“Worst a** whopping I ever had” - Shakur Stevenson recalls sparring with Terence Crawford 

Unified Super Featherweight Champion Shakur Stevenson took a trip down memory lane and made public one of his most unforgettable sparring sessions ever.

Speaking at Brian Custer’s Last Stand Podcast, the now 25-year-old revealed how he took a beating from his mentor and good friend Terrence Crawford. He narrated that, when he was just 17 years old, he challenged ‘Bud’ in a sparring session and got a taste of what he called the “worst a** whooping” he ever had.

The WBC, WBO, and The Ring champion shared that sparring made him realize that he’s not the best in the sport. Nonetheless, those few rounds sparked a special connection between the boxers that today more closely resembles a brotherhood. Steven told the podcast:

“So I’m on my way to the gym and I pull up on him. I pull up on him and he’s about to spar. So I’m like, ‘you going to give me some rounds?’ I’m talking so crazy, and this is one of the one times that I had to actually learn that I’m not the best.”

He went on to say:

“He gets in the ring and this dude got there and was beating me up. We only sparred two or three rounds, and it was four-minute rounds. This dude beat me up so bad. I swear to God, that was the worst a** whopping that I ever had as a fighter, and I couldn’t believe it. I went home that day, and I could not believe what happened because it doesn’t happen to me. I was a kid. I used to spar with pros, I used to beat up on pros all the time.”

Stevenson and Crawford have trained together and traveled together since they crossed paths nearly a decade ago. They’re a big brother-little brother, mentor-mentee duo that are successfully navigating the world of boxing.

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Shakur Stevenson sees Terrence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. going to war

Terrence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr., both kings of the welterweight division, are set to face off in the most highly-anticipated matchup in modern day boxing, and Shakur Stevenson sees both fighters going to war. On the podcast interview with Brian Custer, he said:

“I feel like it’s dog vs. dog. Both of those dudes are mentally strong, and they’ve both got the killer instincts in them and they’re both willing to go to war. We might see a war and they both got boxing skills too.”

But when pressed on who he will be rooting for come fight night, Stevenson said he will definitely be standing behind ‘Bud’, who he referred to as his brother.

“Bud’s my brother, I love my brother. I’m always gonna stick to my brother regardless. Earl’s been good to me too but at the end of the day, Bud is something who’s been with me, hands on, everyday. So I’m gonna stand with my brother at the end of the day.”

Watch Shakur Stevenson's interview with Brian Custer: