In the breakthrough performance of his young career, Shakur Stevenson became a two-division champion on Saturday in a master class of a performance.
Stevenson (17-0, 9 KOs), a former featherweight champion, was nothing short of sublime in the first half of his 130-pound bout against Jamel Herring. The 24-year-old southpaw went on to score a 10th-round stoppage over the WBO champion that easily goes down as the signature win Stevenson's pro career had lacked after winning a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics.
Visibly more muscular in his upper body, Stevenson relied on his speed to pick Herring apart. Once the 35-year-old veteran found a way to get inside, Stevenson did just as well outmuscling Herring and acting like the bigger fighter.
The more offensive Herring (23-3, 11 KOs) would become, beginning in Round 4, the cleaner Stevenson would counter with power shots.
Stevenson, who would go on to outland Herring by a margin of 164 to 87, according to CompuBox, began to walk Herring down at will by Round 9, splitting his guard with big combos. A cut above Herring's eye only began to get worse from there, causing referee Mark Nelson to pause the fight in Round 10 for the ringside doctor to take a look.
Nelson kept a short leash from there as Stevenson stepped on the gas and flurried along the ropes forcing the referee to stop the action despite Herring still being on his feet. The fight was ruled a TKO at 1:30 of Round 10.
