IBF #7 super middleweight contender Curtis Stevens offers an honest perspective of how he envisions the Pacquiao-Mayweather clash of titans playing out.
“I love Mayweather, I’m a big fan of Mayweather, I don’t want him to lose but I think Pacquiao is just a little too fast, too awkward for him,” says 25-year-old Stevens who hails from Brownsville, Brooklyn. “And he’s a southpaw too, that fights for 12 rounds – strong too. I think Mayweather will have trouble with Pacquiao.”
(Top 10 contender: Curtis Stevens of Brownsville, Brooklyn)
Stevens believes Pacquiao should be the betting favorite. “I think Pacquiao, right now, is the favorite. Mayweather don’t want to fight him now. He already agreed to the stipulations – Mayweather doesn’t want to do it now.”
Which leads to the obvious question. Does Stevens think Mayweather could be scared? “I believe Mayweather wants him to lose first, then fight him,” Stevens reveals.
When asked who Stevens thinks has the best chance to conquer Pacquiao now, he answers, “Mayweather is probably the best chance. Other than that – no one.”
When the name Paul Williams is mentioned as a candidate to beat Pacquiao, the 5-ft, 8-in. tall Stevens, no stranger to height disadvantagess says, “That would be a stupid fight. Too tall.”
Stevens, 21-3 with 15 KOs, lost an IBF 168-pound Eliminator in January on points to Jesse Brinkley in Reno, Nevada, but remains determined to accomplish his boxing goal. “I lost to Brinkley, so I have to pick myself up like a man and keep working hard. I want to be undisputed champ of the world. I want to get back in the mix and be back where I belong at.”
(Note: Later this week, we will present Curtis Steven’s exclusive analysis of the top guns of the Super Middleweight division and who he sees emerging as the Super Six tournament victor.)