Promoter Eddie Hearn wants to sign Shakur Stevenson to a short contract to match him against William Zepeda, then move him up to 140 to take on IBF champion Liam Paro. Unfortunately, those are not the type of fights that Shakur has in mind.
Hearn’s Deal: Zepeda and Paro
He views himself as an elite-level fighter worthy of fighting Gervonta Davis and Vasily Lomachenko. Hearn can’t deliver those fights. He can only provide Shakur guys like Zepeda and Liam Paro. This is a ‘prove yourself’ type of deal for Shakur.
It’s a logical move for Hearn to sign Shakur to a short one—to two-fight contract because he hasn’t proven himself against good opposition since moving up to 135. The last thing Hearn wants is to pay Shakur a pile of money for a long-term deal and then watch him crash and burn with repeated losses.
There’s an excellent chance he’ll get beaten when he faces #1 ranked Zepeda (31-0, 27 KOs) and the other top guys, Gervonta Davis and Vasily Lomachenko. Hearn can avoid being stuck with Shakur by signing him to a short contract and then moving on after he loses.
Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) is a free agent following his contract expiring with Top Rank last weekend. They attempted to re-sign him, but Shakur turned down their $15 million, 5-fight deal, which would have seen him make $3 million per fight guaranteed.
It’s believed that whoever signs Shakur would need to pay him more than $3 million per fight, and that’s the problem. Is he worth it?
Hearn’s Code Talk
“I think he should fight William Zepeda. Do you want to sign a five-fight deal when it may stop you from getting certain fights?” said Hearn to talkSport. “Maybe our discussions are a 1, 2, or 3-fight deal. He needs that fluidity to be able to make those fights.”
One could argue what Hearn is saying here is code language for, ‘Man, I don’t want to sign Shakur to a long-term contract, then be stuck with him after he’s beaten.’
The real problem is Hearn doesn’t have the stable at Matchroom to fight Shakur Stevenson. Most of Hearn’s fighters around Shakur’s weight class are at 140, and they’re not stars in the U.S. Moreover, some would likely beat Shakur and destroy his little marketability.
Matchroom’s Offerings
Andy Cruz
Liam Paro
Subriel Matias
Regis Prograis
Richardson Hitchins
Jack Catterall
Shakur would likely lose to Cruz and Paro. Catterall fights with a similar style as Shakur, so that would be a tough one too. If Prograis, Matias and Hitchins catches Shakur with a solid shot, they knock him out.
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