Shakur Stevenson is looking for a dance partner after the latest defence of his WBC Lightweight World Title.
The elite defensive operator from Newark had previously called out fellow champions Vasiliy Lomachenko and Gervonta Davis, but both fights look set to marinate for a while longer.
Instead, he may just land on one of the Saudi Arabia orchestrated shows alongside top pound-for-pound star, Terence Crawford.
Speaking on the DAZN broadcast of Vergil Ortiz-Serhii Bohachuk card, promoter Oscar De La Hoya said he wanted his man Ortiz to face Terence Crawford should he win.
“We want to make the big fights. If Vergil wins, we make Crawford next.”
Riyadh Season’s Turki Alalshikh confirmed that an offer would be made and, known for his impressive undercards, added another fight into the mix – Shakur versus William Zepeda.
“I will give Crawford a big offer to do this, and not only this – we want to see Shakur and Zepeda.”
De La Hoya then confirmed this was the plan.
“William Zepeda against Shakur Stevenson on the same card, let’s do it.”
Reacting to the words on social media, Stevenson said:
“I love it. Big fights, let’s get active. Chasing Greatness.”
He also welcomed the idea of fighting alongside his friend and training partner ‘Bud’, saying it would ‘be like the old days.’
Ortiz won a relatively controversial points decision, ending his perfect knockout record. He now becomes the frontrunner for Crawford, who recently announced himself in the super-welterweight division with a win over Israil Madrimov.
Zepeda is currently ranked number one with all four sanctioning bodies and is therefore first in line for Stevenson. The undefeated Mexican has an aggressive and fan-friendly style that may just bring out the best in Shakur, who has been criticised for not looking to entertain fans in his last two routine decision wins.
