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Shakur Stevenson said he plans to become a free agent after his current promotional contract with Top Rank expires on July 6, when he defends his WBC lightweight belt against Artem Harutyunyan.
Finding flexibility for big fights
A former three-division world champion, Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs) believes being a free agent will help him get the biggest fights rather than re-signing him to another long-term contract.
“I'm not going to sign a long-term deal, to be honest… so whenever the fight comes up, it can be done at any time,” Shakur Stevenson said on X.
In the footsteps of Devin Haney
As a free agent, 2016 Olympic silver medalist Shakur will follow in the footsteps of Devin Haney, who has been signing one-fight deals with multiple promoters to secure the biggest fights possible.
This allowed Haney to get lucrative matches against Vasiliy Lomachenko, Ryan Garcia and Regis Prograis. He has proven himself well.
The fight Shakur wants most at 135 pounds is a unification against “regular” WBA lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis, who fights for the PBC (Premier Boxing Champions). However, it would be risky for Stevenson to want to sign a long-term contract with PBC in hopes of getting a fight against Tank Davis.
If Shakur signs with PBC, he may not get the Tank fight, but even if he does, Stevenson could sit on the sidelines, competing once a year, and not fight at all.
Top Rank Counterproposal
Interestingly, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum says he wants to make a fight between Shakur and Lomachenko if Loma wins his match against George Kambosos Jr. for the vacant IBF lightweight title this Saturday in Perth, Australia.
The move could be seen as Arum's attempt to keep Shakur at his Top Rank company. It's unclear whether Arum would want Shakur to sign another long-term contract or whether he would be content with a one-fight contract.
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