Chris Colbert says he’s willing to kill Shakur Stevenson to win if they fought

Chris Colbert doesn’t care who’s in front of him in the boxing ring. The only thing on his mind is winning by any means necessary. 

Boxers are often complicated people with an eclectic mixture of sides to their personalities. Some tend to gravitate more towards one end of the spectrum than the other, but Chris Colbert is a bit of a rattlesnake in that respect. It’s hard to pin him down.

Regardless of the vibe he’s giving out, one thing that remains consistent about Colbert is his straightforwardness. Colbert will tell you exactly what he’s thinking with no subterfuge. He doesn’t pull his punches.

Originally, Colbert was supposed to challenge WBA super featherweight champion Roger Gutierrez for his title, but COVID forced Gutierrez out of the bout. When presented with that news, Colbert’s reaction was hot, but he has softened his stance after having some time to contemplate matters.

“To be honest, my initial reaction was he was lying,” Colbert told FanSided. “But who am I to say he’s lying? He could really be battling COVID and really battling it bad. So my prayers go out to him and his team. They said they all have COVID. Our prayers go out to him and his team.”

Colbert was angry and thought Gutierrez was ducking him, but then showed empathy by considering Gutierrez and his team’s health. Those are two very opposite reactions, but Colbert showed some rationality.

That doesn’t mean that he would show Gutierrez any mercy if they fight soon.

“I mean, that’s the original plan regardless,” Colbert said. “I’m going to handle this job. I’m going to the next job come that day, probably like May/June, we going to handle him [Gutierrez] after. He’s going to get that a** beat too. I’m going to lay him across my lap like my son.”

As stated before, Colbert says what’s on his mind and is usually unfiltered. He showed respect to Gutierrez one minute, but when it comes to the business of boxing, Colbert doesn’t have much compassion for his opponent. That point became crystal clear.

Chris Colbert fights Hector Garcia on Saturday, Feb. 26 on Showtime, but he has big super featherweight plans for the near future

Hector Garcia takes Gutierrez’s place against Colbert on Saturday, Feb. 26, it what is now a WBA title eliminator. Garcia is undefeated, but the odds are stacked against him. The winner gets first dibs at Gutierrez. Colbert assumes without a doubt that his spot against Gutierrez is secure.

If Colbert beats Garcia and then Gutierrez, as many think he will, who would he fight next? What if he had to fight WBO champion Shakur Stevenson?

Stevenson meets WBC champion Oscar Valdez on April 30. Stevenson will become the most sought-after opponent in the super featherweight division if he wins and becomes a unified champion.

Colbert is from Brooklyn, New York, and is very familiar with the top boxers from around that area. He grew up with many of them, like Richardson Hitchins. Hitchins once described his friendship with Colbert to FanSided. In that same interview, Hitchins also talked about his time in Gervonta Davis’s training camp with Stevenson, who is from Newark, New Jersey.

Despite being connected through six degrees of separation, that doesn’t mean that Colbert and Stevenson have much of a relationship. In truth, Colbert doesn’t count many boxers he knows as friends.

“Hell no,” Colbert said when asked if he would be hesitant to fight Stevenson. “I ain’t no friends in this game. I don’t got no friends in this game. They all my associates. None of them is my real friends. Only one of my real friends is Tony Harrison, Danny Garcia, Erickson Lubin.”

Hitchins might be upset to hear that he didn’t make Colbert’s friends list.

Colbert added, “Business is business. I got business to handle. If me and Shakur step into the ring, that’s what I’m going to do.”

Handling business is one thing, but how far Colbert is willing to go for victory will raise some eyebrows.

When discussing a possible matchup with Stevenson, Colbert said, “At the end of the day, it’s just going to be who bring they best that day, who come with the most dog that day, who’s really willing to go that extra mile to get his W. And I know I’m willing to go any mile. I’m willing to go to jail if I have to. If I got to kill him in the ring to win, I’ll kill him in the ring and then go to jail and do the time right after.”

Many will find that statement grotesque and distasteful, and maybe rightfully so, but Colbert attempted to qualify his violent reaction and mentality.

“I don’t really count this to be a sport because sports you play,” Colbert said. “You don’t play this. It’s gladiators. We both true gladiators, and we in there fighting for our lives, so may the best person win that day.”

Colbert’s remarks mirror the multiple times that Deontay Wilder said that he wanted a body on his record. From Wilder’s perspective, he needs to have a killer’s mentality to succeed in the ring. Colbert didn’t necessarily express a desire to kill but explicitly stated his willingness if it meant winning.

Not long after saying these words, Colbert also talked about his love for his three-year-old son.

“I didn’t have a father figure in my life at this age, at the age that he is,” Colbert said. ” o be there for my son is like dope and like him knowing what daddy is when he watches dad on TV, it’s like that’s me. I did that.”

Colbert credits his desire to be successful to his duty as a father. However, his philosophy in the ring is somber and grim. He may have an angel on one shoulder while at home as a father, but there’s a hellion on the other when boxing. Both parts make up Colbert as a person, but we’re usually more on than the other.