Shakur Stevenson Faces A Huge Career Decision – His Talent Deserves A Bigger Platform
Shakur Stevenson enters the final fight of his deal with promoters Top Rank next month when he makes the first defense of his WBC lightweight world title against Artem Harutyunyan.
After that, the undefeated three-weight world champion will be in a position to explore his options, although it would seem unlikely he will remain with Top Rank after his recent public spat with its president Bob Arum.
Arum suggested to Cigar Talk that Stevenson (21-0-0 10 KO) finds himself “between a rock and hard place” because “he doesn’t have a tremendous following. So, to get a Level-A fighter to fight him, they say, ‘Why? We’re going to have a tough time beating him if we can ever beat him, and what does he bring to the table?’ That’s the problem in boxing.”
Stevenson did not take too kindly to Arum’s comments. “He was basically putting it out there that I don’t got no other options out there but Top Rank, and ‘Go see the market and go come back and see us’,” he said.
“I think Bob should just shut up and allow the people that’s running his company to run his company because he’s not even running his own company. I don’t know. I don’t count nothing out. It’s business.”
Crawford A Case In Point
Stevenson might not be happy, but Arum does have a point. Boxing is filled with fighters past and present whose talents far outweighed the platforms they were able to create for themselves. It might be the only sport where star power is more important than skill.
Andre Ward, the undefeated two-weight world champion, was arguably the best fighter of his generation but never got close to securing the sort of paydays enjoyed by the likes of Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquaio, or Canelo Alvarez.
The same could be said of this generation’s finest fighter. Terence Crawford dismantled Errol Spence Jr to become the undisputed welterweight champion and secure his legacy as a future Hall of Famer, yet couldn’t secure a lucrative enough follow-up fight that matched his status. It’s taken more than 12 months, a step up to super-welterweight, and the involvement of Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh to get Crawford back in the ring.
Stevenson, a close friend and training partner of Crawford, is in a similar situation, and Arum outlined the fighter’s dilemma quite well.
It leaves the New Jersey native with a critical career decision to make once, as expected, he successfully retains his title against Harutyunyan in front of his home fans at the Prudential Center in Newark on July 6.
Stevenson Needs To Fight Tank Or Loma
Ultimately, the only way for Stevenson to increase his following and broaden his appeal is to secure the sort of fights that grab the interest of casual fans. The purists may appreciate his ability, but it’s the casuals that make fighters household names beyond the confines of boxing.
At present, there are only two opponents at lightweight that can help Stevenson achieve this: Gervonta Davis and Vasiliy Lomachenko. Both are box office stars in their own right while a unification bout with Stevenson would boost the profiles of all involved.
Money could again be the main obstacle, but with Alalshikh and Riyadh Season hosting their first event in the United States on August 3, headlined by Crawford v Israil Madrimov, a unification bout between Stevenson and either Tank or Loma would hold plenty of appeal for the Saudi boxing guru.
That is all hypothetical for now. What will soon be the most pressing matter for Stevenson is to select his next promoter. Eddie Hearn and Matchroom are not interested, at least according to Arum. Golden Boy Promotions and PBC are potential options, while he could go a similar route to Crawford and act as a free agent, partnering with promoters on a fight-by-fight basis.
It leaves Stevenson with some big decisions to make. There is no disputing his talent, but he needs to ensure his next promotional decision will support him in maximizing his profile and getting him closer towards the paydays his skills deserve.
