Shakur Stevenson, WBC Lightweight champion, has reportedly rejected a lucrative $15 million, five-fight offer to re-ink with Top Rank. Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) has chosen instead to go out on the free agent mark, hoping to be given a better deal.
Overestimating His Value?
The deal would have seen the 2016 Olympic silver medalist receive a minimum purse of $3 million per fight for his five fights with Top Rank. Stevenson might not be worth even half that amount, and he could become cancer for whichever promoter signs him, thinking he will be 24k gold. Stevenson is an average fighter who will be a money pit for whoever signs him.
Whether another promoter will match Top Rank’s $15 million offer to Shakur is questionable. If they view Shakur as someone who will turn a profit, they’ll pay him a King’s ransom to sign a long-term deal.
Signing Shakur will work if a promoter is willing to baby him by putting him in with tomato cans, as Top Rank has done since signing him out of the Olympics. Still, if they match him against quality fighters, they’ll likely watch him repeatedly lose.
Shakur’s recent performances have shown that he’s not the fighter people had thought, and he packs the talent to beat the best at the pro level.
Top Rank’s match-makers did an excellent job of creating the illusion of Shakur being a star with how they matched him, but the last two fights have shown that it was all a mirage.
Recent Performances Raise Concerns
Unfortunately, Shakur’s chances of winning fights against top-echelon fighters are slim, and he could finish out a five-fight contract with a 0-5 record if he’s matched against the best in the lightweight division.
Shakur’s fight against Artem Harutyunyan last Saturday night highlighted his lack of offensive skills and his problems once he’s fighting higher-caliber opposition, which he’s yet to do as a professional.
Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn has sounded eager about signing him to his promotional stable, but it’s unknown whether he’ll want to invest the cash into a long-term contract.
Hearn recently made the mistake of signing Regis Prograis and Subriel Matias, believing the two were two sure-thing stars, but then watching them both go down to defeat. Both of their careers are on shaky ground now.
Potential for Big Fights, But Low Winning Odds
The 27-year-old Shakur’s last two performances against Artem Harutyunyan last Saturday night and Edwin De Los Santos that he lacks superstar potential, and will crumble once he’s matched tough against Gervonta Davis or half a dozen other fighters in the lightweight division.
Shakur has the hype to be involved in a profitable fight against Tank Davis or Vasily Lomachenko, but his chances of winning either of those matches are low.
The casual and hardcore boxing fans will be interested in seeing Shakur fight a top name like Gervonta. Still, he lacks the firepower and offensive ability to compete with this talent.