Shakur Stevenson is airing his dirty laundry on social media, lamenting that he can’t “trust anybody” in business. Stevenson says the business is “sad,” suggesting he has issues with one of the higher-ups.
Fans suspect that WBC lightweight champion Shakur is having issues with his new promoter, Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn. Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) was supposed to headline the October 12 fight against Joe Cordina in Riyadh on PPV, but pulled out of the fight after injuring his right hand.
Shakur was supposed to earn millions to defend his title against recently retired Cordina on October 12, but an injury derailed plans.
In the interview, Hearn said the plan now is for Shakur, 27, to fight William Zepeda after recovering from hand surgery in early 2025 and then face Gervonta Davis. These two fights will work better for Hearn because he signed Shakur to a two fight contract.
If Stevenson gets knocked out by one or both fighters, he’ll be out of Hearn’s hair and won’t have to worry about rebuilding like he will if he’s signed to a long, long-term contract with Matchroom.
Dirty business can’t trust anyone 🎯
— Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) September 13, 2024
It costs money to rebuild a fighter by feeding it soft resistance. If Shakur was one of the PPV favorites like Anthony Joshua, it wouldn’t be a big deal to put him in a four-fight rematch, like Hearn did with AJ. Unfortunately, that is not true. Shakur is not a PPV attraction and he is not a big ticket seller, even in his hometown of Newark, New Jersey.
Hearn wouldn’t have to worry about that because of the short two-fight contract he signed Shakur to. It was a smart move by Hearn, and understandable, given the chances of Shakur being destroyed by Zepeda or Tank Davis in 2025.
Shakur’s hand injury is career-threatening because he still has issues with his hands, and he hasn’t looked good since moving up to 135, facing the strongest fighters in this weight class. He’s gotten away from being a light-hitter at 126 and 130, but he’s ill-equipped for the 135-lb division. Shakur goes to war against the opposition armed only with a pop gun, and he will be destroyed.
