Free agent Shakur Stevenson revealed last night the four fights he wants if he signs with promoter Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom.
WBC lightweight champion Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) gushed about Hearn during an interview at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, hinting he would be signing with him.
Shakur will likely soon be disgruntled when Hearn fails to give him what he wants with his dream matchups. If Hearn can provide him with the fights he wants, fine, but it doesn’t seem possible because he doesn’t promote the fighters that Shakur wants.
Shakur’s Dream Matchups
The ‘Big Four’ Shakur named for his hitlist:
- William Zepeda
- George Kambosos
- Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis
- Vasily Lomachenko
There’s a perfect chance that Shakur will be bitter after he signs with Hearn and fails to get the big fights he wants. That’s why it’s essential that Hearn only sign Shakur for a short-term contract.
He’ll soon become a dreary problem for Eddie if Eddie doesn’t magically produce the fights he wants against Zepeda, Tank, Lomachenko, and Kambosos.
Shakur might then throw a temper tantrum like a spoiled brat and vent on social media 24/7 for months/years when he’s contracted with Hearn. That’s a poison that Hearn doesn’t need because he can’t remove it quickly for a cure.
Hearn’s Realistic Options
Andy Cruz
Liam Paro
Regis Prograis
Jack Catterall
Richardson Hitchins
Subriel Matias
Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis
Unfortunately for Stevenson, the only fighter on that list that Hearn has any hopes of setting up a fight against is the down-and-out Kambosos Jr. (21-3, 10 KOs), but only because his career has fallen apart since his upset 12-round split decision defeat of IBF/WBA/WBO lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez on November 27, 2021, in New York.
Kambosos Jr. has lost three of four fights since then and could be heading for another loss against IBF light welterweight champion Liam Paro in November in Australia. That fight is in negotiations with a good chance of happening.
Shakur will not gain from fighting Kambosos after Paro beats him because he has lost too many fights, and it would look pathetic to U.S. and Australian boxing fans for ‘The Emperor’ to be given another world title shot after getting whipped by Liam in November.
“I like Zepeda. If we can’t get Zepeda, I think [George] Kambosos has been talking a lot today on Twitter. I would love to set up a fight in Australia and make him 0-4 down there,” said Shakur Stevenson to iFL TV when asked who would be the top three fighters he would want to fight if he signs a deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing promotional company.
Hearn can’t get the big names that Shakur wants on his hitlist of four fighters. Yeah, he can probably negotiate with Kambosos, but he is worth anything for Shakur after he’d dealt another defeat by Paro, putting his record at 1-4 in his last five fights.
“Him [Kambosos], Tank, Lomachenko, whoever we can get in the ring for the biggest and the best fights,” Shakur continued.
Shakur may not want to face the truth, but Hearn can’t produce the names he wants unless His Excellency steps in and pays a mountain of gold for Lomachenko, Tank, and Zepeda to fight Stevenson. I doubt that happens.
“I can say that with the energy he got, I’ll definitely be able to give my best performances and be able to show out. I love the energy with Matchroom,” said Shakur when asked how Hearn would promote him differently than how he was with Top Rank.
Shakur’s best performances won’t be good enough to beat three of the four fighters he wants to face at lightweight. He’s not bearing Tank, Zepeda, or Lomachenko with his limited power and timid, safety-first fighting style.
If Hearn signs Shakur, he will add another Richardson Hitchins type of fighter to his Matchroom roster, and he’ll quickly find that out. Shakur is a smaller, lighter-hitting version of Hitchins, but with more of a social media presence and the villain thing going full throttle.
“This isn’t a love-in. We’re going to be negotiating next week,” said Hearn, cutting in. “There’s nothing going to strengthen my hand. He’s got my hand twisted, cuffed at the back. Listen, he’s a great fighter. I’m a great promoter,” said Hearn.
Hopefully, Hearn has his eyes open understands Shakur’s limitations as a fighter, and notes how poor he was in his last two fights against Artem Harutyunyan and Edwin De Los Santos. Those efforts weren’t an anomaly.
They clearly indicated Shakur’s limits in his ability to be lightweight. He’s not the same fighter he was at 135 as he was at 130 and 126, where he was bigger than his opponents and could dominate with size. Shakur can’t do that at lightweight, and his little power hasn’t carried up.
“I believe we’re a match made in heaven. If the business works for everybody, I’m sure we’ll have something to say about it,” said Hearn.
A Cautious Approach
If Hearn signs Shakur, it should be for one or two fights, but only if he matches him against the fighters he desires. Shakur won’t be happy fighting Andy Cruz, Liam Paro, Richardson Hitchins, or Prograis. Some of them might beat him, and that’s not good for Hearn to watch Shakur lose immediately.
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