By Sean Jones: Promoter Eddie Hearn and WBO featherweight champion Shakur Stevenson traded words on social media Wednesday. Stevenson 13-0, 7 KOs). Stevenson, 22, wants to face IBF 126-pound champion Josh Warrington, but it looks like he’s made up his mind already that he wants to face WBA champion Can Xu next.
Hearn told Stevenson that an offer was made and it wasn’t accepted. That’s the end of the story. If Team Stevenson wanted the fight, they would have agreed to the offer.
Warrington is making it clear that he wants Can Xu next, and he’s saying that the fight could get made soon. Stevenson isn’t in a good position to get the Warrington fight now. The way Warrington is talking, he’s made up his mind that he wants Xu.
Stevenson not in a good position to get Warrington fight
Hearn said he sent an offer to Stevenson’s promoter, and it wasn’t accepted. Given that the offer wasn’t accepted, it left Hearn in a position where he needed to move on. Stevenson still wants the fight with Warrington despite the proposal not being accepted.
Here’s some of the back and forth exchange between Hearn and Stevenson:
Stevenson: You could email me the offer you sent I’ll dm you my email right now same for you 👍🏽”
Hearn: “No problem phone lines always open – but please ask your promoter or your manager what the number we offered was – speak soon and stay safe 👍”
Stevenson: “Let’s make a fight happen neither of us got dates lined up because of COVID, so let’s make me vs. Warrington happen. We all could get on the phone and see what we can do to get it done. YOU haven’t made an offer to me or my team once again.
Hearn: “You turned down what we (and your promoter) felt was a very solid offer. Call Bob [Arum] and ask him what Eddie’s offer was. Your manager just said the offer wasn’t good enough?
Stevenson: “I can’t get Warrington next. Eddie Hearn and Warrington decided they rather fight an interim champion [Can Xu] with two losses instead of unifying his belt with me.”
Stevenson not giving up on Warrington fight
It might be too late for Stevenson to get the battle with Warrington, though, as he’s already talking about wanting to face Can Xu next. On Wednesday, Warrington revealed that Xu is the frontrunner for his next fight.
“Can Xu was the front-runner for my next fight,” said Warrington. “Within the space of five days, it went from ‘we could have an announcement’ to ‘it’s not happening any time soon’ because of the pandemic.”
It seems that Stevenson is the dark about the offer that Hearn made for him to take on Warrington (30-0, 7 KOs) in a unification fight.
The real question is, how does Stevenson NOT know that Hearn sent his management an offer for the Warrington fight. Did they not tell Stevenson? If not, then Stevenson is going to need to make sure he’s kept in the loop when offers are made to him.