Shakur Stevenson claimed Olympic silver at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro and, eight months later, made his professional debut with Top Rank.
Top Rank founder and CEO Bob Arum hired Stevenson when he was 19, the only promoter the champion has ever worked with. Seven years later, their relationship is sure to change following Stevenson's successful WBC lightweight title defense against Artem Harutyunyan on Saturday.
Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) was dominant (he was a -3500 favorite, according to ESPN BET), but he failed to get the thrilling win he sought. There were boos down the stretch as Stevenson won a unanimous decision against an overmatched opponent for the second fight in a row. This time, the boos were from his hometown fans at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Stevenson, 27, said the boos were directed at Harutyunyan (12-2, 7 KOs) because he “didn’t really try to fight.” And while it’s true that neither Harutyunyan nor Edwin De Los Santos (Stevenson’s last opponent in November) really pressed the action, the onus was on the supremely talented Stevenson to find a way to finish his opponent.
Now Stevenson will test free agency after an uneventful win but not the breakout performance he needed.
Stevenson has turned down a five-fight extension with Top Rank, sources told ESPN, which would have guaranteed the boxer $3 million per fight.
He could sign with a rival promoter – PBC, Matchroom, Golden Boy, etc. – or remain a free agent and take advantage of the flexibility that gives fighters like Devin Haney or his mentor, Terence Crawford.
“I want to honestly start my own promotional company and just work with promoters and do a lot of short-term stuff so that way I'm not locked in and stuck with somebody,” Stevenson told ESPN last Sunday.
He regretted not getting the knockout and while he blamed Harutyunyan, Stevenson also looked inward. The champion said he needed to improve his ability to cut off the ring.
Outside the ring, Stevenson will be navigating uncharted waters. Eddie Hearn, chairman of Matchroom Sport, has publicly expressed interest in striking a deal with Stevenson. Surely, plenty of other promoters will be after Stevenson as well. After all, he is an undefeated champion ranked No. 8 by ESPN pound-for-pound.
Now, it appears Stevenson is ready for a change.
Heading into Saturday's fight, Stevenson felt Top Rank didn't do enough to promote his fight with Harutyunyan because he rejected the extension.
“I just feel like they want me to promote the fight and do the things they're supposed to do,” Stevenson said. “… I feel like I'm not part of the promotion team anymore… I wish at the end of my contract, when we would have started, it would have been better than this.”
“I feel like I was promoted well until the end of my contract, until my contract is about to expire,” he added. “And that's when things went off track and changed.”
Still, Stevenson wasn't ready to close the door on a future reunion with Top Rank.
“Shakur Stevenson's contractual situation did not in any way impact Top Rank's promotional efforts in connection with his fight with Artem Harutyunyan,” Top Rank spokesman Evan Korn told ESPN. “Shakur is a tremendously talented fighter and the passionate crowd at the Prudential Center was a testament to the efforts of both parties.”
Whatever the case, Stevenson knew he needed a standout performance on Saturday, especially after his lackluster win over De Los Santos.
Stevenson defeated De Los Santos by scores of 115-113, 116-112 and 116-112, while boos also rained down throughout the fight. Stevenson and De Los Santos failed to land more than ten punches in any of the 12 rounds.
Instead of returning to the ring earlier to erase the memory of his poor performance, Stevenson waited eight months to fight Harutyunyan.
“I asked Top Rank, ‘Can I come back earlier? ’ I have one more fight on my contract. And with everything Top Rank has going on, they wouldn’t let me,” Stevenson said. “They made sure they pushed me back to June, July. June was the initial date they gave me. And then somehow it ended up getting pushed back to July. … I asked, ‘Can I come back in March? ’ I wanted to come back right away, to be honest … but they made me wait so long.
“I think I'm the best fighter on the roster and I didn't take the deal they wanted, so I feel like maybe they wanted to push me as far as I could go.”
Stevenson should have no one else to blame anytime soon. As a promotional free agent, Stevenson will call the shots as he searches for the type of marquee fight that has eluded him. ESPN's top two fighters at Stevenson's weight class (135 pounds), Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Vasiliy Lomachenko, are in negotiations to fight each other this fall.
Lomachenko is also promoted by Top Rank and although Stevenson pushed for that fight to happen, it never materialized. Davis, one of boxing's top stars, is with PBC.
Stevenson said he would explore the possibility of moving up to 140 pounds “for money-making fights” and mentioned Mexican champion Isaac Cruz, a champion who is developing a large fan base. He is with PBC.
Also in the mix are Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez. Lopez, who is promoted by Top Rank, is the 140-pound champion. Garcia is suspended until April 2025 and has said he cannot make 140. Haney could end up at 140 as well.
Stevenson's most desirable and feasible option could be Mexican William Zepeda, who put in another brilliant performance on Saturday night by knocking out Giovanni Cabrera in the third round. Zepeda, a Golden Boy fighter, is on the verge of a title shot.
“I haven't spoken to Shakur,” Golden Boy Promotions founder and head promoter Oscar De La Hoya said on the DAZN stream before Zepeda's win. “I love his style. I love that he's a very talented fighter. There's no doubt about that… I feel like William Zepeda can take on anybody… William Zepeda-Shakur Stevenson is a fight that people would love to see… I would love to work with Shakur Stevenson.”
Meanwhile, Stevenson has already won titles in three divisions. What's missing? A big fight, and now he won't have to deal with boxing's promotional politics while he searches for one.
I mean I definitely don't want to close the door, but it seems like… [Top Rank is] “They're more willing to close the door than I am,” Stevenson said. “So, honestly, if they're telling me to screw them, screw them too. That's how I feel.”
