Promoter Eddie Hearn revealed today that he has signed Shakur Stevenson to a two-fight deal. The first match will be on October 12 against Joe Cordina, and the second against William Zepeda in February.
Hearn says if Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) is “victorious” in his first two bouts with Matchroom against Cordina and Zepeda, he’ll have a mega-fight against Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis in mid-summer 2025. Newark, New Jersey native Shakur may not make it to that fight if he is beaten by Cordina (17-1, 9 KOs) or #1 WBC Zepeda.
The short-term contract: Hearn’s safety net?
On why he only signed Shakur to a two-fight deal rather than a longer one, Hearn said he wanted him to have the freedom to decide if he enjoyed being with Matchroom to re-sign or to continue if he is unhappy. It’s probably Hearn’s, though 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’ll 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 dueling contract. Shakur will have a short two-fight lifespan with Hearn, so he could 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 would have known that he was not going to become a “world star” while on the bounce. He won’t be a star in the US. Fans in the States want to be entertained, and Shakur doesn’t live up to their standards.
“I know my boxing, and I know how good this kid is,” Eddie Hearn told Matchroom Boxing YouTube channel, hyping Shakur Stevenson, its 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 can beat everybody.”
Hearn shows his unfamiliarity with American fighters when he says, “There’s something about Shakur’s mentality” that makes him believe he can beat “anybody.” Shakur is just like many egotistical American fighters who brag about themselves but never measure up to what they say. They are a dime a dozen in the US; Shakur is a textbook example.
“I think he is greatly undersold. I think he should be not only an American superstar, but a global superstar. I think he’s edgy; I think he’s incredibly 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 is this fight plan of Joe Cordina and if he prevails in the (William) Zepeda fight. We will show him our value during that period. We’ll work together now, and then we’ll move forward against Gervonta Davis and everybody,” Hearn said.
“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,” Hearn said 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 has to know that there is a good chance that Shakur will lose at least one of the two fights on his short contract with Matchroom, and when that happens, it will be pointless to keep him.
Shakur could end up as an unhappy, disgruntled fighter, blasting Hearn on social media for his failures. Plus, if Hearn couldn’t prop up Shakur’s careers with easy paydays against soft opposition in the wake of a loss to Zepeda or Cordina, Stevenson could end up a grumpy little gremlin on social media, taking it out on the British promoter because he doesn’t keep his head above water like he finished with Anthony Joshua.
“I understand that multi-year deal when you start 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,” says Hearn, giving his best excuse for not giving didn’t have Shakur a long-term contract. “You can go elsewhere,” Hearn said, giving his reason for giving Shakur a short 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 contract if he doubts he can beat Zepeda or Tank Davis. All you have to do is look at Shakur’s fights against De Los Santos, Jeremiah Nakathilia and Artem Harutyunyan to know that he won’t win against Zepeda and certainly not Tank Davis.
