Shakur Stevenson Testing Waters at 130 But Still Wants Warrington
For the past year, WBO world featherweight champion “Fearless” Shakur Stevenson (13-0, 7 KO’s) has loudly pursued a prizefight with IBF world featherweight champion Josh “The Leeds Warrior” Warrington (30-0, 7 KO’s).
Frustratingly, the only fruits of these labors have been what he believes to be two miserly lowball offers.
Finding only obstacles and evasion in pursuit of Warrington, Stevenson began saying that perhaps it’s be more advantageous to his career to hop up the junior lightweight division.
On June 9, in the MGM Grand located in Las Vegas, Fearless will validate his threats of moving up when he faces Felix “La Sombra” Caraballo (13-1-2, 9 KO’s) in a super featherweight dustup.
STILL WILLING AND WAITING
Provided that he likes the way that his body feels competing four pounds north Stevenson is very cozy with the idea of remaining at super featherweight. Yet, in his heart he still would love to make the fight with Warrington come to fruition as he explained to IFL TV.
“I’m going to throw this out there because I know you from the UK. I’ll be willing to get back in the ring in August or September.
“That’s real, that’s not too far. So I’ll be willing to get back in the ring with Warrington if we got to. So, just throwing that out there.”
READY TO TRAVEL
While chasing the Warrington bout, Stevenson has maintained the same talking points without wavering. The New Jersey native is adamant that he has no problem traveling to the UK to fight the IBF featherweight champion in his own backyard.
Although relatively new to the professional ranks, Fearless has a good understanding of the business and openly acknowledges the work that the Leeds Warrior has put in. This is why he puts up no resistance to the notion of traveling for the bout.
“You got to realize Warrington is the more established guy. Like I am only 13 fights in. Warrington got 30 fights and he got more of fan base if I’m being honest because he has 30 fights and is older and all that type of stuff.
“Like he been in the game longer so he has a bigger fan base than what I got so it would only make sense for a fight to been done in like England.
“We can do something in America but it won’t be as big of an event as it is on his turf.”
MONEY GOT TO BE RIGHT
For team Stevenson the only major hiccup in bringing this bout to life is the matter of money. While happy to cross the pond and enter the lion’s den he is inflexible on taking chump change to do so.
So it’s been understandably vexing that he feels that he’s been underbid by two separate promotional companies.
“Eddie Hearn constantly sings in interviews like how much more money he’s got than Frank Warren and Frank Warren is broke and all this type of stuff that he be saying in the interviews.
“So, I’m thinking in my brain, like ‘okay, now that he signed Josh Warrington he going to be able to see the type of money I want to see. Or get close to it at least, that way I want to see that fight happen.’
“But he just sent the same thing that Frank really offered. I feel like its disrespect.”
By: Bakari Simpson
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