Podcast host Teddy Atlas suspects that Top Rank didn’t want to re-sign Shakur Stevenson because it wasn’t good for business. They wouldn’t have let him near free agency if they wanted to keep Shakur.
Top Rank Hidden Agenda
Atlas believes that Top Rank deliberately matched Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) with a weaker opponent, Artem Harutyunyan, last Saturday night, knowing there was a high chance he would fail to impress with a victory. They knew he would win but show his flaws.
Shakur could have impressed by destroying Harutyunyan, but that’s not his style. He tried to score a knockout, but it didn’t work out, and ended up looking frail as usual.
Based on this performance, Atlas believes that Shakur may have a challenging time finding another promoter interested in signing him unless they can produce Gervonta “Tank” Davis for him, which would bring in a lot of money in a one-fight deal. Besides, Shakur is not worth paying very much, and his fights do not generate viewership, sell tickets, or do well on PPV.
Atlas Questions Top Rank’s Motives
“I don’t think they wanted to sign him. They let him become a free agent,” Teddy Atlas said on his Youtube channel that he believes Top Rank is not interested in re-signing Shakur Stevenson.
“If they wanted him, they wouldn’t have let him go this far. They picked an opponent who wasn’t that tough,” Atlas told Top Rank, choosing the straightforward option of giving him Artem Harutyunyan for Shakur’s final fight under his contract with them.
Shakur probably wanted a huge contract for him to extend his contract with Top Rank, which wouldn’t make sense for them unless he became a PPV attraction and they managed to match him up with Tank Davis and Vasiliy Lomachenko.
Stevenson likely would have never gained popularity on PPV shows if he hadn’t fought these two, and it’s doubtful Top Rank would have been able to make those fights happen.
“If they really wanted to get rid of him, they could have put him with a guy they thought could beat him, because then they would know he was leaving. So they’re trying to trick him into leaving. They know that, and they can’t afford to pay for it,” Atlas said.
“So they went a different route. ‘Let’s give him a guy to shine with,’ and I think they thought he wouldn’t, because they know who he is. He’s got incredible talent, but he’s not invigorating.
“You give him a guy he can dismantle, but you also know he can show his flaws. It’s the entertainment business. He’ll show why we let his contract expire. Top Rank made him a millionaire,” Atlas said of Shakur.
Stevenson likely didn’t get the money in his Top Rank contract that we saw Ryan Garcia get for his one-fight with Tank Davis. Shakur’s failure to become a PPV attraction for Top Rank hurt his ability to make money.
“They put him in a sink-or-swim fight and they see if he’s going to interest people, and again they’re clamoring and the networks are clamoring to put him in. I don’t know many people who would pay $80 for a PPV for him,” Atlas said of Shakur.
Stevenson’s performance against Hartuyunyan may not hurt his marketability if a potential promoter like Matchroom, PBC or Mayweather Promotions can train Tank Davis or protect him long enough to turn him into another Floyd clone.
Shakur doesn’t have Mayweather’s talent, but he’s as arrogant as he was during his career, and he has a similar way of drawing fans who want to see him fail.
Stevenson’s Marketability and Future Options
“If that’s the case, why would Top Rank want to re-sign him? It’s business. It’s about how many venues they can sell and how many PPVs they can sell. If that was their goal, they achieved it,” Atlas said of Top Rank, which placed Shakur with a fighter it was supposed to dominate but didn’t, lowering his marketability when he left for free agency.
It’s not Top Rank’s fault that Shakur failed to impress the fighter he was supposed to dominate. If Shakur is what he tells his fans, he should have destroyed Harutyunyan, considering he’s a fringe contender after losing to Frank Martin.
This was someone other lightweights would have easily defeated. Even 20-year-old prospect Abdullah Mason would probably have easily dealt with Harutyunyanm, but he is not ranked in the top 15 in the lightweight division.
For the first time in the four-belt era, two lithe heavyweights will face each other to fight for the undisputed championship.
On Saturday, October 12 in Riyad, Saudi Arabia (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET), the WBC, WBO and IBF champion will face WBA titleholder Dmitry Bivol (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET) to unify all the major 175-pound belts.
The fight was scheduled to take place on June 1 this year, but a month before the fight, Beterbiev suffered a torn meniscus and underwent knee surgery, which forced a postponement. Instead of waiting, Bivol (23-0, 12 KO) fought Malik Zinad that day and scored a sixth-round TKO victory, his only stoppage win in his last 10 fights.
Beterbiev (20-0, 20) is the only boxing champion with a 100% KO rate. As of November 2017, he holds at least one lithe heavyweight title. Beterbiev unified his three belts in a second-round TKO victory over Joe Smith Jr. in June 2022 and has since made two successful defenses.
There are two other title fights on the card. Jai Opetaia defends her IBF cruiserweight title against Jack Massey, and Skye Nicolson puts her WBC featherweight belt on the line against Raven Chapman.
Where can I watch the Beterbiev vs. fight? Bivol on Saturday, October 12?
Beterbiev vs. fight Bivol’s undisputed lithe heavyweight title bout will air on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET.
The fights will be broadcast on mobile devices using the ESPN application.
The undercard starts at 12:00 ET on DAZN.
Beterbiev vs. Bivol full card:
On ESPN+
Title fight: Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol, 12 rounds, for Beterbiev’s WBC, WBO and IBF lithe heavyweight titles and Bivol’s WBA lithe heavyweight title
He DAZN
Fabio Wardley vs. Frazer Clarke, 12 rounds, for the British heavyweight title
Title fight: Jai Opetaia vs. Jack Massey, 12 rounds, for Opetaia’s IBF cruiserweight title
Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Kamil Szeremeta, 12 rounds, middleweight
Ben Whittaker vs. Liam Cameron, 10 rounds, lithe heavyweight
Title fight: Skye Nicolson vs. Raven Chapman, 10 rounds, for Nicolson’s WBC featherweight title
Mohammed Alakel vs. Jesus Gonzalez, 4 rounds, lightweight
Tim Bradley believes highly-ranked lightweight contender William Zepeda could lose next month to Tevin Farmer in a ten-round fight at “Latino Night” on Nov. 16 at The Venue in Riyadh.
The 34-year-old Farmer (33-6-1, 8 KO) is a wily former IBF super featherweight champion who is coming off a ten-round unanimous decision loss to Raymond Muratalla on July 13 in Paradise, Nevada.
WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson is expected to be next for Zepeda if he wins against Farmer and looks good doing it. If he loses, this fight is out of the question.
Zepeda has looked impressive recently, scoring knockouts against the following fighters:
I would prefer Hughes and Cabrera over Farmer. These guys would be a gigantic problem for him in his career. Commentator Bradley believes Farmer has enough at this point in his 13-year career to likely defeat Zepeda (31-0, 27 KO). I don’t agree with this.
This will be another demolition task for Zepeda, which could be completed by the fourth unless Farmer keeps moving non-stop. That’s not how Farmer fights.
This would be a major blow to Zepeda’s Golden Boy-promoted career as he is ranked No. 1 in all four lightweight sanctioning bodies and is set to fight WBC champion Shakur Stevenson next February.
“If Zepeda can blow Farmer away, that’s a great statement because I don’t think Farmer is just showing up for a paycheck. Farmer is still fighting for victory. It’s about its structure and character. He’s not spineless, and when he shows up in the ring, he shows up to win,” said Paulie Malignaggi. Probox TVtalking about William Zepeda fighting Tevin Farmer on November 16 during “Latino Night” in Riyad.
Before Farmer’s loss to the highly sought-after Raymond Muratalla last July, he had won three straight, dating back to a loss to Joseph Diaz in 2020. Farmer is still in great shape. However, his problem is that he fights outside his natural weight class and against a great boxer, Zepeda.
“I like this fight because it can show us any shortcomings in Zepeda’s style. Yes, he’s a two-fisted destroyer, but could he be more against a guy with Tevin Farmer’s cunning and grit? That’s why this fight is really fascinating,” Malignaggi said.
Farmer will make Zepeda look bad at times early on, but once he warms up by the third game it will soon be over. Farmer won’t be able to take the shots Zepeda is firing at him without falling apart.
“You expect Zepeda to win because Farmer is on the other side of his best,” Malignaggi said. “But you don’t expect it to be as instructive as Zepeda was doing to these other guys.
“If he can get the better of Farmer like he did against the other guys, then it will be a more profound statement. He’s banging on the door, wanting to win the title. It is mandatory in all four [sanctioning bodies]. So the title fight should come soon,” Malignaggi said of Zepeda.
“It could backfire. I know what Golden Boy is trying to do, but Farmer is sneaky,” said Tim Bradley, who thinks Zepeda could lose. “This guy could win this fight. I saw it.
Farmer has nothing to stop Zepeda from taking him down and cutting him to pieces in this fight early on. Farmer is too feeble to fight a lightweight fighter like Zepeda.
“Zepeda is a type of shrimp [Mantis] it kills you. I saw it in one of the National Geographic specials,” Malignaggi said, referring to Zepeda’s nickname “Camaron.” “Zepeda is one of those types of shrimp. He is a striker. I’m not a fan of science, but there is a shrimp that means death [Mantis Shrimp]. I’m talking about the shrimp where you die. Zepeda is a type of shrimp.
Zepeda shouldn’t have any problems with the 34-year-old Farmer, but it will take him a few rounds to balmy up before he starts loading him up with combinations.
Alejandro Paulino wants to prove that he is a rising lightweight.
As manager Roland Estrada confirmed in an interview with The Ring, undefeated Paulino will face Toka Kahn Clary on November 2. The 10-round fight will take place at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Kahn Clary will be a step up in opposition, but Estrada is confident Paulino will rise to the occasion and make a statement to the rest of the 135-pounders.
“This will be the biggest fight of Alejandro’s compact but aggressive career,” Estrada told The Ring on Sunday evening. “Toka Kahn Clary is a great fighter who has fought and trained with many boxing legends. His reputation is highly regarded in our sport and especially in Modern England. We organized our camp as if Alejandro was fighting for the world title, so there will be no excuses.
“On Sunday morning (Nov. 3), we will find out if this kid (Paulino) is just another fighter or if he is one of the top lightweights in the lightweight division.”
Paulino (18-0, 14 knockouts), who lives in nearby Modern London, last fought on September 7, knocking out Luis Porozo in the first round. In his previous fight on March 23, Paulino overcame a lightning-quick first-round knockdown before knocking down Estivan Falcao in a round en route to a unanimous decision victory.
The 26-year-old from the Dominican Republic has fought 15 times this year for the Boston Butchers of the Team Combat League, which ended at the end of July. Paulino lost only one fight.
Paulino started boxing at the age of 18 and is promoted by longtime Modern England promoter Jimmy Burchfield.
Kahn Clary (29-3, 19 KO) has not fought since November 2022, defeating former junior lightweight world title challenger Jonathan Oquendo by unanimous decision. In his previous fight in December 2020, Kahn Clary lost a decision of over 10 one-sided rounds to Shakur Stevenson.
The 32-year-old fought on numerous top-level cards before losing by knockout to Jhon Gemino in September 2016. Southpaw Kahn Clary won his next six fights before losing a decision to former world featherweight champion Kid Galahad.
Kahn Clary is originally from Monrovia, Liberia and currently lives in Providence, Rhode Island. He has three wins over three undefeated fighters: Jose Haro, David Berna and John Moralde.
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