Eddie Hearn Expresses Interest in Signing Shakur Stevenson to Game Room Stable

Eddie Hearn says he is interested in signing Shakur Stevenson to his Matchroom promotional stable if he becomes a free agent.

Hearn says that if WBC lightweight champion Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs) is willing to commit to his future, he will be the type to invest in. If Hearn signs Shakur, it could be another fight he regrets signing.

Regis Prograis and Subriel Matias are two famous players signed by Hearn that turned out to be a mess.

Criticism of High Level Promotion

Eddie feels that Top Rank didn't promote Shakur well, and blames that on his promoter, Bob Arum, who dropped him several fights ago when he found out he couldn't renew his contract.

Even if Arum had promoted Shakur better, he wouldn't have been a popular fighter because the US fans didn't like his fighting style. Arum could throw in a lot of money by paying top fighters to face Shakur.

However, Shakur would not be a player if he was heard running around the ring like he did to Edwin De Los Santos, Oscar Valdez, and Jeremiah Nakathilia.

Mayweather's era is over, and fans today are looking for a bang for their buck. They don't want to be ripped off for paying to watch boring fights and kicking themselves afterwards for wasting their money ordering games.

Arum was bleeding money by paying Lomachenko, Devin Haney, and Teofimo Lopez to fight Shakur. His reputation may have gone down in those fights because he wouldn't engage and fight like he did with De Los Santos by avoiding trades.

Stevenson's Commercial Viability

“If Shakur wants to promise his future, he invests a lot of money. If it's two, three fights, he'll be getting a lot of money, and you have to work for it,” said Eddie Hearn, speaking to the media when he was asked if he would like to sign for this free agency. Shakur Stevenson in his Matchroom stable.

Signing Shakur Stevenson to a long-term deal with Matchroom would be a huge risk for Hearn unless the contract has an escape clause that would allow him to terminate it if his career doesn't work out.

Shakur can be the cancer of the Matchroom, he also brings low ratings and is avoided by top fighters. Hearn would be making a deal with the devil by signing Shakur and having a guy who fails to increase in popularity.

“I think Shakur, pound-for-pound, is one of the best fighters in the world. He may not be defeated,” said Hearn. “She's so beautiful, but I think she's been promoted too hard. I think some of that is because there Bob [Arum] you know the fighter wants to leave, he's out.”

Shakur has never made any appearances during his career that would suggest he is a pound-for-pound fighter. He played safe in his best wins against Oscar Valdez and De Los Santos, striking out and walking all night. There was little for the fans to be happy about in all these fights because it was one of Shakur's potshots followed by a two to three meter retreat.

“This could have happened two or three fights ago because Bob would have looked stretched at that time,” said Hearn. “Bob is not looking to increase now that there is still one fight to be fought because there is no power when you change bags.”

Arum tried his best to turn Shakur into a star, bringing him along with Oscar Valdez, Jamel Herring, and Robson Conceição. He lacks the style to entertain today's boxing fans that they want to see. Famous fighters like Gervonta Davis and Canelo Alvarez are strong men who are not afraid to combine. Shakur is the opposite.

“So, when he knew Shakur wasn't going to extend, he made a decision,” Hearn said. “'You're out. I won't push him.' Shakur should be a big star, but he isn't. That also works against and in the way that in commerce, money is in it. He got a lot of money.

“With the money he gets from the program, he earns a lot of money but he has not been pushed to be successful in business. I love him. I think he is a great fighter and would be a great addition to the Matchroom team. If he is there, we will definitely be talking; whether it works for both of us, we'll have to see,” Hearn said of Shakur.

Top Rank has been against it since day one, promoting Shakur, who still fights in a student style, and that doesn't translate to the professional game. The peck run style used by beginners, hitting with the white part of the glove, does not work at professional levels. That's Shakur's whole problem. Although he has left the amateurs, he is determined in his ways and cannot change.

“He [Arum] he talked about Shakur, and I said, 'I'm not paying him the money you're paying him, Bob.' He went, 'Ah, ah,'” Hearn said.