[Boxing] Shakur Stevenson vs Manny Pacquaio

[acroman08]

I do not believe in the realness of this! Is this real? Also, why is Pacman only an undercard?  This can be a main event, I reckon. However, it appears that uncle Dana is preparing the career of Shakur already.

The OP wrote "might", so it's not guaranteed that they will be an undercard, and the article does say that they are negotiating(or at least Netflix wants) for a co-main event with the AJ vs Fury fight.

If he will get the victory against Pacman for this fight, he will certainly become a bigger name in the sport of boxing.

Maybe, and to be honest, as much as I love Pacquiao, I think Shakur would take the win here, but if he has trouble winning against a 47-year-old Pacquiao, it would still look bad on him even if he won the fight, just like how Mario Barrios looked bad after getting a draw against a 46-year-old Pacquiao.

[Iranus]

This will be much like Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson. It was more of a cash grab and a spectacle than an actual fight. It did nothing for Jake’s career and it was sad to see Tyson so impotent.

If I recall correctly, when Mike Tyson fought Jake Paul he was 58 year old. And he hasn't been part of any genuine professional fighting circuit for nearly 10 years.

On the other hand Manny Pacquiao could be 47 or 48. However he is regularly involved in training and exhibition. So comparing an eight division world champion like Pac-Man to Jake Paul's gimmick fights is, imo, extremely disrespectful to a legend.

He might even get knocked out. Shakur isn’t the hardest puncher, but he did put a good beating on Teofimo. I honestly don’t see what he has to gain from this.

Yes defeating an elite defensive master like Shakur Stevenson on point is nearly impossible for Pacquiao at this age.

But Shakur is going to get a knockout? seriously?

Shakur's knockout rate is low to begin with, he is technical point fighter. He certainly outclassed Teofimo on point, but he was never the kind of fighter capable of delivering any devastating knockout. Even if Pac Man loses, there is 99% chance it will be decision loss.

[SatsPH]

Shakur Stevenson is one of the top pound for pound fighters. Pacquiao is months away from turning 48. You don’t have to be an expert to see where this is heading. Pacquiao is going to lose every single round if this fight goes through. He might even get knocked out. Shakur isn’t the hardest puncher, but he did put a good beating on Teofimo. I honestly don’t see what he has to gain from this.

It's for his fans I guess, it's not about the money for Pacquiao here, but if you look at him, it seems that he is not yet done in this sports and wanted to continue fighting until he doesn't have the love for it.

But for now, and as what he has said in previous interviews, he wanted to show his fans a entertaining fight and that's why he is up to this challenge to fight a young fighter. I don't think that Shakur can knockout Manny, unless he wanted to go toe to toe then Manny as well could land that one lucky punch.

[cryptomaniac_xxx]

I heard that there was a uproar regarding this fight. There are boxing fans criticizing Shakur for fighting a old Manny Pacquaio. They said that Shakur could be ashamed of himself for choosing to fight Pacquiao.

Instead of his peers like Ryan Garcia, or a Devin Haney fight or even Pitbull Cruz.

I think those fans might be right though, we don't know what Shakur pick Manny instead of some great names within his division. Sure, it's for the biggest paycheck of his career, but we can all argue that Manny is very old and nearing 50 years of age.

[DrBeer]

With all due respect to Manny Pacquiao, a true boxing legend, I’d predict that Shakur Stevenson will win by decision. The fight promises to be a thrilling one!
My thoughts:
1. There’s a big age difference. Manny Pacquiao is a legendary boxer, but his age works against him.
2. Shakur Stevenson’s style - speed, defensive technique, stamina, and tactics - is something the boxing legend will find extremely difficult to overcome!

P.S. Realistically assessing the balance of power and making my prediction, I’ll be very happy if I’m wrong and see Manny Pacquiao emerge as the winner!

[abel1337]

I heard that there was a uproar regarding this fight. There are boxing fans criticizing Shakur for fighting a old Manny Pacquaio. They said that Shakur could be ashamed of himself for choosing to fight Pacquiao.

Instead of his peers like Ryan Garcia, or a Devin Haney fight or even Pitbull Cruz.

I think those fans might be right though, we don't know what Shakur pick Manny instead of some great names within his division. Sure, it's for the biggest paycheck of his career, but we can all argue that Manny is very old and nearing 50 years of age.

If this fights negotiation was locked, I'm sure Shakur would win even if he loses to the fight. Losing to Pacquaio wouldn't affects his over all reputation as a fighter since he is fighting a legend, he also would make big bucks even if he win or lose. Though winning it would be a jackpot, he will earn much more money, increase his reputation and will have a story to tell that he fought and win agains't a legend.

His division peers would chase to fight him if ever he would win agains't pacquaio since his reputation is boosted. Over all, whether a win or not, he is the true winner. I think Pacquaio is just doing it for the money, he still have the skills and the will to fight and I think he will be the winner with this match up.

[Alphakilo]

This is one of those boxing matches you sit on the edge of your seat to watch because both are in their prime as we see from data, peak featherweight/lightweight Pac-Man vs. current lightweight Stevenson.
This is purely a clash of styles with technics that could drag the fight into the final rounds because both fighters are relentless.

Prime Pacquiao is known for his relentless output, speed, and heavy power and that's what the crowd and fans are hoping on to overwhelm Stevenson’s hit-and-don't-get-hit defensive technic.
Perhaps we could see how the relentless intensity from Pacquiao could force Shakur into a corner where decision or a late stoppage would be the judgement of the day.

[lionheart78]

I read some rumors that Shakur is requesting a catchweight at 144 pounds since he believes Manny is a natural 147 pounds and Shakur is currently fighting at 140 pounds. I do not know if this catchweight request is true, but if it is approved, will the advantage goes to Shakur?  I believe Manny's built is good for 140 pounds. I once read that Manny Paquiao is comfortable fighting at 135 -144 lbs.  And if we look at his fight against Dela Hoya and other elite opponents, Manny can easily weigh less than 144 pounds and can easily meet the catchweight.

We all know that Manny is a great boxer, but the one keeping us from confidently saying Manny can win is his age.  After all, all great boxer's achilles heel is being out of their prime and age catching up. I think Shakur will exploit this and will just fight naturally, moving around the ring and taking advantage of his 3cm reach advantage.  We might see lots of jobs for Shakur to keep Manny at bay if ever the fight happens.  But if Manny can keep up with Shakur's speed, that will be a different story.

[Franklyn-wood]

Shakur Stevenson is one of the top pound for pound fighters. Pacquiao is months away from turning 48. You don’t have to be an expert to see where this is heading. Pacquiao is going to lose every single round if this fight goes through. He might even get knocked out. Shakur isn’t the hardest puncher, but he did put a good beating on Teofimo. I honestly don’t see what he has to gain from this.

It's for his fans I guess, it's not about the money for Pacquiao here, but if you look at him, it seems that he is not yet done in this sports and wanted to continue fighting until he doesn't have the love for it.

But for now, and as what he has said in previous interviews, he wanted to show his fans a entertaining fight and that's why he is up to this challenge to fight a young fighter. I don't think that Shakur can knockout Manny, unless he wanted to go toe to toe then Manny as well could land that one lucky punch.

The possibility of guessing this fight is really going to be hard because Pacquiao is an old time boxer with different experience in the boxing arina and Shakur is also is a good ad experienced fighter who have won several belts as a sign that he is good.
Comparing the both of them together is sounds some how, but judging Shakur from the angle of having lots of winning records with other professional boxers he is fit to fight and win Pacquiao but if looking at it as Pacquiao as an old experience boxer, that can give hive more chances.

[coin-investor]

I read some rumors that Shakur is requesting a catchweight at 144 pounds since he believes Manny is a natural 147 pounds and Shakur is currently fighting at 140 pounds. I do not know if this catchweight request is true, but if it is approved, will the advantage goes to Shakur? 

It's not going to happen. Shakur's team just made this announcement, as reported by Dan Rafael of PBC. It's a good decision by the Shakur team, it just shows that they have huge respect for the living legend, they have a lot of opponents that they can call out and they are calling out to Antouanne Russell to face him

Per source, PBC reached out to
@ShakurStevenson
 team and was told they weren’t interested. Certainly possible Shakur was not made aware of that because I know he’s not looking to duck anyone. #boxing

https://x.com/DanRafael1/status/2103891533045088276

[bhadz]

Ouch, Pacquiao being on the undercard of this event might be absolute madness for the boxing community, and this is going to draw a lot of attention in the sports community if it ever happens. But that's a possibility and if the price is right, I think that Manny will just allow it since he's just pure love and of course money in it if he wants to fight.

do you think Manny could pull a miracle if ever this fight will happen mate?

Those fists are still cold and hard as steel.

It's not going to happen. Shakur's team just made this announcement, as reported by Dan Rafael of PBC. It's a good decision by the Shakur team, it just shows that they have huge respect for the living legend, they have a lot of opponents that they can call out and they are calling out to Antouanne Russell to face him

Per source, PBC reached out to
@ShakurStevenson
 team and was told they weren’t interested. Certainly possible Shakur was not made aware of that because I know he’s not looking to duck anyone. #boxing

https://x.com/DanRafael1/status/2103891533045088276

This can still change but, this confirms it I guess.

[FinneysTrueVision]

This is one of those boxing matches you sit on the edge of your seat to watch because both are in their prime as we see from data, peak featherweight/lightweight Pac-Man vs. current lightweight Stevenson.

This is not true at all. Don’t just say things that don’t make any sense to meet your post quota for the week. Pacquiao is about a decade past his prime. He also hasn’t fought at lightweight in 18 years. Shakur isn’t a current lightweight either.

[Darker45]

I'm not really excited to watch this fight. Shakur is in his prime. Manny is old. Although choosing Pacquiao as his next opponent would mean the fight won't be that boring, it won't be that explosive either.

Of course, Shakur is Manny's safer choice though. Facing a fighter as old as him won't be that interesting. Facing one who's in the peak of his career would attract more fans and, of course, money.

However, it seems it's a poor choice on the part of Shakur as far as his current standing is concerned. The decision is obviously merely driven by paycheck and not by sheer desire to eliminate whoever gets in the way.

[coinrifft]

I read some rumors that Shakur is requesting a catchweight at 144 pounds since he believes Manny is a natural 147 pounds and Shakur is currently fighting at 140 pounds. I do not know if this catchweight request is true, but if it is approved, will the advantage goes to Shakur?  I believe Manny's built is good for 140 pounds. I once read that Manny Paquiao is comfortable fighting at 135 -144 lbs.  And if we look at his fight against Dela Hoya and other elite opponents, Manny can easily weigh less than 144 pounds and can easily meet the catchweight.

I also agree that Manny might not be really a natural 147 lbs, as I can remember that coach or his strength and conditioning coach tells us the Manny needs a lot of calories and to eat a lot just to hit 147 lbs.

Maybe as he is older he could easily get to 147 lbs, but I think 144 lbs can be doable for Manny as this point. And we all know that he doesn't back up from this kind of challenge specially going against a younger boxer. He had done this before and won.

[TopTort777]

Glad this fight is not going to happen. Pacman is not getting younger, but his opponent again was younger, and even younger than Pacmans previous opponent (Barrios who was 31). Wtf fight organizers were thinking? They want to make age difference double? When Pacman turns 50, he would fight someone who is top and is 25 yo? I cant believe Pacman is so short in money that he accept such fights. If he wants money, he should do what Mayweather do - make exhibition fights in Asia.

[BluebloodCXVI]

This fight has main card potential so it wouldn’t make sense for it to be put as an undercard for the Fury VS AJ fight; supposing the fight was truly gonna happen which i know it won’t.

I personally don’t think i wanna see the fight happen cos it just seems like an unnecessary matchup in my opinion.
Manny is already old and past his prime, so there’s not really much left for him to prove to anyone ATP.

Shakur on the other hand is still a young fella and i feel like he should be aiming to fight young and talented boxers like himself instead of chasing low risk high pay fights up and down; Ryan Garcia, Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney, these are the fights he should be actively seeking out instead of ducking.

[DanWalker]

Shakur could be ashamed of himself for choosing to fight Pacquiao.

Hmm, even if he wins this fight, he won't get much credit imo. And if he performs poorly in any way then getting roasted is sure thing!

It's for his fans I guess, it's not about the money for Pacquiao here

However tbh ignoring age and test of time just to entertain fans is tremendous threat, it literally NSFW for his health!

With all due respect to Manny Pacquiao, a true boxing legend, I’d predict that Shakur Stevenson will win by decision. The fight promises to be a thrilling one!
My thoughts:
1. There’s a big age difference. Manny Pacquiao is a legendary boxer, but his age works against him.
2. Shakur Stevenson’s style - speed, defensive technique, stamina, and tactics - is something the boxing legend will find extremely difficult to overcome!

Technically speaking I have to move with your prediction.
Shakur's speed and defensive reflexes, along with his positioning as southpaw against southpaw Pacquiao, could be exceptionally awkward matchup for Manny at this age.

Practically saying, Shakur Stevenson is gonna take this match on points.
But if Pacman pulls off any huge upset by landing any nasty left hook on Shakur, then it would be really epic event.

[Questat]

This is going to be hard for Manny to be honest, although I really want him to win as he is my idol but I cannot lie to myself on how good Shakur is..

I'm imagining this like Manny now fighting a young Mayweather, so I would not be delusional again, I think this will be dominated by Shakur
He will run, we know about his style and then he wins by points.

After the fight both are happy no one is injured, big money and they are all good. 

[acroman08]

I cant believe Pacman is so short in money that he accept such fights. If he wants money, he should do what Mayweather do - make exhibition fights in Asia.

To be fair, Pacquiao's estimated net worth is $200M according to the internet. But it wouldn't be surprising if he also wants the money. He also did say that he wants to fight more when he came out of retirement, and Shakur is probably a big challenge for him that's why he accepted the fight. It will also be good for his comeback career if he wins against Shakur(which I doubt, to be honest).

[coin-investor]

It's not going to happen. Shakur's team just made this announcement, as reported by Dan Rafael of PBC.

Per source, PBC reached out to
@ShakurStevenson
 team and was told they weren’t interested. Certainly possible Shakur was not made aware of that because I know he’s not looking to duck anyone. #boxing

https://x.com/DanRafael1/status/2103891533045088276

This can still change but, this confirms it I guess.

There's no announcement from Team Pacquiao, and if the two fighters aren't interested, there's no deal. It's good that Shakur clarifies and shows no interest in Pacquiao should be thinking of hanging up his gloves and just doing exhibition matches; he is still making a lot of money from his investments, so there is no need to risk his health fighting fighters like Shakur.
His time in boxing is due; some of his colleagues have already hung up their gloves, but he can still stay involved in boxing by managing a stable of boxers, one of whom is Pitbull Cruz.
It's time for @Bisdak to lock this thread and only open it if there is an announcement that the fight will happen.