DETERMINED to forge his own identity apart from his cousin, WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson, 19-year-old Zaquin Moses believes he can surpass the three-division titleholder’s success.
“He a person that want me to be better than him,” Moses said, a confidence Stevenson himself encourages.
Both boxers fight under the Matchroom banner, with Stevenson guiding Moses from his amateur roots to their shared professional journey. Last night, Moses moved to 3-0 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, outclassing Michael Ruiz over four rounds. All three judges scored the super-featherweight southpaw’s performance a 40-36 shutout.
After the fight, Moses spoke to Boxing News about Stevenson’s lifelong influence.
“He been teaching me everything about the pro game not just recently but my whole life. I’ve been around Shakur since I was a kid, a baby.
“Only time I wasn’t around Shakur was when he went overseas when he fought overseas and he moved for a couple of years but other than that I’ve been around Shakur my whole life and I’ve been watching everything he do. I appreciate him for that, I appreciate him for everything. He might not know that. He’s a real good dude, a real good person and I love him to death and I love being around him.”
Despite their close bond, Moses is focused on standing alone. “I’m my own man. My name’s Zaquin Moses. A lot of people should really look at that. I’m Zaquin Moses. I love what I do.”
Moses feels no pressure to match Stevenson’s accomplishments. “He a person that want me to be better than him,” he added. “He a person that want me to do way more than he doing in the sport of boxing. So, as long as I keep doing what I doing I feel like I will be better than him and he gonna be so proud of me.”
