Paulie Malignaggi says that Shakur Stevenson may need to lower his salary by offering part of his purse to lure the ephemeral WBC champion, William Zepeda to fight him. He believes that Shakur (23-0, 11 KO) is avoided by the best guys at the age of 135 because he is so good.

Remuneration proposal

To force these fighters, such as Zepeda (33-0, 27 KO) to fight him, he will have to give up his purse. Malignaggi believes that Shakur’s victory over Zepeda will “force” greater fighting with Gervont Davis.

It is more likely that it will work in the opposite. The impressive victory of Stevenson over Zepeda will forever close the door to the fight with Tank Davis, especially if Shakur runs all night with the Mexican lethargic.

He will have to move around the ring throughout the fight, because if he stands and fights with Zepeda, he will be chewed. Tevin Farmer consumed many penalties in the first six rounds of his last fight with Zepeda, and the only reason he was not detained is that he has a perfect chin.

Shakura promoter, Eddie Hearn, has money to invest in him if he wants to exploit some of his company’s cake to get Zepeda. For a popular warrior, such as Zepeda, it will be pricey. Everything Hearn must offer Zepeda $ 5 millionHe will agree and then hopes that Shakur will make his part without winning. Hearn is scanty and tight, it will cause Stevenson to exist in the shade as long as he stays in the match.

If he is booed by fans, as if he was against Edwin de Los Santos and Jeremiah Nakathlia, he can forget about Tank.

Saudi money has disappeared

The money that according to Shakur will be from the Saudis is no longer after his last fight with Josh Padley on February 22 in Riyadh. Some fans believe that Saudis gave up Stevenson after this terrible performance against the part -time boxer Padley, who fought with a very tedious fight.

“It’s a bit disappointing in which Shakur was in this business. I feel that he is a great warrior,” said Paulie Malignaggi to WarriorSpeaking of how Shakur Stevenson was unable to get the fights he wanted. “It is probably the best lightweight in the world.”

Shakur did not defeat anyone in a slight importance to get the recognition that Malignaggi was overwhelming on him. Stevenson’s fight with Edwin de Los Santos should be a draw or victory for De los Santos. The judges gave it to Shakur, but many fans believe that it was because of his popularity. He shouldn’t lose.

In addition, Shakura’s victories were at a low level of players: Josh Padley [the electrician]An inactive Artem Harutynaan, who took a loss, and little -known Shuichiro Yoshino.

I am a black sheep of boxing, I love it 😈

– Shakur Stevenson (@shakurstevenson) April 14, 2025

Avoidance

“Perhaps a situation in which he may need a little reduction in salary to get these great fights and try to determine his performance,” said Malignaggi. “It sucks, I know. Only in boxing you can be so good that you are not avoided. No other sport does it.”

It is unlikely that this match does not happen, unless Shakur does not dominate the majority of his purse so that William Zepeda is worth fighting with him. Golden Boy and Zepeda apparently saw Shakura’s fight with de los Santos and will know after watching this competition that the winning decision against him would be impossible.

If the judges give Shakur rounds for landing lightweight blows, holding and running, Zepeda will not have a chance to win. In order for Zepeda to have a chance, the fight would have to be staged on a neutral territory in Mexico.

“When you are so good, they have to go through you to be the best, or they can’t be the best. In boxing you can be so good that sometimes you are avoided if you are not in the right situation and everyone plays the ball without you,” said Malignaggi.

The problem is that Shakur did not show that he is “so good” for top -class fighters at the age of 135 to want to fight him. He showed that he is a runner, a tedious runner and is regularly booed when he stands in the face of the opposition with any pop in their blows. It is not popular and many lightweight years from the implementation of PPV status.

Basically, he is known for its activities in social media on the current promoter X. Shakur, Eddie Hearn, could not be transformed into a star and did not invested the cake so as not to get the fight yet to become a home brand, fighting with William Zepeda and Gervont Davis.

Stevenson’s counseling

“It’s crazy for me because I think Shakur is a lightweight premium world in a lightweight division that has good fighters,” said Malignaggi. “I don’t know what the answer is. Maybe take some cut to try to fight Zepeda and then dominate Zeda. This will force more fights in this way, because then you will dominate a guy like Zepeda.

“I don’t know anymore. It’s such a stupid business. There is a crazy sum of money in it. It moves in a strange way. People play favorite. There is a lot of politics because there is something if there is a lot of money, but it gets so frustrating,” said Malignaggi.

https://youtu.be/ihcs_whpaic?si=hry1teijbun-fqsh&t=12