Newark honors hometown hero and Olympic boxing silver medalist, Shakur Stevenson, with a parade and Key to the City.
Stevenson was recognized for his performance in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in the bantamweight division.
The parade took place last week and started at Military Park and proceeded down Broad Street to City Hall. The parade featured youth groups, the Central High School Marching Band and the South Ward-based International Youth Organization, which has a boxing program. R&B singer Tank sang the National Anthem.
“I am so proud to have my own parade and receive a key to the City of Newark,” said Stevenson. “Making my family and hometown proud has always been the most important thing to me, and it’s an honor to share my Olympic medal with everyone in Newark. I’m just a kid from Newark who chased his dream and proved that no matter where you come from, you can become anything you want to be if you work hard for it.”
The oldest of nine siblings, Stevenson took up boxing at age 5 under his grandfather, Wali Moses, gaining a 23-0 record on the international bantamweight level. Stevenson won the 2014 AIBA Youth World Championships, the 2014 Youth Olympic Games and the 2015 Senior US Olympic Trials. He was the only U.S. male boxer to gain a silver medal in the Olympics, losing in the Gold Medal Match to Cuba’s Robeisy Ramirez on points.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, members of the Newark Municipal Council, U.S. Representative Donald M. Payne Jr., State Senator Teresa Ruiz, Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker and New Jersey Boxing Commissioner Larry Hazzard honored Stevenson and his family, who were in attendance. Baraka declared the day “Shakur Stevenson Day.”
“We are honored today to recognize a young man of talent, dedication, energy, and sportsmanship, who represented the absolute best of the City of Newark on the international stage, and is an Olympic champion here for our time and all time,” Baraka said. “His achievements add new pages of glory to Newark’s sporting history alongside those of Marvin Hagler, Shaquille O’Neal and Peter Westbrook. He is our Olympic Champion.”
