Shakur Stevenson takes subtle shot on Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis

It seems that Shakur Stevenson is taking a secret shot at Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis on social media and said he doesn’t need it “No tune-ups” Or ‘fight to get comfortable with a weight’ to get him ready for a move to 140 to challenge Theofimo Lopez in early 2026 for his WBO title.

(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)

A shot in ‘Boots’ direction

Newark, New Jersey native Stevenson (24-0, 11 COs), wanted to boast about his bravery to his followers on X, and preferred to do so by expressing the difference between him and “Boots” Ennis. By boasting how he is fighting against the WBO champion Theofimo in his first fight in the weight class, Stevenson positions himself above Ennis in the Department of Courage.

Unlike Shakur, Ennis did not want to jump straight into a risky battle in his debut, and preferred to fight against contender Ugma Lima this past Saturday.

Ennis blew Lima out of the water and knocked out in 58 seconds of the first round in the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. In the fight, “Boots” received criticism from fans for taking an unknown fighter in what was considered a mismatch to water his feet in the division before moving to stricter opponents.

Fans wanted to see Ennis immediately against Vergil Ortiz Jr., Bakhram Murtazaliev, or Sebastian Fundora, in his first fight in the 154 -pound weight class, fights to choose a soft opponent by hand to take a setup.

“I’m going to beat the man at 140, get the ring magazine belt and laugh at anyone who doubts 🦾 No tune-ups, no fighting to get comfortable about the weight, Just big balls and big dreams !! ”Shakur Stevenson said Xand talked about his fight against Theofimo Lopez in early 2026.

Earlier in 2025, ‘Boots’ was regularly criticized by fans for choosing a cautious approach by fighting fights for Vergil Jr., Theofimo Lopez and Devin Haney. That match would have increased its popularity more than his fight against WBA Welterweight Champion Eimantas Stanionis earlier this year on April 12.

Shakur, 28, is close friends with Terence Crawford, who is a big brother or mentor to him. He formed a large part of his fighting style after Crawford using the movement used by the Nebraska native during his long 17-year career.

Crawford moved up from 147 to 154 and defeated WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov with a close unanimous 12-round decision in his first fight in the weight class on May 3, 2024. The victory was very doubtful, but he showed the courage to jump straight into a difficult fight. The difference is that Crawford was 36 and could not afford to approach the slow approach what Ennis is doing. He will age if he takes tune-ups.

The nerve to quit ‘boots’

What Stevenson does not say is that his resume has been stuffed since he moved to the 135-pound division in 2023. He did not fight the murderers in the lightweight division and chose to fight against these beatable fighters:

• Josh Padley
• Artem Harutyunyan
• Shuichiro Yoshino

There is talk of Ennis and Crawford engaged as Turki Alalshikh in 2026. This is the biggest fight available to both fighters, as Crawford has already rejected a match against David Banavidez.

Shakur, who takes a subtle digging at ‘Boots’ Ennis with his ‘No Tune-Up’ remark, is not going to make 38-year-old Crawford’s work easier if he does agree to fight him in 2026. If he cannot handle the young lion, he will be torn to pieces.