Shakur Stevenson’s free agency is one of boxing’s hot topics, with previous promoters Top Rank, Matchroom Boxing and Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions all thought to be in the running for the Newark star’s signature.
Top Rank have promoted Stevenson throughout his career, while Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn has declared his interest and former world champion Paulie Malignaggi felt De La Hoya is in with a shot at landing Stevenson.
“Of course, Oscar is going to put on his promoter’s hat and try and sign the best fighters out there, and any promoter, when one of the top fighters in the sport is a free agent, is going to look to make his play,” Malignaggi told ProBox TV. “Oscar’s looking to stake his claim.”
A fight between Stevenson and Golden Boy’s leading lightweight contender William Zepeda has been discussed at times through the last 12 months, but Malignaggi asks what that means for Zepeda. Would Golden Boy be using Zepeda’s reputation to build Stevenson’s? Would they be as invested in bringing Zepeda back from a loss?
“He’s offering Zepeda, ‘Hey, you want big fights, I’ve got Zepeda’,” Malignaggi explained, “the only problem is this; first of all, Zepeda’s not a world champion. He’s still an ascending, growing name. I think he’s gonna be a fun fighter to watch for years to come.”
Also, for the New York star, Malignaggi believes the contest most want to see is not Stevenson-Zepeda, but Stevenson against Gervonta Davis.
“I think Gervonta wants the biggest fights possible. I think at this point, he’s coming into his prime,” Malignaggi added. “I think Shakur wants the biggest fights possible. He’s been wanting it for a while, I think this fight could get made soon. Let’s see if Shakur is able to acquire a big contract with a big promoter and get himself an important fight. In the meantime, we’ll probably see Gervonta Davis and [Vasiliy] Lomachenko and see how Gervonta looks there, because even an aging Lomachenko could be the most difficult opponent of Gervonta Davis’ career.”
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