Why Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson Are 2 Reasons Boxing Star Shakur Stevenson Is Signing With Reebok

Peter Verry
·5 min read
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For his next fight, boxing superstar Shakur Stevenson will face Edwin De Los Santos on Nov. 16. And when he steps into the ring, the undefeated fighter will have Reebok on his feet.

The athletic brand announced today that it has added Stevenson, who is 20-0 in the ring, to its growing athlete roster.

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“I think we’re great for each other,” Stevenson told FN. “They believe in me the same way I believe in myself, and I think that with them behind me, we’re going to be unstoppable. I’m going to lift up the brand and bring the brand a lot of eyes from the sport. It’s going to be an amazing partnership.”

Starting this month, Reebok said it will work with Stevenson to drive hype ahead of his Nov. 16 fight for the vacant WBC lightweight title, and both the brand and the athlete will join forces to tell stories “that inspire others to fight for what’s theirs.” Also, Reebok said the boxer will bring “awareness and validation” to its lifestyle and performance product stories through the end of 2023. This includes a special product collection of footwear, apparel and accessories for the gym, home and more on Reebok.com titled “Move Like Shakur,” which was curated by Stevenson himself.

What’s more, Reebok made exclusive boxing boots for Stevenson for his training camp, a mid-cut prototype design of the classic Boxing Boot High worn by several icons of the sport in the 2000s. The custom model for Stevenson is built with a low stack height for ground feel and includes breathable ballistic mesh uppers, microsuede toe caps and overlays, ankle straps, heat-molded heel counters, grippy herringbone gum outsoles and more. Also, the look features Stevenson’s “SS” logo embroidered on the heel and Reebok logos on medial and lateral sides.

Shakur Stevenson, Reebok, Boxing
Shakur Stevenson’s custom Reebok boxing boots.Courtesy of Reebok

Reebok also confirmed it has created “a compelling colorway” of the boxing boot that will be unveiled ahead of his Nov. 16 fight. “My shoe color is a lot different than what I’m normally wearing,” Stevenson said of his fight night shoe, while remaining quiet on all other details.

Reebok’s history in boxing made a partnership with the brand compelling, Stevenson told FN. He said he was influenced in his early fighting days by seeing two of the sport’s greatest fighters ever, Andre Ward and Floyd Mayweather, wearing the brand’s boots in the ring.

However, two longtime Reebok athletes in another sport were particularly influential in making a deal happen: Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson. O’Neal, who was named president of Reebok Basketball in October, is a Newark, N.J. native like Stevenson. And Iverson, the newly-appointed VP Reebok Basketball, went to Bethel High School in Hampton, Va., which is the same school Stevenson attended.

“Shaq and AI were pulling strings behind the scenes. I’m really cool and close with Shaq. I’ve known Shaq for a minute. We’ve got a great relationship and I know that he believes in me. And him being from Newark, I definitely know he’s got a lot to do with this,” Stevenson said. “And I never met AI, but I’ve always been the biggest fan. I love how he set trends, I enjoy watching him set his own trends and be himself throughout his whole career. I love watching his interviews when he’s talking about practice. I’m a big fan of AI.”

Stevenson admitted his love of the brand began while at Bethel, where everyone wore the Reebok Question, which is the first signature shoe of Iverson. Although he said he doesn’t have a favorite Question colorway, Stevenson said he is particularly fond of the brand’s recent collaboration on the silhouette with Puerto Rican rapper and singer Anuel AA.

Reebok, Shakur Stevenson, boxing
Reebok’s newest athlete ambassador, Shakur Stevenson. Courtesy of Reebok

Although the partnership will take place in 2023, Stevenson said there is a possibility to extend through 2024, where he would appear in Reebok’s key product campaigns.

“I would definitely like a partnership with them long term,” Stevenson said. “I would like them to get behind me and we could come up with my own shoes — regular shoes, boxing shoes. And put together some nice gear, a bunch of different things. I’ve got a lot of ideas and I know they got a lot out ideas, too. Hopefully we can definitely make it a long-term deal.”

While speaking about the Reebok deal, Stevenson also offered a prediction for his Nov. 16 fight against De Los Santos at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“My prediction is I’m coming out victorious, for sure,” Stevenson said. “I don’t go in there looking for a knockout, I don’t try to predict knock outs, but if it comes, it comes. I’m just going in there and my main focus to make sure I come up victorious.”

As for 2024 in the ring, Stevenson said he’d like to stay active. “I would love to be in the ring three times, and I want to fight the best,” he said. “I want to fight the best fighters in the sport — Gervonta Davis, Vasiliy Lomachenko. The big fights.”

Reebok is once again fighting for dominance in sport, and Stevenson is the latest star athlete to sign with the brand in 2023. Aside from the boxing superstar, Reebok has recently added NFL quarterback Justin Fields and and women’s college basketball champion Angel Reese to its athlete roster.


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