Stevenson Vs. Zepeda: Shakur’s Chance At Stardom

Promoter Eddie Hearn was on his soapbox again, telling the media how great Shakur Stevenson is and surprised that he’s not already an “American superstar” ahead of his fight against William Zepeda on July 12th. The Matchroom promoter just doesn’t get it. He thought he’d found pure gold when he signed Shakur, and he’s tormented that he’s not panning out.

Hearn is trying to create interest in WBC lightweight champion Shakur (23-0, 11 KOs) for his fight against Zepeda (33-0, 27 KOs) to make a case for him battling Gervonta Davis later this year. A lot depends on how Stevenson performs on July 12th, whether he wins, and if he can do so without running.

It’ll also come down to whether Turki Alalshikh wants to be involved in helping make the Tank Davis vs. Shakur fight. Without his involvement, it’s questionable whether Gervonta will want to bother with fighting Stevenson. He won’t want to chase him all around the ring if he won’t engage. He’s going to have to look golden against Zepeda. That’s where it starts.

“I’ve been saying that he’s one of the best promoters in the sport, and I think he’s proven himself well,” said Shakur Stevenson to YSM Sports Media about Eddie Hearn.

Why Shakur Isn’t a Superstar

“We’ve only started working together. So, give me a chance,” said Hearn about Shakur. “I said it about Shakur before we represented him. Those guys, Terence, they should be American superstars because of the ability they’ve got. The good news is he’s [Shakur] 27.”

Mayweather Era Boxing Style

Shakur and Terence Crawford aren’t superstars because they have a boring, outdated fighting style from the ancient Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather era of boxing. If you found a working time machine, stuck Shakur and Crawford in it, and sent them back to the late 1990s and early 2000s, they’d fit right in. But in this modern era of the sport, they’re oddballs. If you’re boring, you’re invisible in this era. You must entertain. If you have a boring style, you’ll never be a star. It’s better that Hearn understand that sooner rather than later, because he can save a lot of money by not signing Shakur to an extension after his fight against Zepeda.

If Hearn wants to turn Shakur into a superstar, he can move him to England, have him adopt a fake British accent, and match him against the fighters over there. Maybe he can be adopted by the Brits as one of them. I doubt it, but that’s his best chance.

Sooner or later, Hearn will have to recognize that he’s chosen an albatross to try to transform into a superstar. He can’t force Americans to want to watch Shakur. And no amount of glazing Shakur is going to do the job either, because U.S fans listen to Hearn think he’s nuts when he’s slathering the praise on Shakur.

“The crazy thing is, imagine being a three-division world champion and never breaking a sweat. Look at what he did to [Oscar] Valdez [in 2022],” said Hearn. “I was watching as a fan. I didn’t know one day we’d get to work together, but I’m watching it going, ‘I can’t believe how good this young man is.’”

Shakur didn’t fight good enough opposition at 126 and 130 in his title wins for him to have to work hard. His fight against Joet Gonzalez for the WBO 126-lb title in 2019 resembled a sparring session. It looked like Joet wasn’t trying hard to win. They looked more like friends than foes.

Shakur’s De Los Santos Struggle

In Stevenson’s fight against Edwin De Los Santos, he definitely broke a sweat because he was running around the ring, looking stressed out after taking big shots early in the contest. Shakur came close to losing.

Fans Booed Stevenson’s Performance

The judges gave him a 12-round decision, but it wasn’t impressive. The fans at the T-Mobile booed Shakur from the fourth round on, and continued to boo him when he was interviewed inside the ring after. Even when Stevenson was walking to his dressing room, the fans continued to boo him. I’d never seen anything like it. Hearn must not have seen that fight because Shakur looked apoplectic inside the ring, being chased by De Los Santos all night.

“He’s the one who should be getting mobbed, not me. I’m just a fat promoter from Essex. This is the superstar. This is something that all you fighters dream of having talent like this. You’re looking at pure greatness with this young man,” said Hearn.

Shakur hasn’t done enough to be a superstar in the U.S. Capturing titles at 126 and 130 didn’t impress the boxing public because the opposition Stevenson fought, and the divisions were not particularly popular with Americans. He captured his WBC lightweight title in an ugly fashion, moving non-stop in a narrow decision over Edwin De Los Santos.

Shakur’s World Title Wins

126: Joet Gonzalez – WBO130: Jamell Herring – WBO130: Oscar Valdez – WBC135: Edwin De Los Santos – WBC