Shakur Stevenson will be fighting in his third weight class, as he makes his lightweight debut against Shuichiro Yoshino at the Prudential Center.
In the two previous divisions, Stevenson has fought in, Stevenson has won world titles, and the prizefighter will be in a WBC title eliminator in April as well. Top Rank CEO Bob Arum echoed this point.
“The plan is for [Stevenson] to fight the Haney-Loma winner,” Arum said when speaking with iD Boxing. “If Haney wins, he’s talking about going to 140 so that makes it a vacant title for Shakur.”
The plan seems simple. If Haney wins, Shakur Stevenson will fight the highest-rated challenger, as Devin Haney, the undisputed world champion at lightweight will look to move up in weight, but if Lomachenko wins, Stevenson will face Lomachenko.
“…if Loma wins, then Loma and Shakur is a fight that I would pay all kinds of money to watch. That’s really an unbelievable fight,” explained Arum. Two real great students and artists in the game of boxing.”
Earlier this year, Stevenson had the following to say about facing Vasiliy Lomachenko in the near future as it is a fight that not just is Stevenson looking forward to - it is a fight Stevenson is expecting.
“Lol me and Dev the big one [SIC],” said Stevenson via tweet after Lomachenko got a unanimous decision over Jamaine Ortiz. “I’m 25 ain’t nobody I’m not ready for if I’m not ready now I’m not ever gone ready - And truthfully I been ready for all y’all for a couple of years now tbh.”
