Shakur Stevenson Is America’s Next Boxing Star
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With a population hovering around 300,000, Newark is the largest city in New Jersey. Amiri Baraka, Whitney Houston Shaquille O’Neal, Queen Latifah, Redman, Allen Ginsberg, and Marvelous Marvin Hagler are just a few of the legendary figures that call Brick City their birthplace. However, Newark is seldom mentioned when talking athletics or the arts, rather, it’s more known for car thefts (see: 1995’s New Jersey Drive,) gang violence, and illegal drug transactions. 18-year-old boxing phenom Shakur Stevenson is attempting to change that narrative like those that came before him. Named after polarizing artist Tupac Shakur, he’s on his way to Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Summer Olympics after dominating almost every youth tournament he’s been in. His grandfather Willie Moses has been his trainer every step of the way. “Shakur displayed exemplary skills when he was a young child,” he says. “I took him to the little league baseball field when he was a kid, and the first time I put a bat in his hand—I think he was about three years old—I threw a ball to him and he hit it the first time.”
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