Promoter Eddie Hearn is excited about signing Shakur Stevenson to his Matchroom firm after his Saturday night time battle in opposition to Artem Harutyunyan.
The Want for a Promotional Overhaul
Hearn feels the WBC light-weight champion Shakur (21-0, 10 KOs) must be constructed promotional right into a star, however he believes he can do it. He doesn’t say how he would go about it, although, as a result of it’ll require greater than hyping him up in interviews to make a star out of the 2016 Olympic silver medalist.
Assuming Hearn does signal Shakur, he’ll must brainwash him into altering the way in which he fights as a result of his defensive type doesn’t match on this period of boxing followers.
Rethinking Shakur’s Combating Model
It’s like taking a singer from the Twenties and making an attempt to promote their music to the general public in 2024. It gained’t work. Shakur fights with a method that doesn’t work with followers of this period, and it’ll solely appeal to curiosity from thie followers that take pleasure in defenses over offenses.
The fights that Shakur must construct him right into a star are in opposition to these guys:
Gervonta Davis
Vasily Lomachenko
Devin Haney
Teofimo Lopez
Ryan Garcia
Hearn doesn’t have any of these fighters signed to his steady, and he’s not going to have the ability to get any of them to conform to battle Shakur with out the Saudis providing them some huge cash.
A Potential Partnership on the Horizon
“I can’t reward him extremely sufficient. He’s pound-for-pound high quality,” stated Eddie Hearn to Charlie Parson’s YouTube channel about desirous to signal Shakur Stevenson after the ultimate battle of his contract with Prime Rank this Saturday night time in opposition to Artem Harutyunyan.
If Hearn does signal Shakur, he must have a great plan in place to get probably the most worth out of him as a result of his preventing type won’t ever appeal to followers to his fights. He’ll solely be helpful if he’s matched in opposition to a fighter with a fan base, like Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney, Vasily Lomachenko, or Ryan Garcia.
“To not Shakur, however to his folks. They wish to discuss. We positively wish to have these conversations,” stated Hearn when requested if he’s spoken to Shakur about signing him to his Matchroom firm.
“Promotionally, I don’t assume the place he ought to be as a result of what occurs with Bob [Arum] and Prime Rank is that they sort of hand over. I don’t essentially blame them as a result of when a fighter comes out and says, ‘I’m off after this battle,’ you’re not going to make them a precedence, are you?”
Blaming Prime Rank and Bob Arum for Shakur not being a star doesn’t make sense as a result of they matched him in opposition to Oscar Valdez, Jamel Herring, Jeremiah Nakathilia, Edwin De Los Santos, and Joet Gonzalez. Shakur hasn’t grow to be a star due to his hit-and-not-get-hit preventing type, which he refuses to vary, and he can’t change even when he needs to with out ruining his profession.
“Shakur is making some huge cash. I made a joke to Bob, saying, ‘I’m not going to pay him the sort of cash you’re paying him,’ and he informed all people. It was sort of tongue-in-cheek, however there is a component of reality in that as a result of the battle has to ship worth.
“So, I won’t pay Shakur that sort of cash to battle somebody you’ve by no means heard of, however I’ll pay them that sort of cash and extra for large fights that do draw,” stated Hearn. “I feel promotionally, he wants a job finished on him. He wants to purchase into that as nicely.”
Hearn can drag Shakur over to England to attempt to construct him right into a star over there. Nonetheless, it’s not going to work within the U.S. He was booed out of the T-Cellular Enviornment in Las Vegas in his final battle in opposition to Edwin De Los Santos final November, and that was simply one in all many boring performances by him.
“Jaron Ennis purchased into that, and take a look at him now—one of many prime fighters within the sport about to do 15,000 subsequent week. We’re being aggressive, constructing fighters, and we’ve got a fantastic steady. We might love so as to add Shakur to that,” stated Hearn.
Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis has a much more entertaining type than Shakur Steveson, so it is going to be simpler for Hearn to show him right into a star. Ennis isn’t afraid to interact together with his opponents like Shakur is, and he’s keen to place his chin on the road to entertain the followers. Shakur isn’t.
