Shakur Stevenson has reportedly opted out of his second fight of his two-fight contract with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom and will be working with promoter Lou DiBella for his title defense of his WBC lightweight strap against William Zepeda on the July 12th card in New York City.
Flat Fee Deal
Stevenson signed with Hearn in 2024 and fought just once, stopping the electrician Josh Padley in the ninth round on February 22nd in Riyadh. Hearn had wanted to schedule a fight for Shakur against Joe Cordina last October, but he suffered a hand injury while training.
Dan Rafael reports that Shakur (23-0, 11 KOs) has hired DiBella on a “flat fee” for the Zepeda (33-0, 27 KOs) fight “that will make much less than a promoter that had him under contract.”
He’ll be a free agent after that. He says Stevenson is getting a “mid-7 figure payday” for the Zepeda fight. So, Shakur will get a payday between $4 million and $7 million for the Zepeda fight. It’ll be less expensive for Shakur with DiBella than it would be if he were still under contract with Hearn.
Some fans on social media view Stevenson’s decision to leave Hearn as an act of ingratitude and betrayal. After all, he’d helped get his name out there by praising him in interviews, and he’d given him an easy fight against Padley rather than a dangerous one against the Cuban knockout artist Jadier Herrera on the February 22nd card. Hearn could have thrown Shakur in with Herrera, and he would have had to run from the 22-year-old because he has one-punch power.
The Opt-Out
“In reporting on July 12 card with Shakur-Zepeda, a source with knowledge of specifics told me Shakur split from Matchroom & his manager, James Prince, has hired Lou DiBella as his promoter for the event,” said Rafael.
“He had a two-fight deal with Matchroom, did one, apparently, either side could opt out after the first. He was hardly in a long-term deal.”
It might not be such a great loss for Hearn. Look at the bright side. He’s rid of a fighter that fans view as an eyesore, and he’ll be worthless to anyone if he loses or performs poorly against Zepeda.
Shakur can’t fight the way Tevin Farmer did against Zepeda because he lacks the size, power, and toughness to deal with that kind of pressure. Shakur will have to fight Zepeda for him to keep from getting knocked out. If he does that, his glass hands could shatter.
Last Updated on 04/21/2025
2025-04-21 05:28:19
