Hearn Confirms Interest in Shakur Stevenson, But Can He Bring Superstardom?

Promoter Eddie Hearn has confirmed that he is interested in signing Shakur Stevenson to his Matchroom company after Shakur defends his WBC lightweight title on July 6.

This partnership with Hearn may not be a viable option for Shakur, and it could be a disaster for Matchroom unless they can sign him for a lower price. Shakur is likely to want a hefty contract if it’s a long-term deal, and it’s doubtful that he’ll pay Matchroom if his fights fail to generate revenue.

Hearn feels that Shakur has been promoted “hard” and that he should be a “big star” in the US at this point in his seven-year professional career. However, he was short on details about whether he will match up with Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs) to turn him into a star when he enters Matchroom.

Hearn’s 140-pound Roster Offers Limited Options

Most of the fighters Hearn has signed with Matchroom around Shakur’s weight class compete at 140. The only guy Hearn has at 135 is Cuba. Andy Cruz, and he’s not a big name. Cruz is a dangerous fight for Shakur because he has a similar defensive style and excellent hand speed.

It’s unlikely that Shakur has any plans to fight Andy Cruz. Shakur is looking for pay-per-view fights with Tank Davis, Ryan Garcia, Teofimo Lopez, Vasily Lomachenko, and Devin Haney. If he signs with Hearn’s Matchroom, he won’t be happy if he fights Andy Cruz or the 140 fighters, which aren’t popular.

Hearn’s fighters at 140:

Jack Catterall
Liam Paro
Subriel Matias
Richardson Hitchins

Hearn says he feels a fight between Shakur and WBA lightweight champion Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis is the one that should come up, but his ability to make that fight depends on the PBC and Tank’s interest in doing it.

So far, they have shown no desire to match Tank with Shakur. Whether or not that changes remains to be seen. It’s a fight that could ruin Shakur’s name, as it is, if he runs on Tank for 12 rounds and then gets pulled out of the joint like he did against Edwin De Los Santos.

Losing a fight like this would permanently damage Shaku’s reputation, as he has been heavily criticized for his non-stop streak in his fights with Edwin De Los Santos, Jeremiah Nakathilia, Oscar Valdez, Joet Gonzalez, no. Robson Conceição.

Dream Fight: Stevenson vs. Tank Davis

“For me, the battle I will do is Tank vs. Shakur Stevenson. I believe this is his [Shakur] the final battle with Top Rank. There has been a bit of controversy on social media,” said Eddie Hearn to the media about wanting to sign Shakur Stevenson, the WBC lightweight champion, to his Matchroom Boxing company.

Shakur must change his style to become a fighter for his 6-round defense against Artem Harutyunyan at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Shakur should look at this fight as an interview for Hearn’s Matchroom.

If Shakur puts himself in the line of fire for every fight and is willing to take punches, he might get a gig with Hearn. But if he runs, as he tends to do, Hearn may pass on signing him and get stuck in this lemon.

“I think Shakur Stevenson is already top five pound-for-pound; he might be the best fighter in the world, and I think he’s been promoted badly. No one knows who he is, and a man of that nature, starting over, and that talent should be a big star in America. “

Shakur is not a pound-for-pound fighter because he doesn’t engage with his opponents, which is necessary to make that list. Fighters who use a safety-first style rarely make the pound-for-pound list because they aren’t famous and don’t prove they can fight.

Building a US Powerhouse

“We have Bam Rodriguez and Jaron Ennis. “If we can sign Shakur Stevenson to our roster, we’re doing something great for America,” said Hearn.

It would look good on paper if Hearn signed Shakur, but unless he could get a fight with Tank Davis, he would wither away and be stuck fighting a no-name fight or, worse, be forced to move up to 140, where he has no strength. .