Hearn Denies Stevenson’s Matchroom Exit, Eyes Long-Term Partnership Despite Zepeda Challenge

Promoter Eddie Hearn denied today that Shakur Stevenson has split with Matchroom after completing one fight of his two-fight deal. Hearn says Shakur (23-0, 11 KOs) is still under contract with his company and Turki Alalshikh for one more fight against William Zepeda on July 12th in New York.

(Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)

No Split Yet

Hearn states that he hopes Stevenson will remain with him for the rest of his career, but he is unsure what the future holds. If Shakur loses to Zepeda (33-0, 27 KOs) this summer, Hearn might be glad that his two-fight contract is done, so he can wash his hands of him and focus on talented opposition that are entertaining to watch. He can say, ‘Good riddance’ and be glad he’s rid of this albatross.

Stevenson’s glass hands, weak power, and defensive fighting style make it hard to see him thriving against Zepeda or any of the upper-level fighters at 135. For all the hype behind Shakur, he’s beaten no one in his career and has been well-manuevered since 2023.

Dan Rafael reported yesterday on X that Shakur had opted out of his two-fight contract after one fight, and would be using Lou DiBella as his promoter for his fight against Zepeda on July 12th. It was a big surprise because Shakur had only fought the electrician Josh Padley and had seemed to be on good terms with Hearn.

“You read Twitter. We have a two-fight deal with Shakur Stevenson and Turki Alalshikh. I was with Turki Alalshikh earlier for a couple of hours. That’s it,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to Fight Hub TV when asked about the reports of Shakur Stevenson leaving Matchroom to fight under a different promoter. promoter for his July 12th defense against William Zepeda in New York.

“So, after the Zepeda fight, I don’t know what’s going to happen. Hopefully, we have the rest of his career with us, but I can’t say that categorically. So, yeah, I agreed to a two-fight deal with Shakur Stevenson, Turki Alalshikh, and that’s it. July 12th, we roll on in against Zepeda, and we’ll see what happens after that. Yes,” said Hearn when asked if it’s ‘Fake news’ that Shakur has left Matchroom after one fight with Josh Padley.

He’s only fought one good fighter since moving up to the lightweight division, Edwin De Los Santos, and he came close to losing to him. All of Shakur’s popularity stems from what he did at 130 and 126, where he beat fading veterans Jamel Herring and Oscar Valdez. All of Stevenson’s other wins have come against fringe contenders.