Hearn Confirms Interest In Shakur Stevenson, But Can He Deliver Superstardom?

Promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed that he’s interested in signing Shakur Stevenson to his Matchroom company after Shakur’s next defense of his WBC lightweight title on July 6th.

This partnership with Hearn might not be a viable option for Shakur, and it could be a disaster for Matchroom unless they can sign him at a bargain basement price. Shakur would likely want a hefty contract if it’s a long-term deal, and it’s questionable whether it would pay off for Matchroom if his fights fail to generate revenue.

Hearn feels that Shakur has been “terribly” promoted and that he should be a “huge star” in the U.S at this point in his seven-year professional career. However, he was short on details about who he would match Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs) up with to turn him into a superstar if he inks with Matchroom.

Hearn’s 140-pound Roster Offers Limited Options

Most of the fighters that Hearn has signed with Matchroom around Shakur’s weight class compete at 140. The only guy Hearn has at 135 is Cuban Andy Cruz, and he’s not a big name. Cruz is a risky fight for Shakur because he has the same defensive style and excellent hand speed.

It’s unlikely that Shakur has any plans to fight Andy Cruz. Shakur wants fights that pay against Tank Davis, Ryan Garcia, Teofimo Lopez, Vasily Lomachenko, and Devin Haney. If he signs with Hearn’s Matchroom, he won’t be happy fighting Andy Cruz or the 140-pound fighters, who aren’t popular.

Hearn’s fighters at 140:

Jack Catterall
Liam Paro
Subriel Matias
Richardson Hitchins

Hearn states that he feels that a fight between Shakur and WBA lightweight champion Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis is the one to make, but his ability to make that match would hinge on PBC and Tank’s interest in doing it.

Thus far, they’ve shown no desire to match Tank against Shakur. Whether that changes or not remains to be seen. It is a fight that could ruin Shakur’s little popularity, such as it is, if he runs from Tank for 12 rounds and is booed out of the joint like he was against Edwin De Los Santos.

Losing a battle like that would forever wreck Shaku’s popularity, as he’s already been widely criticized for running nonstop in his fights against Edwin De Los Santos, Jeremiah Nakathilia, Oscar Valdez, Joet Gonzalez, and Robson Conceição.

The Dream Fight: Stevenson vs. Tank Davis

“For me, the fight to make is Tank vs. Shakur Stevenson. I believe this is his [Shakur] last fight with Top Rank. There’s been a little bit of flirting on social media,” said Eddie Hearn to the media about wanting to sign WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson to his Matchroom Boxing company.

Shakur must change his style to become a brawler for his July 6th defense against Artem Harutyunyan at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Shakur must consider this fight an audition for Hearn’s Matchroom.

If Shakur puts himself in the line of fire for the entire fight and is willing to take punches, he might get the gig with Hearn. But if he runs, like he often does, Hearn might pass on signing him and get stuck with this lemon.

“I think Shakur Stevenson is pound-for-pound top five already; he may be the best fighter in the world, and I think he’s been promoted terribly. Nobody knows who he is, and a man of that stature, that resume, and that ability should be a huge star in America.”

Shakur is not a pound-for-pound fighter because he doesn’t engage with his opponents, which is a requirement for making that list. Fighters who use a safety-first style rarely make the pound-for-pound lists because they’re not popular and don’t prove whether they can fight.

Building a U.S. Powerhouse

“We’ve got Bam Rodriguez and Jaron Ennis. If we can sign Shakur Stevenson to the roster as well, we’ve got a beautiful thing going in America,” said Hearn.

It would look good on paper if Hearn signed Shakur, but unless he could get a fight with Tank Davis, he would wither away and be stuck fighting no-names or, worse, be forced to move up to 140, where he has no power.