New Jersey Hall of Fame Boxer Kendall Holt Speaks Highly of Shakur Stevenson

Newark, New Jersey native boxer, Shakur Stevenson, is quickly becoming one of the biggest names in the sport. Stevenson’s pro career began in 2017, but even before turning pro, he was making a name for himself as an amateur.

In 2014, he won a gold medal in the Youth Boxing Championship as well as a gold medal in the Youth Olympics. After qualifying for the U.S. Olympic team in 2016, Stevenson won a silver medal at the Rio de Janeiro Games in Brazil.

Currently, as a pro at just 22 years old, Stevenson has a record of 13-0 with seven wins by knockout and is the current holder of the WBO featherweight title which he won after defeating Joet Gonzalez last October. Top Rank boxing announced that Stevenson will make his first featherweight world title defense against Miguel Marriaga on March 14, 2020 in The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden and on ESPN.

One former boxer, a Paterson New Jersey native who speaks highly of Shakur Stevenson is Kendall Holt.

“I’ve watched Shakur when he was little, I’ve known him since he was a little kid. Shakur has always been atop his game he is one of those kids that did not want to quit. He came up the hard way, he wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he has a bunch of siblings. I’m sure growing up with a lot of siblings fighting is something that you get accustomed to doing but his fighting style is awesome he fights with a lot of confidence. I’m just happy that I’m still alive to watch him become champion of the world,” Holt said in an interview on the Dansportsnews and Friends Podcast.

Holt is most known for his 60 second fight knockout against Ricardo Torres to win the WBO Junior Welterweight title which he held from 2008-2009. He finished his boxing career with a record of 28-6 with 16 wins coming by knockout. Although he has not fought in seven year’s, a return to the ring should not be counted out just yet for Holt.

“There’s always a chance because I haven’t completely accepted the idea that I’m done. Over the years I still train, go to the gym, and spar although irregularly I’m still there and seem to have the skill that I had a long time ago. I still flirt with the idea but if the right circumstance presented itself then I think I would capitalize on the opportunity to re-enter the ring.”

In 2018 Holt was inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame. Holt stated, “it was an award that I felt great about because it meant that I did something in my career that was successful to earn such a high reward.”