Eddie Hearn has confirmed that Shakur Stevenson remains under promotional agreement with Matchroom Boxing, despite recent rumors suggesting otherwise. Speculation arose that the WBC lightweight champion had ended his partnership with Matchroom.
Boxing journalist Dan Rafael reported on X that Stevenson, 27, had supposedly “split” from Matchroom. Rafael stated that a source indicated Stevenson`s manager, James Prince, hired Lou DiBella as promoter for the upcoming fight against William Zepeda on July 12.
Stevenson is scheduled to defend his world title against mandatory challenger William Zepeda in New York on July 12. The event is expected to feature a strong undercard, including fights like Edgar Berlanga vs. Hamzah Sheeraz, Albert Puello vs. Subriel Matias, and David Morrell vs. Imam Khataev. Official announcements are still anticipated.
When contacted for comment on the rumors, Eddie Hearn, chairman of Matchroom, responded by stating, “We have a two-fight agreement with Shakur Stevenson and TAS (Turki Alalshikh).”
Earlier in the month, there were hints of tension when Stevenson responded to Zepeda`s promoter`s post on X, which implied Stevenson had withdrawn from their fight. Stevenson countered, questioning if that was the information they were given, and mentioned a discrepancy with Turki Alalshikh regarding a promised financial agreement.
However, Stevenson later clarified on X that the situation was a misunderstanding between Turki and his team. He apologized for overreacting and expressed his eagerness to move forward with the fight.
Hearn addressed the situation after Dalton Smith`s victory over Mathieu Germain. He explained that social media can sometimes distort situations. Hearn confirmed that discussions had taken place, and everything was resolved. He reiterated the two-fight deal with Turki Alalshikh for Shakur Stevenson, with the Zepeda fight set for July 12. Hearn mentioned looking forward to further business discussions in London soon.
Stevenson initially joined Matchroom in August 2024 after leaving Top Rank. After a period as a free agent, Matchroom secured his signing and arranged a title defense against Joe Cordina for October 12, 2024, in Riyadh. Stevenson had declared his intention to pursue major fights and named William Zepeda as a target for early 2025.
Hearn had lauded Stevenson as an exceptional boxer with superstar potential, believing Matchroom could help him achieve global recognition and secure significant fights. However, Stevenson later withdrew from the Cordina fight due to injury. Cordina expressed his frustration at learning about the cancellation indirectly.
In February 2025, Stevenson was then scheduled to fight Floyd Schofield, but Schofield withdrew due to illness. Josh Padley stepped in as a late replacement. Padley was defeated by Stevenson, but his performance impressed Matchroom, leading to them signing him. Padley recently won his first fight under Matchroom against Marko Cvetanovic.
