Is undefeated boxing prospect Shakur Stevenson the new boogeyman of boxing? Or is Bob Arum and Top Rank stunting the growth of potential-star Shakur Stevenson by refusing to pay?
Seems likely that it is a combination of the two. Either way, despite the fact that he just turned 22 years old, and he has only been a pro for 2 years, Shakur Stevenson is learning the hard way that finding an opponent is becoming a daunting task for him.
Stevenson, looking to stay active and continue to build his resume, was set to fight undefeated Cuban boxer Hairon Socarras on July 13, 2019 at the Prudential Center in his hometown of Newark, NJ. Three weeks ago, Socarras (22-0-3) pulled out of the fight for what Top Rank would only describe as “various issues”.
This left Stevenson where he didn’t want to be; without an opponent. But not for long, because shortly thereafter Franklin Manzanilla stepped in as a replacement. Manzanilla, 30 years old and 18-5 with 17 knockouts is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Rey Vargas. Although a relatively unimpressive opponent in terms of skill level, Manzanilla has had some flashes of success against highly-favored opponents like Julio Ceja. And so, the fight is on. But not for long. Because shortly thereafter, Manzanilla also pulled out for ambiguous reasons.
The long-time saying goes “three times the charm”. Hopefully, that is also true for boxing, because Stevenson now has a third opponent for his July 13, 2019 bout. Alberto Guevara is 27-4 with 12 knockouts and most recently, a loss to Hugo Ruiz in January. Guevara stepped in with just 8 days notice saying “When I was offered this fight, I did not hesitate. I want to fight the best, and Shakur Stevenson is a very good young fighter,” Guevara said. “The hometown crowd will not phase me. I’m coming to shock the boxing world.”
While not the opponent that Socarras or even Manzanilla are, Guevara gives Stevenson a chance to stay active and showcase his talents. Provided there are no further changes, the #StevensonGuevara fight will be aired on ESPN on April 13, beginning at 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time, 7:30 Pacific.
We know how boxing politics work and one can only hope that Stevenson doesn’t have to deal with this throughout his career.
Flip the pages for his greatest knockouts for so far.
