Stephan Shaw had heard the criticism about him in recent years: he’s a talented, experienced heavyweight but he just doesn’t let his hands go enough. His reticence to throw had been a factor in his first defeat, a close but unanimous decision loss to Efe Ajagba in 2023, and a lack of initiative also contributed to his sixth round stoppage loss to Joe Goodall in the fight after that.

Despite winning two straight, Shaw brought all of that baggage with him to the ring on Saturday night in Hanover, Maryland. Facing once-beaten Raphael Akpejiori in a ProBox TV co-main event, Shaw didn’t give anyone the opportunity to disparage his latest performance. 

The 32-year-old from St. Louis, Missouri blitzed his opponent from the opening bell, rocking him with a right hand followed by two hooks, before finishing the fight with a hook-right hand combo. The whole fight lasted 33 seconds, with Akpejiori being deposited onto the ring apron, wondering what had just happened.

Shaw, now 21-2 (16 KOs), said he planned to turn in a performance that would dispel criticisms against him.

“I definitely feel like I made a statement with this fight. He was a big giant, 6’8”, 270-pound guy, he outweighed me by 31 pounds. I showed that I could crack with either hand,” said Shaw.

“I just knew whenever I had him hurt, that I was going to be able to finish him. I feel like I’m one of the best finishers in the game. If I truly get a guy hurt, and I got him hurt early, I just go for it.”

Shaw said that what enabled him to get rid of him early is that Akpejiori, a Nigeria native now based in Miami, had come out aggressively. He feels his victory outshined Akpejiori’s only prior defeat, a second-round knockout loss to Arslanbek Makhmudov back in 2023, because of the technique he employed in order to get the finish.

“I’m a true boxing pugilist, man. It can be a power chess match where I’m shooting power shots but still being crafty. I don’t have to go out there winging shots. I feel like that’s why I looked better than the guy who gave him his first loss. He came out there very aggressive and wild, even though he was throwing bombs and got him up out of there. It was kind of dirty and wild with back of the head shots,” said Shaw.

With the performance, Shaw says he feels he put the disappointment of his back-to-back defeats behind him, and now has his sights set on the future.

“I’ll fight anybody in the top ten. I really want to get a regional belt but I’m in a position where it's about whoever wants to fight me. I’ll fight anybody. I’m looking for big fights. I’ve been around the game for a long time and I feel like I’m in a good spot to where anything that comes my way, it’ll be lucrative,” said Shaw.