SHAKUR STEVENSON is no longer a free agent.
Last night the 27-year-old was announced as a Matchroom fighter after putting pen to paper on a promotional deal two months after parting ways with Top Rank.
Stevenson, the current WBC World Lightweight champion, defends his title on October 12 against Joe Cordina who joined Matchroom in February 2017. Their bout acts as the chief support to the undisputed light-heavyweight title fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol in Riyadh.
Matchroom Sport Chairman Eddie Hearn has been a long-time admirer of Stevenson and brought the Newark southpaw to his Philadelphia show on July 13 headlined by Jaron Ennis. Stevenson was also in attendance at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles to watch his friend Terence Crawford defeat Israil Madrimov. The first Riyadh Season event gave Hearn and Turki Alalshikh more time to impress Stevenson and get him on board.
“I am ready to start this next chapter of my career and it begins on October 12 with Joe Cordina on the stacked Riyadh Season card in Saudi Arabia,” said Stevenson.
“I’ve made it clear that I want the biggest names and the biggest fights in the sport. Bring on William Zepeda at the top of 2025 and I’m ready for anyone who is brave enough to step in the ring with me. There have been few willing to take on that challenge in recent years.
“With Matchroom and Riyadh Season, I am teaming up with a promotional force that matches my world class talent. We will be unstoppable in and out of the ring, and I will continue to show my dominance for many years to come in the sport of boxing.”
While this is a major coup for Hearn there will be pressure on Stevenson to look good and impress his new promoter and Alalshikh. The three-weight world champion is one of the most gifted fighters in the sport but his performances of late haven’t been easy on the eye. Should he win against Cordina then there will be demands from fans that Stevenson steps up another level and face one of Gervonta Davis, Vasyl Lomachenko or William Zepeda.
“I am delighted to welcome what I believe is a pound-for-pound great to the Matchroom team,” said Hearn.
“Shakur Stevenson is 27 and already a three-division World champion and might be unbeatable in the sport of boxing.
“This young man should be a global superstar, and I believe with our machine behind him, he will land all the big fights and receive all the credit that he deserves.
“The journey begins on October 12 in Riyadh on a huge card, and we cannot wait for the future together.”
