De La Hoya Tells Shakur To Call Him After His Free Agency
Oscar De La Hoya has told Shakur Stevenson to give him a call following his final fight with Top Rank.
Shakur defeated Artem Harutyunyan via a unanimous decision to retain his WBC Lightweight Belt. It was the first defense of the belt he won from Edwin De Los Santos. There was much pressure on Shakur heading into the fight based on the De Los Santos performance. Despite beating De Los Santos, Shakur was booed for his defensive style in fighting off the back foot.
He later disclosed that he had a hand injury coming into the fight. Stevenson was desperate to get a knockout. However, it never looked likely with Artem taking Shakur’s punches, before trying to survive until the final bell. As the fight entered the final round, some fans left the stadium before the conclusion of the bout. There were also some jeers from the crowd, although Shakur stated that was due to Artem not willing to engage.
De La Hoya On Shakur
In his comments, Stevenson stated that he turned down a $15 million deal with Top Rank for five fights. He indicated his desire to explore his free agency, with De La Hoya now extending an invitation.
Following his fighter William Zepeda’s win over Giovanni Cabrera, the Mexican took his record to 31-0 with 27 KOs. That was Zepeda’s fourth stoppage win in a row. Oscar is keen on getting his fighter a title shot, with Shakur potentially in the running.
“He made a statement. That’s the bottom line. When you’re in that position. When you’re the #1 contender in every organization, you have to make a statement like that, and that’s exactly what he did. He’s [Cabrera] very awkward as we saw with [Isaac] Pitbull [Cruz] where he took him the distance. I think this win for Zepeda was excellent and now we go for the world title. Shakur, give me a call. I would love to make a call with you. He made a statement. When you’re the #1 contender in every organization, you have to make a statement like that, and that’s exactly what he did,” De La Hoya said
Shakur’s Issue
The problem Shakur faces is that he may not get a better deal elsewhere. He turned down $3 million a fight from Top Rank. Promoters now know what Top Rank is willing to pay him. Unless Stevenson can secure a deal with the Saudis, it is difficult to see where he gets a big payday unless he changes his style. In fights with Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia, both big draws, Stevenson would be the B-side.
Meanwhile, even facing someone like Devin Haney, The Dream has a style that resonates a bit more with the public. Shakur had already turned down a 25 percent split to fight Haney during their time at 135 pounds. Since then, Shakur’s stock has fallen, giving the narrative that he is a boring fighter. That has earned him the nickname Shakur Twitterson after suggestions he does too much talking on X. While Shakur has plans on securing the big fights, he must develop a style that resonates with more fans before he can have more leverage in the negotiations.
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