Oscar Valdez never had a chance against Stevenson in their fight for the super featherweight WBC and WBO titles on Saturday before a lively, often noisy, crowd of 10,102 at the MGM Grand Garden. Stevenson won a unanimous decision with a score of 118-109 twice and 117-110 which was even easier for him than the wide sheets would show. He threw Valdez into the sixth and managed to neutralize Valdez’s despised power. Valdez entered the match 30-0 with 23 knockouts, but rarely hit Stevenson with anything. “He’s a great fighter,” Valdez said of Stevenson. “His speed is there. The power is there. He was just the best fighter tonight. “In general, a great fighter.” Stevenson kept a punch in Valdez’s face from the first moment. He did not “run”, as many in Valdez’s camp had mockingly predicted he would do. Instead, he booked nicely, controlling the range, hitting Valdez almost with what he threw and composing the kind of masterpiece that few in the sport can write. Stevenson tied with an astonishing 53 percent of his powerful shots and kept Valdez at 29 percent. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 30: Shakur Stevenson (L) and Oscar Valdez (R) exchange fists during the WBC and WBO Junior Lightweight Championships at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 30, 2022 in Las Vegas, New Vegas. (Photo by Mikey Williams / Top Rank Inc via Getty Images) His manager, James Prince, previously led Floyd Mayweather and Andre Ward, two fighters who finished undefeated and will be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in June. There are many Mayweather and Ward in Stevenson. It is not yet at their level, but it is only 24 years old and neither Mayweather nor Ward was almost a finished product at that age. But Prince has seen a lot of great fighters in his 20s and more in boxing and he knows Stevenson is going to be on that list. “Heaven is the limit,” Prince said of Stevenson. “Whoever is in front of him will have a problem.” The story goes on Stevenson’s biggest topic on Saturday was the post-match press conference. He started without his belts and had to ask someone from his team to hand them over to him. He then shouted at the crowd on the side to calm down so he could hear the questions. Then, in a strange scene, there was a riot on the left side of the corridor. Stevenson’s mother tried to enter the press conference and security did not allow her to enter the room. Stevenson was answering a question when he turned to his left, stared at the door and listened for several seconds, then hurried out of the stage and out the door of the ballroom where the press conference was being held. A fight ensued in the corridor of the casino outside the ballroom, and Stevenson was in the middle of it trying to get his family out of it. Prince told Yahoo Sports in a message that Stevenson and his mother were fine. A MGM Grand spokesman said he was trying to gather more information and was reluctant to comment until he did. For the most part, the night he became the sole champion, he answered only a few questions before leaving abruptly. He lost his moment in the sun because of it, although he was brilliant enough in the ring in front of a national audience on ESPN that his words in a press conference will not be missed. Shakur Stevenson, center, celebrates after defeating Oscar Valdez during a WBC-WBO junior lightweight boxing match on Saturday, April 30, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo / John Locher) Stevenson was glamorous when he arrived at the press conference because he knew he had presented the performance of his life at its greatest. The crowd in favor of Valdez, which was so exuberant before and during the first stages of the match, was largely closed. “It was an incredible crowd and they saw an incredible performance from a great fighter,” said Top Rank president Todd duBoef, who said he was not sure what would follow for Stevenson. On the undercard, silver medalist Keyshawn Davis impressed stopped Esteban Sanchez in sixth. He was in awe of what Stevenson had done. “Shakur has come a long way, man,” said Davis, who could be the next big boxing superstar. “Shakur won almost every round and the Oscar practically never touched him.” It will take a complete fighter, one who has the speed and ability to cut the ring, to give Stevenson a great fight. He is already one of the best fighters in the world and he is just constantly improving. “Just so, so impressive,” supporter Bob Arum said of Stevenson. “Unbelievable, really.” The same could be said for the scene that forced Stevenson to leave the press conference. But even that could not diminish the brilliant night for the most unified champion from Newark, New Jersey.
