After plenty of talk and not so much action, it seems like Shakur Stevenson finally has a big fight on the horizon as he has been targeted to fight a major pound-for-pound contender later in the year.
Stevenson currently holds the WBC lightweight championship and has solidified his status as one of boxing’s most talented stars, boasting an undefeated professional record of 21-0 at just 26 years old, but last time out he drew some criticism for a straightforward pints win against Edwin De Los Santos back in November.
He came out recently to claim he was injured during that fight which is why he was not at this best and is now scheduled to defend his WBC lightweight world title against Artem Harutyunyan in New Jersey on Saturday, July 6th.
As Stevenson continues to make waves, he could do with a blockbuster bout to really take him to the next level and now it seems he might have someone willing to step up.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Top Rank CEO Bob Arum has thrown his man Vasiliy Lomachenko’s name into the ring to fight Stevenson should both men come through their next fights.
“I have this other fighter Shakur Stevenson, who is also a great technician. So if Lomachenko wins and Shakur, who is scheduled to fight in July wins, then for the fall to do a Lomachenko-Shakur fight, every serious boxing fan will be watching that in awe between two great technicians fighting for a unified title.”
The Ukrainian legend Lomachenko faces George Kambosos for the vacant IBF lightweight world title this weekend. They were initially scheduled to clash for undisputed honours, but Lomachenko opted to return to Ukraine after the Russian invasion.
Lomachenko comes into the bout after a controversial unanimous decision loss to Devin Haney last May. Meanwhile, Kambosos bounced back with a victory over Maxi Hughes in July after consecutive losses to Haney.
Arum said he is looking forward to the fight.
“Let’s see what happens. Kambosos is very very good. Even though he doesn’t come from Perth he’s fighting on home territory which means something. I’m looking forward to it, it’s going to be sold out in Perth.”
Should both men come through, Stevenson versus Lomachencko would be a contest every fight fan would look forward to.
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