Shakur Stevenson is upset at Top Rank looking to make Oscar Valdez vs Emanuel Navarrete
Newly crowned WBO junior lightweight champion Shakur “Fearless” Stevenson (17-0, 9ko) has been on a mission to get a fight with WBC champion Oscar Valdez (30-0, 23ko). However, the top brass at Top Rank have a different plan, and Stevenson is not happy.
THE BACKSTORY INTO THE HUNT FOR A VALDEZ FIGHT
Stevenson was on the heels of Valdez back when they both were competing in the featherweight division in 2019. Valdez was the WBO champion at that time and Fearless was the number one contender. Even then Stevenson was calling for a fight with his fellow stablemate.
Valdez would vacate the title by moving up to junior lightweight, and he defeated then WBC champion Miguel Berchelt with a meme-style knockout on February 20.
Stevenson would have to settle for a consolation prize in winning the vacant WBO title against Joet Gonzalez in 2019. Eventually, he moved up to junior lightweight still on the hunt for Valdez. Furthermore, he expressed his belief why Top Rank is not eager to make the fight.
“Like I say, it’s politics at the end of the day. Oscar Valdez is making Top Rank money…..I don’t think they are in a rush to throw him in with me.”
POSSIBLE CHANGE OF PLANS
Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, during an interview with BeatsBoxingMayhem, revealed that team Navarrete, after the Gonzalez fight, expressed an interest in fighting Valdez, which would leave Stevenson out in the cold.
“Navarrete and all of his people at ringside said the next fight they want is Valdez…. Talked with Valdez’s manager, Frank Espinoza, who likes that fight. Now again after Shakur and Jamel, we will sit down with everybody. We are in a fortunate position to promote all of them and figure out which way we are going to go.”
Stevenson dominated fellow stablemate and WBO junior lightweight champion Jamel “Semper Fi” Herring on October 23. During the post-fight interview, he wasted little time in calling for unification with Valdez.
“Oscar Valdez can’t keep ducking. It’s the biggest fight in the division. We need to unify.”
In fairness, Valdez, before any of this took place, made it clear he intends to fight the winner of Herring versus Stevenson.
“We all want the winner of Shakur Stevenson vs Jamel Herring.”
Stevenson, realizing that his quest for unification against Valdez, a fighter he has been chasing in two divisions over the past two years, is in jeopardy, took to social media to vent.
By: Garrisson Bland
