Everything appeared to be a done deal. Then it wasn’t.
Frank Martin and Shakur Stevenson, according to multiple reports, agreed to meet up in either mid-November or early December with the vacant WBC lightweight title on the line.
For Stevenson, months of searching far and wide for an elite opponent had come to an end. Martin, by and large, is the type of foe he’s been dying to fight. Young, fast, strong, and most importantly, recognizable. Martin checked all of the boxes. So, with the news officially breaking, Stevenson was all smiles.
A top-of-the-line 135-pounder in his physical prime? Stevenson (20-0, 10 KOs) couldn’t ask for much more. But just when an opportunity of a lifetime was placed on his doorstep, the boxing Gods cruelly took it away.
BoxingScene.com reported that the highly ranked lightweight contender removed himself from their agreed clash. Up until now, it was unclear as to why Martin suddenly had a change of heart.
Stevenson was a bit quiet about the entire ordeal. He did go through several emotions, however. Vexation appeared to be the first stage, leading to Stevenson ripping him in the public eye. Once he got past that, he took a lighthearted approach, placing several duck emojis on his social media while tagging Martin online.
Eventually, Stevenson grew tired of playing in the dark, especially after Martin (18-0, 12 KOs) came out and told all who would listen that he didn’t avoid Stevenson. From there, the former Olympic silver medalist aired out Martin’s dirty laundry.
Normally, the conclaves that go on between fighters and their representatives aren’t publicized. This time around, Stevenson felt the need to let the world know that Martin’s demands behind closed doors were ludicrous and led to their showdown falling by the wayside.
“Frank say if he not getting 50/50 with me he ain’t fighting,” said Stevenson on his verified social media account. “He said 50/50 or nothing.”