Who will boxing rising star Shakur Stevenson fight next?
The New Jersey native recently defeated Artem Harutyunyan and a few names have been coming out to fight him next.
He was one of the most promising boxing prospects a few years ago, and now he’s one of the biggest rising stars. Shakur Stevenson may not be one of the most impressive and spectacular fighters to watch, but he’s one of the most skillful young boxers.
Although he doesn’t still have big names on his resume, the 27-year-old talent has won all of his 22 fights as a professional and his boxing IQ hasn’t been matched by any of his opponents so far.
After outpointing Artem Harutyunyan in his last fight, it has been debated who he should take on next, and while Gervonta Davis has been mentioned as a very possible rival, it seems both men will still have to wait to meet inside the ring.
Who will be Shakur Stevenson’s next opponent?
Stevenson and Davis have both expressed a common desire to collide to see who’s the better fighter, but Stevenson has also been looking for a fight with super lightweight champion Devin Haney and two-time Olympic gold medalist Vasiliy Lomachenko.
However, and although those fights could eventually happen in the future, the World Boxing Council (WBC) has ordered the American to fight top-ranked contender and undefeated William Zepeda next, with a purse bid scheduled for August 20.
Although a boxer is ordered to face a top contender, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the fight will happen, as both men can reach an agreement and in many cases money and interests end up changing the initial plans.
But if Zepeda ends up being his next rival, Stevenson will be happy to fight him, as he believes he would possibily be his toughest opponent to date.
“Zepeda is a hell of a fighter. I don’t even think I’ve been in the ring in my professional career with a fighter like that. He throws a bunch of punches. He’s great with his own style and a guy like that will bring the best out of me”, Stevenson said, per Boxing Scene.
The Mexican, who has won his 31 professional fights, last defeated Giovanni Cabrera by knockout the same night Stevenson beat Harutyunyan.