Shakur Stevenson hits an underhand shot on Jaron “Boots” Ennis

Shakur Stevenson apparently took a secret shot at Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis on social media, saying he didn’t need to. “No control” Or he’s “fighting to get comfortable at weight” to make him ready to move up to 140 to challenge Teofimo Lopez for the WBO title in early 2026.

(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)

A shot in the “shoes” trend.

Newark, New Jersey’s Stevenson (24-0, 11 KO) wanted to show off his guts to his followers on X, and chose to do so by alluding to the difference between himself and “Boots” Ennis. By bragging about how he fought WBO 140-pound champion Teofimo in his first fight in the weight class, Stevenson is putting himself above Ennis in the guts department.

In contrast to Shakur, Ennis didn’t want to jump straight into a risky fight at 154 in his debut in the division, opting to fight fringe contender Uisma Lima last Saturday.

Ennis knocked Lima out of the water, eliminating him in 58 seconds of the first round at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. Coming into the fight, “Boots” received criticism from fans for taking an unknown fighter in what was seen as a mismatch to get his feet wet in the division before moving on to tougher opponents.

Fans wanted to see Ennis immediately fight Virgil Ortiz Jr., Bakhram Murtazaliev, or Sebastian Fundora in his first fight in the 154-pound weight class instead of hand-picking a soft opponent for a tune-up.

“I’m going to beat the 140 year old guy, get the Ring Magazine belt and laugh at everyone who doubted 🦾 No adjustments, no battles to get comfortable with the weight, Just big balls and big dreams!! Shakur Stevenson said XHe talks about his fight against Teofimo Lopez in early 2026.

Earlier in 2025, “Boots” was repeatedly criticized by fans for choosing a cautious approach by turning down fights against Virgil Jr., Teofimo Lopez, and Devin Haney. These bouts could have increased his popularity even more than his fight against WBA welterweight champion Imantas Stanionnis earlier this year on April 12.

Shakur, 28, is a close friend of Terence Crawford and is his older brother or mentor. He modeled much of his fighting style on Crawford, using the move the Nebraska native used during his long 17-year career.

Crawford moved up from No. 147 to No. 154 and defeated WBA middleweight champion Israel Madrimov by 12-round unanimous decision in his first fight in the weight class on May 3, 2024. It is true that 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 couldn’t afford to take Ennis’s slow approach. He will age if he makes adjustments.

Daring to lecture “Shoes”

What Stevenson doesn’t say is that his resume has been padded since he moved to the 135-pound division in 2023. He didn’t fight killers in the lightweight division, choosing to fight these beatable fighters:

• Josh Baddeley
• Artem Harutyunyan
• Shoichiro Yoshino

There is talk of Ennis and Crawford fighting in 2026 if Turki Al-Sheikh is involved. It’s the biggest fight available for both fighters, given Crawford has already turned down a bout against David Benavidez.

Shakur, who criticized “Boots” Ennis with his “no edit” comment, won’t make the 38-year-old Crawford’s job any easier if he agrees to fight him in 2026. If he can’t handle the young lion, he’ll be torn to shreds.