After fighting his last match with Top Rank last Saturday, Shakur Stevenson has officially become a free agent, thus starting the battle among the main promoters in the global scene to secure the rights to the performances of the talented American lightweight. The possibility of signing a new contract with Top Rank has been ruled out by Stevenson himself, who wore a provocative T-shirt towards Bob Arum after his last fight, accusing him of not allowing him to face Vasyl Lomachenko.
In recent days, it seemed that the main contenders to sign Stevenson were Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom and Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s TMZ. Now, Oscar De La Hoya has entered the race with a surprise move. The former successful boxer posted on X, stating clearly that he will allow his fighter William Zepeda to fight Shakur Stevenson only if the latter chooses Golden Boy Promotions. These were DLH’s chosen words:
“Had a great meeting with Shakur Stevenson’s representatives. William Zepeda will only fight him if Shakur is signed to Golden Boy.”
De La Hoya’s strategy appears very shrewd. In recent years, Stevenson has often complained about not being offered high-caliber challenges against world-famous opponents against whom he can finally showcase all his talent and silence the skeptics. Zepeda is building a huge fan following due to his aggressive style and spectacular KOs, which is why the opportunity to face him is certainly among the desires of the American boxer. We will now see if this prospect convinces him to sign with Golden Boy or if other considerations will prevail.