Olympic silver medallist, undefeated, dominant phenom and current WBC lightweight champion, Shakur Stevenson could very much be the face of the sport of boxing in years to come. At just 26 years old with a record of 21-0, he’s got a huge future ahead of him. We know that he is willing to move up through the weight classes, especially in search of bigger and better fights and we’re anticipating that he does his again in the near future.
Betting Impact of a Shakur Stevenson Fight
In sports betting circles, Shakur Stevenson is a big draw. Easily one of the biggest names in the sport, he has been a heavy favorite in Vegas for virtually every fight he’s had in recent years. While we don’t have a line on potential fights, MMA bettors can look to one of the best betting apps and check out sportsbookreview.com to get a sense of boxing odds for all currently scheduled fights.
We took a look at some potential matchups that would certainly have Vegas drooling.
Lightweight Possibilities
The move up in weight for Stevenson was necessary as there are far bigger names for him to clash with at lightweight than there was down at super featherweight.
Mega fights against names including Ukrainian, Vasiliy Lomachenko could be on the horizon – a prospect that has many boxing fans and bettors dreaming.
Lomachenko is coming off a dominant 11th-round TKO victory over George Kambosos Jr in May, capturing the IBF belt. Although he looked back to his best last time out, it could register as a changing of the guard fight between the two men. Loma is 10 years Stevenson’s senior, however, there’s an easier fight at 135lbs.
Fellow Ukrainian Denys Berinchyk pulled off a huge upset, defeating Emanuel Navarrete via split decision to pick up the WBO belt. Stevenson is, without a doubt a better technician than Berinchyk, which would provide an easier fight for him.
Gervonta Davis is the defending WBA champion, however, it is a horrible fight for anyone. He’s a slick boxer with legitimate one-punch knockout power. Of his 29 wins, 27 of them have come via knockout. He’s the biggest name value at lightweight, however, he comes as the biggest risk.
Ryan Garcia and William Zepeda are both potential bouts, however, none of them hold a belt, meaning that there’s very little gain for Stevenson. Garcia is a huge name, however, there comes a risk of fighting Garcia. Would Garcia even go back to lightweight? Only time will tell!
Super Lightweight?
There’s also scope, based on his age and size that the American could move up to super lightweight. A 5lbs increase in weight shouldn’t alter his game too much, however, naturally, it comes with its risks (and rewards). The rewards are obvious, win a world title and become a three-weight world champion.
That won’t be an easy task though. The hard-hitting Teofimo Lopez holds the WBO belt and he can both box and bang, a risky fight for a smaller fighter.
Devin Haney still holds the WBC belt and would be one of the biggest fights in boxing. Despite losing to Ryan Garcia last time out, Haney held on to his belt (and that loss may go down as a no-contest in the future) so the WBC strap could be on the line. With Stevenson being the WBC champion at the lower weight class, he would be in line for a shot at Haney.
Issac Cruz and Ismael Barroso look set to unify the WBA strap, so that leaves just one man, the IBF champion, Subriel Matias. Matias is less well known, however, he’s forced his most recent five opponents retire. He’s matched with fellow undefeated star, Liam Parro on June 15th. If he comes through Parro, there’s a good chance that it could be Matias who welcomes Stevenson to super lightweight.
Whatever happens, keep an eye on Stevenson as there’s a good chance he could be the face of boxing sooner rather than later.
