Shakur Stevenson is set to fight for the vacant WBC lightweight world title, but there’s one major issue – the Newark native can’t find a man to fill the opposite corner.
Stevenson has had just one fight at 135 – a sixth round stoppage of Shuichiro Yoshino – but, given his world title success in two previous weight classes, finds himself mandatory for a shot at the belt.
It has recently been vacated by Devin Haney, who will move up to super-lightweight to challenge champion Regis Prograis, thus becoming ‘champion in recess’ at lightweight.
Vasily Lomachenko was offered the bout, followed by Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz. According to WBC President, Mauricio Sulaiman, both fighters turned down the opportunity.
Next it fell to number-two ranked Frank ‘The Ghost’ Martin, like Stevenson an undefeated southpaw. His team, PBC, reportedly struck a deal with Top Rank for the fight to land on ESPN this November, cancelling any need for purse bids.
Now, ESPN’s Mike Coppinger reports that Martin’s side has pulled the plug when presented with the contract. He revealed that a representative from Top Rank provided the following statement:
“It’s disappointing that the fans will be deprived of such a highly anticipated matchup.”
Statement from Top Rank spokesperson Evan Korn: “Shakur Stevenson is willing to fight anybody in and around his weight class. The fact that so many fighters have turned down the challenge is a testament to his greatness.
“It’s disappointing that the fans will be deprived of… https://t.co/37bTtqWiuN
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) September 9, 2023
Stevenson then appeared to confirm the news by quoting Coppinger’s news and adding the duck emoji.
?????????? https://t.co/XvLLyaCVkt
— Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) September 9, 2023
Not only are the fans now set to miss out on an intriguing world title match-up in one of the most stacked divisions the sport has to offer, but Stevenson takes a step back from fighting for honours in a third weight class.
The WBC are now expected to order a fresh opponent, with the next down the list being William Zepeda and Edwin de los Santos.
