Eddie Hearn thinks Shakur Stevenson may very well be “unbeatable.” The Matchroom promoter can’t wait to signal the unbeaten WBC light-weight champion Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) to his secure and work his match-making magic to remodel him right into a star.
Hearn’s Imaginative and prescient for Stevenson’s Stardom
Hearn hasn’t mentioned who he needs to start scheduling Shakur to struggle if he efficiently negotiates a deal to signal him as a result of his secure at 135 consists of 2020 Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz, and he possible would beat him.
That’s not the kind of opposition Shakur is dreaming of combating, they usually wouldn’t wish to lose instantly in a non-PPV contest.
“Shakur Stevenson could also be unbeatable. Shakur is good. Generally, his type isn’t all-out aggressive, Arturo Gatti, however guess what? He’s profitable these fights, combating them the way in which he needs to struggle,” mentioned Eddie Hearn to Secondsout.
Shakur’s combating type at 135 is safety-first as a result of they punch tougher and larger than the opposition he’s been feasting on at 126 and 130. When Shakur fought in these weight lessons, he had a measurement benefit over his opponents, permitting him to take their photographs and rating occasional knockouts.
At 135, Shakur can’t afford to struggle aggressively in opposition to these fighters as a result of they hit too laborious, and they’d knock him out. He’s a fish out of water at light-weight, so he’s pressured to field greater than he ever did within the different weight lessons.
Dream Fights
“I believe while you see him struggle Tank, possibly even Zepeda, you’re going to see the most effective Shakur Stevenson,” Hearn mentioned. “I do know I could make him a star as a result of that’s simple for me.”
Hearn possible received’t try and match Shakur in opposition to #1 William Zepeda till after he places him within the cash struggle in opposition to Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis. As soon as that struggle is out of the way in which and Shakur possible soundly overwhelmed, Hearn may pull the set off on the Zepeda.
I doubt it, although. Hearn might want to rebuild Shakur as he did with Anthony Joshua after his second defeat in opposition to Oleksandr Usyk. He’ll match Shakur in opposition to three or 4 stiffs, construct his confidence, create pretend hype, after which push for a rematch with Tank Davis. In different phrases, it’s rinse and repeat. It’s simply enterprise.
“He charges extraordinarily nicely on ESPN. As I perceive it, it was a extremely good crowd in Newark,” mentioned Hearn concerning the 8,000+ followers that confirmed up for Shakur’s struggle in opposition to Artem Harutyunyan final Saturday night time. The venue holds 18,000. So, there was not fairly a half-full capability for Shakur-Harutyunyan in Shakur’s hometown.
It’s troublesome to take Hearn’s “unbeatable” feedback critically, on condition that Shakur barely beat Edwin Del Los Santos final yr on November sixteenth, profitable a twelve-round unanimous resolution by the scores 115-113, 116-112, and 116-112.
The extra correct rating of the three was 115-113, and that ought to have gone the opposite method in De Los Santos’ favor as a result of he landed the tougher punches in each spherical and was the one pushing the struggle in opposition to Shakur, who was operating from him.
This gamble might not finish nicely for Hearn if he indicators the 27-year-old Shakur, believing he’s going to construct him right into a “star” on the world stage, promote his fights on PPV to followers, considering they’re going to fortunately buy them to look at him run across the ring all night time.
Shakur performs keep-away in his fights, and that’s not star materials and positively not a fighter that’s “unbeatable.”
