Founder and CEO of Top Rank Bob Arum has reacted to the news that one of his standout fighters has announced a shock retirement from the sport at just 26-years-old, after Shakur Stevenson claimed that he had fought for the last time.
Stevenson won the WBC lightweight title back in November to become a three-division world champion, but received a heap of backlash for the manner in which he won the title, breaking an unwanted punch stats record in an incredibly dull and uneventful affair against Edwin De Los Santos.
After the criticism he received and Stevenson’s public frustration at the lack of opportunities to fight for more titles or against his rivals in the lightweight division, the 2016 Olympic silver medallist informed social media of his decision to retire from the sport, although most fans and fighters alike have taken the statement with a pinch of salt, particularly after the false retirements of both Teofimo Lopez and Tyson Fury in 2023.
In an interview with Fight Hype, Arum seemed confident that Stevenson will return and that he has a big fight on the horizon.
“Shakur is the WBC champion, there are plenty of good fighters for him to fight, but obviously down the road we will be do a fight with Shakur and [Vasyl] Lomachenko, if Lomachenko is successful against [George] Kambosos, or with [Emmanuel] Navarette if he becomes the WBO 135lb champion.”
“Everything takes patience. Shakur is a tremendous talent, but as with a lot of tremendous talents, they become impatient and they want everything today or tomorrow. That’s not the way that it happens in boxing. So, I understand his frustration but I also think that now that he’s had time to reflect, he realises that he’s got to be patient and that the big fights will come to him.”
Stevenson is yet to vacate the WBC title, meaning suspicions that he is not yet done in the ring are appearing to be true.