WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson got the first fight of his two-fight contract with Eddie Hearn out of the way last Saturday, stopping the electrician Josh Padley (15-1, 4 KOs) in the ninth round. Now, it’s up to Hearn to deliver the money fight to Shakur (23-0, 11 KOs) against WBA 135-lb champion Gervonta Davis next.
Hearn’s Investment
If Eddie can’t deliver the Tank fight for Shakur, it will be interesting to see who he fights. Shakur has only fought one decent name since moving up to 135, Edwin De Los Santos and he looked horrible in that fight. Andy Cruz is the #1 ranked contender at WBC for Shakur’s belt, and Hearn has been very quiet about making a fight between them. You can guess why. Shakur is more beneficial money-wise for a battle against Tank Davis than the Cuba-born Cruz, who isn’t well known yet and isn’t being given a strong promotional push by Matchroom.
Built for Tank Cash-out
If Hearn lets Cruz fight Stevenson, he’d likely beat him and ruin his dreams of fighting Tank Davis. He knows Shakur is very beatable, and that’s why he was so interested in matching him against Joe Cordina last October, Floyd Schofield, and then the electrician Josh Padley. A pattern of opposition is being offered to Shakur, and it’s clear that he’s being protected so Hearn can make the Tank Davis fight.
Hearn needs Turki Alalshikh to take an interest in making the Tank vs. Stevenson fight because it’s impossible without him. It would be too much of a financial risk because Shakur isn’t a PPV draw. All the buys would be coming in from Gervonta’s side, and his PPV numbers have always been on the low side of the spectrum except for his fight against Ryan Garcia.
Shakur’s Three-division Title Wins
– Lightweight: Edwin De Los Santos for WBC 135-b belt
– Super Featherweight: Jamel Herring for WBO 130-lb title
– Featherweight: Joet Gonzalez, winning WBO 126-lb strap
A Star is Manufactured
Stevenson’s three division world title wins have come against lackluster opposition, which devalues his holding belts. Shakur’s three-division world champion status would mean more if he beat high-level fighters, but those three he’s beaten are not A-level guys. This is the same stuff we saw from Adrien Broner, who won four division world titles by beating lesser fighters. For the naive fans born yesterday, this is all about promotional maneuvering being done for fighters like Shakur and Broner. How to manufacture a star 101.
“He’s 27, in his prime, he’s a three-division world champion, he’s a super talented fighter. He’s got the background as an amateur and fought a lot of good as a professional,” said Dan Rafael to Ring Magazine. Now, it’s about going after the biggest and best fights. Hopefully, they can make those matchups, whoever they’re against.”
You can throw out Shakur’s three-division world titles as being important, as he is not special enough to win those belts.
“Obviously, he talked after the fight that he wants Tank Davis. He’s on the same schedule as Shakur. Tank fights in a few days [against Lamong Roach this Saturday, March 1st in Brooklyn, New York]. That would be a huge fight obviously.
“Shakur against Tank is the biggest, most high-profile fight you can make right now between American champions. I think with the money available via the Saudis, any fight can happen.
At Matchroom HQ 📍 @ShakurStevenson @EddieHearn pic.twitter.com/15Y6DiczPW
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) February 25, 2025
“Remember, it wasn’t too long ago when Canelo Alvarez said, ‘No, thank you. I’m not interested in doing anything with the Saudis.’ He was doing his own thing, and guess what? Now, he’s got a four-fight deal with Turki, and he’s fighting on one of their cards coming up in May [against IBF super middleweight champion William Scull], a planned September fight against Terence Crawford, and two more fights in 2026.
“In boxing, it’s typically about the money, and if the money is there, I’m sure you can get Gervonta Davis and Shakur Stevenson in the ring together. If the money is there, any fight can get made,” said Rafael.
Last Updated on 02/25/2025
