Killa Cam was equally critical of Stevenson, saying: “Somebody said on Instagram, ‘If I never see Shakur Stevenson fight again, that’s too soon.’ I did the right thing. It was on ESPN so I recorded it and my n-gga said, ‘Nah,’ so I didn’t have to watch it.
“I got home, seen the 11th, 12th round and saw n-ggas walking out. Them n-ggas was booing! I’m like, ‘Yo, you’re at home [in Newark] and they’re booing you.’”
Stevenson didn’t like what they were talking about and spent hours on social media taking shots at the “It is What It Is” Harlem crew.
Hitting back at Ma$e, he wrote: “Same way I felt bout his rap career n-gga more famous for his podcast then his failed career,” before adding: “Mass [sic] was a fake pastor Surviving Diddy ass n-gga.
“F-ck Mase yall n-ggas crazy i don’t respect nun of these b-tch ass n-ggas and yall ain’t gone make me respect them, Surviving diddy ass bull.”
He then set his sights on Cam as well, writing: “U know what irks me when a n-gga talk boxing but ain’t never glove up.. This fat mf Mase and Big teething Camron need to STFU them n-ggas a never step foot in a boxing ring, We got all types of entertainers gloving up tell these n-ggas glove up or shut up.
“PAC the Goat who tf is Mase and Camron these niggas not legends they just was the n-ggas hanging around the legend.”
The 27-year-old continued going at Ma$e: “How he doing podcast til this day and yall think he had a successful rap career that n-gga is not Jay Z stop it he was a momentary rapper f-ck him and his mans.”
He concluded by saying: “Boring ass podcast they got, That sh-t ain’t fw Million dollars worth of game Gillie the real voice of the streets!!”
Prior to responding to Shakur’s social media rebuttals, Cam’ron and Ma$e posted on the official Instagram account for “It Is What It Is”:
“FAILED RAP CAREER HEY #SHAKURSTEVENSON 3 MONTHS AFTER YOU WERE BORN #MURDA DROPPED HIS FIRST ALBUM & SOLD 5 MILLION COPIES & WENT QUADRUPLE PLATINUM BEFORE SOCIAL MEDIA #FACTS WE JUST CALLING IT HOW EVERYBODY ELSE SEE IT.”
Cam and Mase Respond To Shakur’s X Rant
Then Cam and Ma$e took it a step further, as they are known to do and addressed Shakur directly on their podcast on Monday.
Said Ma$e: “Since its all comedy, I’m gonna deal with it like comedy, nigg-. Ya hear that. Chill out, lil nigg-. We got the right to have our opinion, and I say that with all due respect. Just keep it where it is, man. Let humor be humor. …You don’t like what we said, then box better. Until you beat Tank, there really is nothing to say.”
Ma$e focused on Shakur’s low knockout rate. Stevenson only has 10 KOs in 22 fights.
“I got three knockouts in All-Star weekend, so I got a 100 percent knockout ratings if we checking the record,” he said
“Listen, bro. I’m gonna be honest with you. I see why they call you Shakur ‘Twitterson.’ Four hours of tweeting about me and Mase is wild. You boring. … You boring. Everybody seen it. We ain’t the only pens who seen it. You boring. I was polite about it.”
Cam and Mase Think Shakur Stevenson Is Boring
Cam went on to berate Shakur about his style of boxing and referenced other fighters, such as Teofimo Lopez and former champ Tim Bradley who allegedly agreed with him.
“Your grandfather’s in your corner telling you to let your hands go, ya won’t let your MF hands go because you scared of getting hit. You want to swim without getting wet, and that’s not going to happen.”
Shakur was definitely in his feelings, and he will probably have another 15 to 20 Twitter post reactions to Cam and Mase. Truth be told, the interaction between the boxing star and the rap legends was more exciting than the actual fight.
Maybe Shakur just needs to come on the show and hash out his problems in person. Man to man. It still won’t change the growing narrative that Stevenson isn’t worth the price of admission. Defeating Tank Davis would go a long way to changing the narrative surrounding Stevenson.
