It should be the right thing to do because he can't relax against a knockout artist. As usual, it's expected that he will use his quickness to tire De Los Santos. Eventually, De Los Santos will be frustrated if he cannot land clean shots on Shakur.
Most KO artists rely so much on their power, but when they face a boxer who knows how to use their quickness and has a high IQ in the ring, they struggle, just like Mayweather did against his opponents. Since Shakur is a big fan of Mayweather, we will likely see a fight that focuses more on technical movements rather than being a brawl.
Also, it seems like Shakur's chin is not weak. But we'll see if this division's power punchers can finally shake Shakur. I didn't know Shakur idolized Floyd but it's possible since they are both technical fighters. One thing is sure, Shakur hurt Floyd's feelings after personally attending the Olympics. Floyd was there to support him and at the same time trying to personally convince him to sign with Mayweather Promotions but the kid went with Top Rank.
This might be too early for De Los Santos' career. He is already used to fighting against fellow prospects but never this level of opposition. Shakur will fight smart in the early rounds until he measures his distance and reach. De Los Santos who is not used to fighting long rounds will tire out and gets stopped.
^ So you think Shakur is going to win the fight? I am not trying to say this in any kind of patronizing way. I am just honestly asking. Because I actually thought that his opponent De Los Santos had a chance to win this fight. I know Shakur is actually the better fighter going into this fight. I am not going to debate with anyone about that. Because that is definitely the truth. But at the same time, I do not think that this fight is going to be one-sided or anything like that. Because I think in this fight, de Los Santos is actually going to try to conserve his energy and only go aggressive when he surely has a chance of landing clean shots.
I understand your point, but you have to look not on Shakur but his opponents. Have you heard of De Los Santos name though before this fight? I will honestly say that I never heard his name prior to this fight. And although he has a good record and we can't take that away from him. But as we have said, Shakur talent is above the rest of this division, he is not a champion yet, but it seems that the division has been shaken when Shakur goes up in weight class. Devin Haney became a champion in recess? LOL, goes up at 140 lbs and avoid Stevenson at all cost. And then supposedly Frank Martin, the next hype at this weight class suddenly back up on his words and doesn't want any of Shakur. And the other champion in WBA in Gervonta Davis, is quiet, we don't even hear Davis talking about Shakur to be his next opponent, or even mentioning Stevenson's name in his interviews.
And let's not forget when Kambosos and Lomachenko also said no to Shakur. Although I can understand Loma's point. The guy is likely to retire anytime soon and his dream of becoming undisputed is near to becoming impossible since Haney is expected to vacate all 4 belts which also means he needs to fight the champions 1 by 1 and consider the struggle to negotiate fighters that are signed outside of ESPN. A rematch is also unlikely after Haney barely escaped after getting saved by the judges. So he might as well just take the biggest money fight available before retiring.
https://www.oddschecker.com/us/boxing-mma/boxing/shakur-stevenson-v-edwin-de-los-santos
Shakur Stevenson -800
Edwin De Los Santos +475
True. And betting odds aren't the same with celebrities and the media that can talk and analyze but without something at risk. And also it is very hard to stop being an aggressor against Shakur in order to conserve energy. De Los Santos has to train hard and be ready to be the aggressor for the whole 12 rounds. You don't wait because Shakur is too smart for that. And you don't let Shakur become the hunter because of his quick hand speed and footwork. Shakur will win by KO/TKO if De Los Santos allows Shakur to become the aggressor. De Los Santos has to show Shakur that he is there to knock him out from round 1 to 12. He needs to make Shakur retreat and mentally impose that he is the aggressor because he carries the harder punch.