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Hearn confirms interest in Shakur Stevenson, but can he secure a superstar?

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Image: Hearn Confirms Interest in Shakur Stevenson, But Can He Deliver Superstardom?

Promoter Eddie Hearn has confirmed his interest in signing Shakur Stevenson to his Matchroom company following Shakur’s next defense of the WBC lightweight title on July 6.

A partnership with Hearn may not be a viable option for Shakur and could be a disaster for Matchroom unless they can get him at a bargain basement price. Shakur would likely want a gigantic contract if it was a long-term deal, and it’s doubtful that it would be worth it for Matchroom if his fights weren’t generating revenue.

Hearn believes that Shakur received a “terrible” promotion and that at this point in his seven-year professional career he should be a “gigantic star” in the US. However, he lacked details on who Stevenson (21-0, 10 KO) would face to turn him into a superstar should he sign with Matchroom.

Hearn’s 140-pound squad offers confined options

Most of the fighters Hearn has signed with Matchroom in Shakur’s weight class compete at 140. The only fighter Hearn has at 135 is the Cuban Andy Cruzand it’s not a gigantic name. Cruz is a risky fight for Shakur because he has the same defensive style and excellent hand speed.

It is unlikely that Shakur has any plans to fight Andy Cruz. Shakur wants fights that would pay off against Tank Davis, Ryan Garcia, Teofimo Lopez, Vasily Lomachenko and Devin Haney. If he signs with Hearn’s Matchroom, he won’t be content fighting Andy Cruz or 140-pounders who aren’t popular.

Hearn’s 140 fighters:

Jack Catterall
Liam Paro
Subriel Matias
Richardson Hitchins

Hearn states that he believes the fight between Shakur and WBA lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis is the right one, but his ability to arrange the match will depend on the interest of the PBC and Tank.

So far, they have shown no desire to match Tank Shakur. Whether this will change or not remains to be seen. This is a fight that could ruin Shakur’s modest popularity if he runs away from Tank for 12 rounds and gets booed out of the pub like he was against Edwin De Los Santos.

Losing such a battle would forever ruin Shaku’s popularity, as he was already widely criticized for constantly running in fights against Edwin De Los Santos, Jeremiah Nakathilia, Oscar Valdez, Joet Gonzalez and Robson Conceição.

Dream fight: Stevenson vs. Tank Davis

“For me, the fight to go is Tank vs. Shakur Stevenson. I believe it is his [Shakur] last fight with Top Rank. There was a bit of flirting on social media,” Eddie Hearn said media about the desire to sign a contract with WBC lightweight world champion Shakur Stevenson and his Matchroom Boxing company.

Shakur must change his style to become a brawler in defense on July 6 against Artem Harutyunyan at the Prudential Center in Newark, Novel Jersey. Shakur needs to treat this fight as an audition for Hearn’s Matchroom.

If Shakur stays in the firing line throughout the fight and is willing to take punches, he could get the fight with Hearn. However, if he defects, as is often the case, Hearn may decide not to sign the contract and be stuck with this lemon.

“I think Shakur Stevenson is already a top-five fighter, no matter the weight class; he might be the best fighter in the world, and I think he’s come up huge. Nobody knows who he is, and a guy with his stature, his resume, his skills, he should be a huge star in America.”

Shakur is not a pound-for-pound fighter because he doesn’t interact with his opponents, which is a requirement for this list. Fighters who focus on safety rarely make it to the ranking lists because they are not popular and have not proven that they can fight.

Construction of an American power plant

“We have Bam Rodriguez and Jaron Ennis. If we can sign Shakur Stevenson, something stunning is happening in America,” Hearn said.

On paper it would look good if Hearn signed a contract with Shakur, but if he couldn’t fight Tank Davis, he would weaken and have to fight faceless opponents, or worse, he would be forced to move up to the 140 weight class, where he no longer has no power.

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Floyd Schofield and Rene Tellez Giron headline the DAZN performance on November 2 in Las Vegas

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Lightweight rising Floyd Schofield. Photo promotions / Golden Boy

Floyd Schofield Jr. in his next fight he will add to his class as he tries to make it to the lightweight division.

The undefeated 22-year-old will face Rene Tellez Giron from Mexico at the DAZN gala on November 2. The location of the event was not disclosed, although The Ring learned that it will land at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.

Schofield (17-0, 12 knockouts) will fight for only the second time in 2024, although only at the mercy of others. “Kid Austin” was scheduled to face H20 Sylve at the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul Netflix gala scheduled for July 29 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. However, the performance was delayed until November 15 due to Tyson’s hospitalization earlier in the summer.

Sylve’s team handpicked their next opponent for the DAZN Pay-Per-View event in Tampa, Florida. This backfired, as Lucas Bahdi (17-0, 15 KO) emerged as the main contender for the 2024 knockout.

Since Sylve is promoted by Most Valuable Promotions, only his spot would be secured for the fresh date. With this, Schofield and Golden Boy Promotions continued their efforts to advance the career of the Austin, Texas lightweight fighter.

Giron (20-3, 13 KO) is a proven spoiler with a reliable chin.

The 25-year-old from Queretaro, Mexico has won three in a row since a heartbreaking majority defeat to Jose Matias Romero last June in Argentina. Current events included an eight-round unanimous decision over George Acosta at the Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas. Giron also dealt the first defeat of his career to former standout amateur Karlos Balderas.

The victory over Balderas came six months after Giron submitted Michel Rivera to an eight-round decision in June 2019. Both boxers were undefeated at that time. He suffered another defeat in January 2022 against the then undefeated Giovani Cabrera.

Schofield last fought on March 16, losing by disqualification in the fifth round to Esteuri Suero at this stadium. This fight was supposed to be an advancement in the rivalry, but Suero refused to fight under the rules during their miniature romance.

The opportunity will mark Schofield’s third headliner since signing a co-promotional deal with Golden Boy in 2022. Last July, he was the leader of the gala in San Antonio, which was originally intended for the three-canceled fight for the WBA welterweight title between Eimantas Stanionis and Vergil Ortiz.

The Ring has learned that passive super middleweight contender Bektemir “Bek The Bully” Melikuziev (14-1, 10 KO) will appear on the program. Plans call for the 2016 Olympic silver medalist to land a WBA title eliminator, depending on which opponent he secures.

Follow @JakeNDaBox

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Bruce Carrington congratulates the tough Sulaiman Segawa for taking him to recent heights

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Bruce Carrington picked up the biggest victory of his career on Friday night, but he remained focused on giving credit where he felt it was due – for believing and facing his toughest challenge yet.

Carrington (13-0, 8 KO) faced his toughest test yet in Sulaiman Segawa (17-5-1, 6 KO), the WBC’s No. 3 featherweight. “You’re a good fighter bro, yeah, definitely my best fighter I’ve had so far,” Carrington said after the fight. He also attributed his faith in the victory, adding: “I want to thank God for my victory, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

The fight was close from the start, with Segawa taking Carrington down early, landing more punches and briefly rocking his undefeated opponent with hooks in the second round. Carrington responded with a piercing counterattack, starting a back and forth fight.

As the rounds progressed, Carrington began to take control. He landed a solid right hand in the fourth round that energized the Modern York crowd, and then he adjusted his strategy, focusing on body shots to leisurely Segawa’s pace.

After a header in the seventh over, Carrington suffered a noticeable knock, but he kept pushing forward in the final overs, pushing for action while Segawa took clumsy, defensive shots. Ultimately, the judges scored the fight 95-95, 97-93 and 97-93 in favor of Carrington.

Contemplating victory, Carrington accepted Segawa’s challenge. “I owe him a lot,” Carrington said. “This will just take me to the next level.”

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Will Haney become an outcast after the Garcia trial?

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Image: Keyshawn Davis: "I Know I Would Stop Devin Haney"

Devin Haney risked his career and decided to sue Ryan Garcia over the events that occurred on April 20 earlier this year in Brooklyn, Modern York.

If Haney loses the lawsuit, it could damage his career by making him a pariah among top-flight players and treating him like a member of an untouchable class. A lawsuit is a huge risk and could end Haney’s career, leaving him in a much worse situation than he would have been.

Did Haney make a bad move?

Perhaps instead of filing a lawsuit, Haney should have started generating interest in a rematch with Ryan Garcia by conducting repeated interviews and posting on social media. By the time Ryan’s suspension ends in April 2025, fan interest will be high.

Haney would have a desire for revenge and wouldn’t be seen as frail like many fans now see him because of his lawsuit. Even if Haney lost the rematch, he would still make a lot of money.

There is a very real risk that Haney’s lawsuit could result in him losing out forever on the biggest payday of his career in a rematch with Ryan, which would be a huge missed opportunity.

If Haney wins the lawsuit and receives tens of millions, it may not matter. After giving his lawyer part of his estate, he will have enough money to live comfortably and not worry that his career will be ruined. Actually, it already happened, but a lawsuit would be the final straw.

The lawsuit could hurt his chances of fighting other big-name fighters unless His Excellency Turki Alalshikh takes him under his wing. Turki would have the money to lure fighters to fight Haney, but otherwise he might be an outcast. It’s unclear how Turki will view Haney after all this. Will he find him worthy of pumping money into his career like he did with the aging Terence Crawford, Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, or will he ignore him?

Garcia (24-1, 20 KO) tested positive for the banned substance Ostarine and was 3.5 pounds overweight heading into his 140-pound title fight for Haney’s WBC welterweight belt.

“Devin’s father made great decisions for his son. I think it’s another great decision,” coach Greg Hackett said Fightin response to Devin Haney filing a lawsuit against Ryan Garcia, alleging fraud, battery and unjust enrichment in connection with the fight that took place on April 20.

Taking Ryan to court doesn’t seem like a well-thought-out idea, as it seems more like an action based on emotion rather than looking at the bigger picture. If you look at the lawsuit from a narrow perspective, it makes sense, but now when you consider how it ruins Haney’s chance at a rematch. If top players avoid Haney from now on, he has shot himself in the foot.

Is Ryan Garcia being milked?

“My opinion is a little different. I would like to hurt Ryan Garcia [in the ring]but in business and the world of finance they always utilize this expression: ‘You’ve got to hit it where it hurts,’ which is the bank,” Hackett continued.

“I saw Devin doing this because not only was it not what he did well, but we really want you to pay for it. We really want him to understand this [stuff] it wasn’t nippy and it doesn’t need to be repeated,” Hackett said.

If Haney feels his career is over, a lawsuit makes sense. However, if Haney sees this as a way milking Ryan Garcia like a cow extracting as much money from him as possible and then arranging a rematch would only disappoint him.

You never know. This may be something Devin wants to do to maintain attention. I wouldn’t do it, but I can’t be mad at him for doing it. In the world of entertainment, it is a completely different world from what we are used to in everyday life. Sometimes you have to deal with these things,” Hackett said.

“If something happened, we’re talking about the entire empire [Haney’s career]and construction took years. Boom! They wouldn’t let him make more money if something stupid happened to the kid because of him. So you have to sue him.

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