At the age of 91, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has worked with some of the very best talent the sport has to offer.
Whether it’s Muhammad Ali, Marvin Hagler, George Foreman, or more modern superstars like Tyson Fury and Terence Crawford, the New York native has a storied career in the corner of boxing icons.
And one of the most recent ‘prodigies’ he’s proud to back is one Shakur Stevenson – a two-weight world champion one fight away from making that three.
Speaking to Fight Hub TV, Arum said that the 26-year-old from Newark was unbeatable, as evidenced by the struggle to find an opponent.
“Shakur is a prodigy. I think he’s an unbelievable fighter. A great, great talent. We’re paying opponents money that they haven’t seen [before], but sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
We had a deal for this Frank Martin, paying Martin seven or eight times more than he ever made. His promoter Tom Brown went along with that, we made the deal, and then the kid pulled out. I don’t know what’s in these kids’ minds. But we’ll find, as we go on, top talent to fight Shakur.
The boy he’s fighting on the 16th of November is a tough guy, will give him a really good fight. But, I gotta be honest with you, I don’t think anybody ever beats Shakur.”
Stevenson – just one fight in to his campaign at 135 – will face Edwin De Los Santos on November 16 for a shot at the WBC lightweight world title recently vacated by Devin Haney due to a move up in weight.
Should the American win the belt, he’s expected by many to stay at the top for the foreseeable, with a future fight against Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis becoming even more intriguing.