Promoter Eddie Hearn revealed today that he’s signed Shakur Stevenson to a two-fight deal. The first match will be against Joe Cordina on October 12th, and the second will be against William Zepeda in February.
Hearn says if Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) is “triumphant” in his first two fights with Matchroom against Cordina and Zepeda, he’ll look to make a mega-fight against Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis in mid-2025 in the summer. The Newark, New Jersey native Shakur may not get to that fight if gets beaten by Cordina (17-1, 9 KOs) or #1 WBC Zepeda.
The Short-Term Contract: Hearn’s Safety Net?
As for why he only signed Shakur to a two-fight deal rather than a longer one, Hearn said that he would want him to have the freedom to decide whether he’s enjoying being with Matchroom to re-sign or move on if he’s unhappy. However, this is likely Hearn’s escape route to wash his hands of Shakur if he loses or looks bad in his fights against Cordina and Zepeda (31-0, 27 KOs). He will look bad in both of those fights, and that’s a given.
The last thing Hearn needs is a beaten Shakur hanging around as a constant reminder of his mistake in signing him to his Matchroom company. Hence, the two-fight contract. Shakur will have a short two-fight lifespan with Hearn, so he can move on if he fails to excel against Cordina and Zepeda.
Doubts About Stevenson’s Star Power
If Hearn had watched Shakur’s fight against Edwin De Los Santos last November, he’d know he’s not going to become a “global star” as he’s banging on about. He’ll not be a star in the U.S. Fans in the States want to be entertained, and Shakur doesn’t meet their standards.
“I know my boxing, and I know how good this kid is,” said Eddie Hearn to the Matchroom Boxing YouTube channel, hyping up Shakur Stevenson, his new signee. “He may be unbeatable. I know he’s a pound-for-pound star. There’s something about Shakur’s mentality that gives me confidence that he beats everybody.”
Hearn shows that he’s not familiar with American fighters when he says, “There’s something about Shakur’s mentality” that makes him believe he can beat “everybody.” Shakur is just like many egotistical American fighters who brag about themselves but never measure up to what they say. They’re a dime a dozen in the U.S.; Shakur is a textbook example.
“I think he’s been massively undersold. I think he should be not just an American superstar but a global superstar. I think he’s edgy; I think he’s unbelievably talented, and I’m going to do everything I can to give him the platform and the promotional push that his ability deserves.
A Short Leash
“For Shakur, there’s this two-fight plan of Joe Cordina and if he’s triumphant into the [William] Zepeda fight. We’ll show him during that period our value. We’ll work together closely, and then we’ll move forward against Gervonta Davis and everybody,” said Hearn.
“I hope these two fights lead to Shakur Stevenson’s rest of his career with Matchroom. It would be an honor. So many promotional companies want to lock you into a three, four, five-year deal,” said Hearn when asked why he signed Shakur to just a two-fight deal.
Hearn sounds like he’s being disingenuous about his comments about his rationale for the two-fight deal he’s offering Shakur. He’s got to know there’s a good chance that Shakur loses at least one of the two fights on his short contract with Matchroom, and when that happens, keeping him would be pointless.
Shakur could end up as an unhappy, disgruntled fighter, blasting Hearn on social media for his failures. Moreover, if Hearn couldn’t prop up Shakur’s careers with easy paydays against soft opposition in the aftermath of a loss to Zepeda or Cordina, Stevenson could end up as a grumpy little gremlin on social media, taking it out on the British promoter for not keeping him afloat like he’s done with Anthony Joshua.
“I understand that multi-year deal when you’re starting off in the game. I’m confident that once you work with me, you’ll never want to work with anyone else, and if you don’t enjoy the experience, no problem,” said Hearn, giving his best excuse for why he didn’t give Shakur a long-term contract. “You can go elsewhere,” said Hearn, giving his reason for giving Shakur a short two-fight deal.
I don’t blame Hearn one bit for giving Shakur a short-term contract because it would be insane to give a long-term one if he has doubts that he beat Zepeda or Tank Davis. All you need to do is look at Shakur’s fights against De Los Santos, Jeremiah Nakathilia, and Artem Harutyunyan to know that he won’t be victorious against Zepeda and certainly not Tank Davis.
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