Shakur Stevenson’s next move was set to be an interesting one after his deal with Top Rank came to an end, and it has now been reported who he is set to take on next, but it doesn’t appear to be long-time rival Gervonta Davis.
Stevenson was last in action earlier this month, earning a unanimous decision victory over Artem Harutyunyan to retain his WBC lightweight title.
That bout was the last on his current contract with Top Rank, meaning the 27-year-old was able to explore other options and potentially sign to fight opponents locked in to deals with other promoters and broadcasters.
The one fight that boxing fans were clamouring for was a showdown with Davis, who competes under the PBC banner, most recently when he stopped Frank Martin in the seventh round to retain his WBA lightweight title in Las Vegas last month.
A bout between the two undefeated Americans would be one of the biggest fights in the sport, but it seems boxing fans will have to wait even longer to see the potential showdown, after it was reported by BoxingScene that Stevenson has verbally agreed to take on William Zepeda.
They state that despite the best efforts of Stevenson and his team, a bout with ‘Tank’ has been unable to materialise, meaning they have now turned their attention to a showdown with Zepeda.
Zepeda is 31-0, with 27 of those wins coming by knockout, and has picked up stoppage victories over Giovanni Cabera and Maxi Hughes so far in 2024.
While there isn’t an official date or venue yet, it is believed that the most likely location could be on the undercard of the undisputed light-heavyweight title fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, which takes place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 12.
It is the latest in a long list of big events to take place in Saudi Arabia over the past year, which has included Oleksandr Usyk defeating Tyson Fury to become undisputed heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua earning wins over Francis Ngannou and Otto Wallin, and Joseph Parker claiming victories against Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang.
The Riyadh Season cards have now also expanded to around the world, beginning with Saturday’s Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov event in Los Angeles, before Joshua takes on Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in London on September 21.
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