Promoter Eddie Hearn says Shakur Stevenson’s profile has risen since he signed with Matchroom last year, and claims he’s had “big fights” with them. Fans disagree with Hearn. They feel Stevenson’s stock has continued to drop steadily since last year due to the matchmaking and his performance against Josy Padley. It took him nine rounds to knock out the electrician.

He expects Stevenson (23-0, 11 KOs) to shine in his defense of his WBC lightweight belt against William Zepeda (33-0, 27 KOs) on July 12th in New York.

Stevenson has got to look like gold in this fight because he wants to fight Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis next. If he’s on his bike all night, Tank isn’t going to want anything to do with him. He’s not going to want to chase Shakur around the ring.

Hearn’s “Big Fights” Questioned

“I believe in the short time we’ve been working together, he’s had some big fights, made big money, and his profile has continued to rise,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to Brian Campbell’s YouTube channel, talking about Shakur Stevenson.

For the record, Shakur has fought only once since signing a two-fight contract with Hearn’s Matchroom company in August 2024. That one fight was against Josh Padley this year on February 22nd. When Hearn says Shakur has had “some big fights” since signing with him, he’s a little off. The electrician, Padley, was Stevenson’s first fight of his two-fight deal, and William Zepeda will be his second on July 12th.

Shakur’s profile has diminished further since coming on board with Matchroom, because he chose to fight Padley as his replacement opponent after Floyd Schofield pulled out of their fight last February. Stevenson was foolish to agree to the idea of using Padley as his replacement opponent.

These were the 3 Options for Shakur’s replacement.

• Jadier Herrera: Unbeaten contender with a 17-0 record with 15 knockouts. He would have been dangerous for Shakur due to his power, size, and youth.
• Josh Padley: The light-hitting electician with four knockouts who was ultimately picked. Hearn reportedly recommended Padley as the replacement. If the idea was to ensure that Shakur kept winning long enough to get the Gervonta Davis fight, choosing Padley was the way to do it. Jadier Herrera would have been too risky because he has power and talent. That’s a no-no, record Shakur.
• Moussa Gholam: A Moroccan fighter with no notable wins and marginal power. Surprisingly, this guy wasn’t picked, but he’s a better puncher than Padley. So, if the idea was to choose the weakest of the three for Shakur, Padley was the best.

Shakur’s Reputation at Risk

“I think this fight is the perfect fight to show how great he [Shakur] is. Zepeda is a tremendous fighter. I just feel the style is really suited for him to entertain and show his class,” said Hearn about Stevenson.

Zepeda’s style is a bad one for Shakur, who will have no choice but to run from him for 12 rounds for him to have a shot at winning. He won’t be able to stand and fight because Zepeda is offensively superior to him.

This fight is likely going to be similar to how Shakur fought against Edwin De Los Santos, with him running around the ring for 12 rounds. The criticism that Devin Haney took for his timid performance against Jose Ramirez on May 2nd will be nothing compared to how fans will dump on Stevenson.