Promoter Eddie Hearn slammed Oscar De La Hoya on Friday, saying he won’t allow Shakur Stevenson to fight William Zepeda unless he’s signed to his Golden Boy Promotions for a long-term deal.
Hearn’s Vision for Stevenson
Zepeda is at the top of Hearn’s list of fighters he wants to match WBC lightweight champion Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) against if he signs him to his Matchroom Boxing stable. However, according to Hearn, De La Hoya will only allow Shakur to fight Zepeda if he’s inked with Golden Boy.
If Hearn’s statement about Shakur needing to be with Golden Boy for the Zepeda fight is true, that limits his options for the New Jersey fighter if he does sign him. Hearn’s only fighter at 135 is Andy Cruz, a defensive-minded contender from the same mold as Shakur.
A fight between Shakur and Cruz would resemble an amateur contender of both guys using the hit-and-not-get-hit approach and crowd booing nonstop. Interestingly, Hearn doesn’t mention Cruz as a potential option for Shakur.
Limited Options for Matchroom
The only fighters against whom Hearn can guarantee to match Shakur are fighters signed to Matchroom at 140, such as Liam Paro, Subriel Matias, Regis Prograis, Richardson Hitchins, and Jack Catterall.
Those aren’t the guys that will turn Shakur into a star, and there’s a good chance he looks bad against all of them in winning efforts.
Had a great meeting with @ShakurStevenson representatives. @williamzepeda2 will only fight him if Shakur is signed to @GoldenBoyBoxing
— Oscar De La Hoya (@OscarDeLaHoya) July 12, 2024
Criticizing De La Hoya’s “Disgrace to Boxing”
“For me, I don’t really care for tying a fighter down for five fights or three years. If they like working with you, they like working with you. If they don’t, they don’t,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to the media, talking about Shakur Stevenson.
“Someone like Golden Boy and those kind of guys. They will only allow him [Shakur] to fight William Zepeda if he signs a long-term deal with them. He [Oscar De La Hoya] also said that he would only make the fight if he was with Golden Boy, which is a disgrace to boxing.”
Unfortunately, it’s standard practice for promotional companies to want fighters to sign contracts with their companies to get certain fights against well-known, popular fighters.
If De La Hoya wants Shakur to sign a contract with Golden Boy in exchange for an opportunity to fight the popular unbeaten future star, William Zepeda, he may have no choice if he wants that fight. Either sign or be left defending his WBC lightweight titles against obscure fighters like Artem Harutyunyan.
“This is from a guy who says promoters should work together and that the best should fight the best,” continued Hearn with his rant on De La Hoya. “Now, you can only get Zepeda if you’re with Golden Boy, which is bizarre. We’re [Matchroom Boxing] with the same platform [DAZN].”
Hearn needs to accept the reality of how the promotional business works. Instead of crying about it, he should work within the parameters of the professional. If he wants to sign Shakur, he must be imaginative to figure out what fights he can make. It would help if Shakur is flexible and willing to move up to 140 and 147 to get the best fights.
Hearn’s Determination to Secure the Zepeda Fight
“It’s not about the promotional company. It’s about the platform and the fights you can deliver for your broadcaster,” said Hearn. “So, I think the fluidity of being a free agent is good and bad. If you don’t have the contractual backing of someone, people don’t have to bid for fights [for example, Hearn & Matchroom not bidding for Devin Haney vs. Sandor Martin]; they don’t have to pay for fights.
“We can be as fluid as Shakur. We can try to make the Zepeda fight for him. We can try and make another fight for him,” said Hearn.
It doesn’t sound promising for Hearn that he will get the Zepeda fight for Shakur, so he should let go of that idea and stop harping about it. He sounds like a dog that won’t let go of an old bone. If Hearn wants to sign Shakur, which isn’t a good idea, he’ll need to be a grade-A hustler to dig up compelling fights.
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