Shakur Stevenson has proven himself to be one of the top fighters on the planet after becoming a four-weight world champion earlier this year, and now the Newark southpaw has been called out for a unification showdown in the super-lightweight division.
Stevenson got the better of Teofimo Lopez back in January as he claimed the WBO super-lightweight title to become boxing’s third-youngest four-division world champion of all time and establish himself as one of the sport’s best pound-for-pound talents.
Since that triumph, Stevenson has remained inactive, much to the frustration of him and his fans, with his recent release from Zuffa Boxing providing hope that he could return to action in the near future.
Now, in an interview with Ring Magazine, reigning WBC super-lightweight world champion Dalton Smith has shared his plans to fight at Hillsborough Stadium – home of his beloved Sheffield Wednesday Football Club – believing a unification with Stevenson to be the ideal fight for the venue.
“For me, the number one goal is [to fight at] Hillsborough [Stadium] and of course, you would have to have a big name there, a unification, but there is many options and that is for my team to decide. So, we need to sit down as a team and decide what those options are. I would just love to do Hillsborough.”
“Of course, there are no two ways about it, Shakur is the number one fighter in the division. He is obviously a four-weight world champion and, of course, he is one hell of a fighter, but I am in a position now where I can cement my own legacy and push on to be that number one.
“If I keep winning and keep bringing eyes to the sport, then I think that it is a fight that can be built and something big can come from it.”
The WBO have recently ordered negotiations between Stevenson and mandatory challenger Raymond Muratalla, which could see Smith and Stevenson potentially aligned for a summer scrap in the near-40,000 capacity Sheffield venue.
